Just a quick message to let you know that, as part of the ongoing redevelopment of my website, I’ve decided to offer all of my recently recorded material as free MP3 downloads. I have recorded some of these tunes before, and made them available, but the recordings on the website are new, and haven’t been previously made available for downloading. Of course, there are recordings of tunes that I have only recently starting playing too.
The tunes can be found in ‘The Music’ section of my website at:
My reason for uploading them is not to seek kudos or anything like that…I simply want people to enjoy the music. So, enjoy
Other updates that will be coming soon, apart from an overhaul of the general look of the site, will be advice on buying a set of pipes (aimed at beginners) and an ‘audio gallery’ of piping ornamentation which I hope will assist the student in learning crans, triplets, etc etc.
I love that particular mic. Its so easy to set up, needs no external preamplification and has a nice dynamic range. I’ve been very pleased with the results
Just had a listen - great sound. Gotta get me one!
I was looking at one on the net the other day thinking it’s just what I need and wondering if I can get one here in Jakarta. Plenty of good music industry shops here so shouldn’t be a problem.
Hello Steve
It has been pointed out before and I,m sure it will again that apart from your excellent playing ,your pipes are in perfect tune especially when the regs come in
what tweaking methods do you use to keep the pipes in tune .
Thanks for your comments and interesting question. I suppose that over the years, I’ve adopted certain habits that help to keep my pipes in tune. If I were to list them, these would be the pertinent ones:
Try to play the pipes in their ‘home’ environment. By this, I mean that reeds ‘get used’ to playing in a certain humidity and temperature. Deviation from this home environment certainly can lead to problems, so I am wary of playing in places that are too cold, too hot, too humid or too dry.
Don’t be too quick to adjust the reeds. I often see pipers who seem to be constantly fiddling with their reeds, especially the chanter reed. I wonder if, by always interfering with their reeds, they never give their reed a chance to settle down and come to some sort of equilibrium. I prefer to give my reeds a chance to get used to a slight change in environmental conditions which leads me to point 3…
Don’t be scared to adjust the reeds if they obviously need it. Whereas its not good to be continually playing around with the reeds, conversely, its not desirable to be so scared of the reeds such that one daren’t touch them.
Understand how to adjust reeds. When I teach my students, I always teach them about reeds, how they work and how to adjust them. I emphasise the point that often, a tiny tweak of the bridle is all that is needed to stablise a reed that isn’t responding well, or if the back D goes flat etc. Its not difficult to remember that pushing the bridle towards the lips of the reed will make the reed a bit louder, and sharpen the back D (amongst other effects) and that pushing the bridle in the opposite direction makes the reed a bit softer, but can flatten a back D and make it more prone to breaking…all of which leads me to point 5…
Learn to make reeds. This isn’t a skill which comes overnight, but pipers will be used to this However, a knowledge of reed anatomy and physiology obtained through dissection, resection and thoughtful study will give the piper a far greater understanding of how adjustments affect the reeds.
Buy and use a hygrometer/thermometer. This will tell you, at a glance, whether its good piping weather (ie, whether you have the right temperature and humidity). A moistened sponge kept in the pipecase can help sustain a nicely humid atmosphere. I tend to aim for a home humidity of about 70% with a playing temp of about 20-21C.
Beware of central heating. It dries the air and dries out your reeds. You’ll save money and your sanity by keeping it on as low as possible.
Pay particular attention to balancing all the reeds in the pipes. You ideally want all the reeds responding as a ‘system’ rather than having very heavy drone reeds, and very light regulator reeds.
Use wire rushes and blobs of blutack to get individual notes on the regs in tune. I tend to tune the upper notes of the regs a bit on the sharp side, and then use rushes and blutack to flatten them such that the lower, more bass notes are naturally in tune. I personally haven’t come across regs which don’t need quite a bit of playing with and adjustment.
erm… I think thats about it, (until I hit the submit button and realise that I have forgotten something really important)
I’d love to read other peoples hints and tips, so please add to the list if you can
Let me second the reed-fiddling issue. Too many people jump on their reeds just a few minutes into playing in a completely new environment. Pipers had it right in Ireland when they came in through the pub door, opened their case and sat for a few hours. It’s not only good mentally but allows your instrument to climatize (though playing gets the heat/humidity or lack thereof to your reeds faster).
I’ll second the hygrometer/thermometer as well. Keep one in your pipe case and one in your house. Radio Shack makes a really inexpensive/accurate one that runs for years on the batteries provided.
As for the sponge in the pipecase, be careful with this. I’d personally suggest it for only drier climates. Make sure if you use one it’s only moistened (wetted and squeezed out!). You don’t want fuzz in your pipecase.
I actually use a plastic tube which has had some holes drilled in it, and has then been filled with some damp tissue. This way, a small amount of moisture is able to escape into the pipecase, without saturating the sponge padding, or any of the other bits and pieces that I keep in the case. I wouldn’t recommend a dripping wet sponge
However, a knowledge of reed anatomy and physiology obtained through dissection, resection and thoughtful study will give the piper a far greater understanding of how adjustments affect the reeds.