Penny Chanter and SSP

Uilleann Pipes
1

I see David Daye offers a smallpipe windcap for his penny chanter. Does anyone have any experience with this or have an informed opinion whether a set of SSP (already owned) with this chanter would make a serviceable practice set for someone wanting to try out UP? And would it be alright to use the D drones (in matters of pressure etc…) on the SSP when practicing?

Thanks,

Chris

2

Why don’t ye ask David direct?
Uilliam

3

Hi,

It should work ok - sort of. My first uilleann piping adventures involved plugging a chaner into a set of northumbrian pipes. It was enough to learn the basic fingering and get an idea of playing uilleann pipes. I guess with hindsight i’d concede the reed was set up a bit soft so that i could play comfortably with a small bellows. The drones didn’t work too well because they weren’t set up for an octave-jumping chanter. Maybe yours will cope better?

I’d say give it a go and if you start to take to uilleann piping it’s a weekend’s work to glue yourself a bag and maybe nail some bigger bellows togather.

Best of luck,
a

4

Thanks Andymay, that is the sort of information I was after.

Thanks Uilliam, I would never have thought of that myself. As an aside, does he hang out on this forum at all?

5

Chris, I had this very set up in the begining and it does work. However the typical SSP bag is small and would not power the drones at the same time anyway. Also the SSP drones reeds will not stand up to the pressure required to play the second octave on the chanter.
It is an inexpensive way to test the waters with a UP chanter. I have a chanter for sale and will throw in the conversion if interested. Check my post for UP components for sale.

6

There ye go… Xmas came early :wink:
Uilliam

7

Drones go out the window…This was my first foray with uilleann pipes, too. A friend loaned me his Daye chanter and I plugged it into my Scottish smallpipes. In retrospect, I probably just had the reed set up too hard, but I found it very difficult to sustain the 2nd octave in comparison to when I later had a practice set to work with.

Getting one of Daye’s practice set kits would ergonomically be a bit of a better idea in the long run, I think.