OK, this guy walks up to me and he says ...

Whistle
1

“I play these bagpipes that are tuned to 25 cents sharp of F, but we call it G, so I need a 25 cents sharp of C whistle so my wife can play along with me.”

And I say, “What?”

After another two or three times through the explanation, I figure out what he’s talking about and I tell him that when I go home I’ll make a whistle for him. After he leaves, I think about it some more and figure out that the C Blackbirds I have with me can probably be tuned sharp enough to do that. So I ask a couple of the people organizing the event if there’s a way I can try it out, and one of them says, “Chris, can you come over here?”

So I have a discussion with this English guy, and he says, “Sure. Let’s give it a try. I’ll get my pipes.”

So he comes over to my table with some really little bagpipes and another English guy, Andy, whom he introduces to me.

The two of them take a minute or two to adjust the pitch of the whistle, which does, in fact, tune nicely with the pipes, and Chris Ormston and Andy May take off with some stunningly good playing, Andy on whistle and Chris on Northumbrian smallpipes.

And the two instruments go together beautifully, with melodies that sound like Shakespeare or Chaucer could have heard them.

Discussing the matter with others later, I’m told this is a big deal, as it’s hard to find instruments that can be played with 25 cents sharp of F but you call it G Northumbrian smallpipes.

Here’s where I was over the weekend:

http://pipersgathering.org/InstrumentMakers2009.shtml
(Scroll about halfway down or click “Freeman” on the left side of the page.)

Best wishes,
Jerry

2

As soon as I read that part I knew that the NSPs were involved.

It’s funny how each piping tradition has it’s own traditional (or modern) pitch oddities.
You’ve got the traditional NSP pitch, sharp of F, but written as G.

You’ve got the modern GHB pitch, halfway between B flat and B, but written as A. (I’m surprised you haven’t got questions about a B flat Generation, or better yet an E flat Generation, at that pitch.)

You’ve got an old pitch for the Gaita Gallega, called “do brilliante”, which is a rather sharp C.

Then there’s the old Uilleann pipes, often halfway between B and C, or old Taylor pipes somewhat north of D but not quite E flat.

3

“Jerry Freeman is the world’s only full time, professional penny whistle tweaker.” :laughing:

Well, i guess this makes that “How many piano tuners are there in the world” brain-twister obsolete in the case of tin whistles. :smiley:

4

Gotta mention, for those not familiar with Northumbrian Smallpipes (and players thereof) that Andy and Chris are not just two guys that play NSP - they are two of the best in the world on those instruments and repertoire. If they like the pipes/whistle combo that’s a big :thumbsup:

Great to see Jerry at the Gathering and have a chance to chat.

Best wishes.

Steve

5

I was trying to convey something of what that was like. As if say, Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton had showed up at my table to try out how a Blackbird sounded with an electric guitar.

Best wishes,
Jerry

6

So they were playing a fifth apart?
How many cents is 25 cents sharp short of G?

7

They were in unison.

Three fingers down is F on a C whistle. So if you play the “G on a D whistle” fingering on a C whistle, you’re in F major. And if you tune the C whistle 25 cents sharp and play the “G on a D whistle” fingering, you’re in the key of “G on Northumbrian smallpipes,” which is to say, 25 cents sharp of concert F or 75 cents flat of concert G.

You see why it took a few times through before I caught on to what the gentleman was trying to do.

Best wishes,
Jerry

8

Back when I was playing in a slow session in Montreal, we were starting up a tune and one of the beginner whistle students (I was ‘intermediate’) asked, “Is this fingers on, or fingers off?”. She was asking if the tune coming up had Cnat or C#, but the cry “the key is, ‘fingers off’!'” became a standard catch phrase.

9

Hi, Richard.

Here’s another thing that came up.

I learned that Scottish smallpipes and border pipes are in A mixolydian, and I was asked what whistle could play that. The answer that seemed to be correct is simply, a D whistle starting the scale at A (two fingers down), which will give you an A mixolydian scale.

However, you mentioned that great highland bagpipes are in a key called A, but it’s halfway between Bb and B. Are Scottish smallpipes and border pipes in concert A, in GHB A or in some other key that’s called A but isn’t based on concert pitch?

Best wishes,
Jerry

10

Hi Jerry

Smallpipes and border pipes are in GHB scale (normally) but in concert A/Bb/C/D depending on the pitch of the set in question - they are designed to be able to play along with other instruments (or voice).

David

11

Thanks, David.

Here’s a little more from the Pipers’ Gathering:

In the photo, the woman at far left is Ellen MacPhee, with her performing companion, Jeff Matheson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-6P1FBnRzc

To the right of Jeff is Nate Banton, maker of Scottish smallpipes and border pipes:
http://www.elbowmusic.com/

Blue shirt/ponytail guy is E.J. Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zI9R7N0-iU&feature=related

Black shirt/ponytail guy is Andy May:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri-_hmXPY9A&feature=PlayList&p=7B4F6C76B69DC1F6&index=38
here playing the 25 cents sharp of F but they call it G Northumbrian smallpipes.

Here’s Chris Ormston:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYA_fKuBTaw

Best wishes,
Jerry