Neat, huh? From the FARNE website. I asked the NSP Mailing list about it a few years ago, a few other makers have made simliar geegaws in modern times, sometimes straight - good for scratching cats’ ears, stirring your tea, what have you.
For instance - Dave Quinn made Alan Jones a set with chanters with 24 and 25 keys - with gold metalwork. Dunno why he needed two of the things. Those who can, do!
I dunno much about NSP’s but that is the darndest thing I’ve ever seen for bagpipes!! I would assume such a contraption lowers the chanter by and octave to give it a fully chromatic 3 octave range?? Anywho, kudos to whoever has the moxy to either make or play something like that!
Shades of Sordelinna… 
Leapin’ Lizards Daddy Warbucks! That chanter looks like an exrcise in masochism both from a making and playing standpoint.
Bill
I count 18, maybe 19 touches on it. That puppy’s strictly played by keys, isn’t it? I don’t see any open toneholes.
And it’s so teensy, too.
Looks it could be used as a torture device, both to play, make, and gouge out your eyes with.
I have had nasty nightmares which featured evil looking gadgets like this in the hands of leg-less vampire babies on horseback… nevermind…
It does look like not so much an instrument as it does an appliance!
BTW, Kevin, your link isn’t working for me. Might be my 'puter, though…
Oh, sorry about that link, FARNE’s a funky website, the URLs for stuff seem to be one-time only per user or something - if you reload a page later it’ll give you an error message. I’ll just edit it out.
To find the image go to the FARNE Archive, browse by collection, and the second collection is “Exhibition of Northumbrian bagpipes in the Black Gate. Additional notes, photographs and measurements arranged and compiled by R.A.S. Cowper.” There’s also the Cocks collection with more small pipe photos.
This chanter has fingerholes - you can see the thumbhole in the back. Lot of good it does. Dunno if it ever worked but I remember that the modern long range chanters were made for top players - not Alan Jones, but Richard Butler or someone of that ilk.
Little sidetrack here, I noticed this at another FARNE page:
Grimaldi’s Hornpipe, from the Lionel Winship manuscript, dated 1833.
Nice handwriting, reminds me of J. S. Bach’s penmanship.
Geez, I’ve seen less metal in a Borg implant… 
Makes a Bassethorn look simple! Reminds me of the seven-belled cornet in the PT Young collection.
Im thinkin a different hand 4 each tune, eh wot?..
Whts the nams of that 2nd tune?..liscence to slide.. slide to bride…gripe to ride.. slide to ride…
(Mendelssohn’s handwriting was completely type A…)
PS could someone with ‘photoshop’ please just put eyes on that chanter? I get the feeling its…its… lookin at me… 
Beauty! Looks like something from an Alien vs Predator session!
Actually it looks very cool… lots of function in so little space.
Sigh… it’s alieN… sigh again.
Two things just occurred to me: first, trying to imagine how one would hold and play such a beast, I’m reminded of the Chinese Sheng, which requires at least 42 fingers and looks like an over-complicated bong.
Second, do NSP chanters require oiling? If so, ouch!
Mile to Ride, usually called Ride a Mile now.
Garibaldi’s is now called Alexander’s, if you were wondering.
despite all the…stuff… going on with that chanter, i can’t help but think it’s still dainty-looking and kinda cute. nsp’s are just so little…
(and OT i want to see a movie about legless vampire babies on horseback. because it strikes me that the van helsing of the story would at first glance look extremely evil… pulling handicapped infants from the backs of their ponies only to skewer them so he can save the day (or night, as the case may be, being a picture about vampiric babies.))
m
I’m being hypocritical here, but…
Anyone know a UP maker who could make set of regs like that NSP chanter? You know, so you could actually get your toes involved in the whole expierence? I couldn’t imagine playing a stick (is that correst to call it a stick?) with other musicans without scaring them sh**-less. I’m almost at bad wetting stage meself.
“show me on the dolly what the bad man did to you with that chanter…”
I don’t know if I’d want NSP regs just like that chanter…or use 'em with my feet (I’ve got enough problems working just ten fingers), but David Burleigh made a set of regulators for Adrian Schofield’s NSP maybe 12-13 years ago. Looked as though it was an amusing experiment, but not quite right for me.