My name is Casey and I am a whistle player. I recently got my hands on a low D whistle, and have been mainly playing that ever since, so I now think that I have the possibility of being able to play the uilleann pipes (I tried a set during Willie Week and it was really crazy). Anyways, I am looking for a cheap way to try out this instrument and see if I can meet the challenge. If I decide to play the instrument I will save up for a nice starter set from a good maker, but for now I would like to try a cheaper one. After some looking around I saw this cheap set at Harp and Dragon:
I know this isn’t a very quality starter set, but would it be enough to just try out the instrument and see if I can play it successfully? Or, would it be a bad idea to try and play this particular instrument? Thanks for any advice.
This question keeps coming up on the forum. The general concensus is don’t waste your money on Pakistani or Indian made sets.
From a purely financial point of view, there’s no second-hand market for them. If you pay $340 for the starter set you’ll most likely be stuck with it. If you spend slightly more than twice that amount - $700 - you’ll get yourself a quality practice set which will hold its value and which you’ll be able to sell or trade if you subsequently want to upgrade.
My advice, for what it’s worth, wait a few months, save up the extra money and buy yourself something that’ll serve you for the long term.
I am also a low whistle player and have been for years. I too have been bit by the pipe bug. I sold all my Low D’s, C’s, F,'s Eb’s and A (I did keep my Chieftain Gold Low D) to save the money for a practice set. In my opinion for the money Seth Hamon makes a very nice set. It fit my budget nicely and his customer service is second too none in my opinion.
Some advice from one newbie to another…do some research or might I say a lot of research on the UPs. I have found this to be the most humbling instrument…just read my previous threads… my frustrations as it all…
Do yourself a big favor and spend your money on a set that will work, and if later on it needs tweaking, the maker of the set can do it. The set you are looking at on Harp and Dragon, has no maker that you can contact for adjustments, and the reeds that come with it are useless… it could be a big can of worms.
I expected that you have gotten a lot of people asking about the cheap sets, and I pretty much expected this answer, that’s why I didn’t just go out and buy the cheap one.
So, what do you all think of the Penny-Chanters made by David Daye presented here by indestructibleman? I see I could buy a kit for only $340: http://www.daye1.com/pennychanter.html. Would this be a good way to start? Because seriously I can’t afford much more than this for quite a while since I am a college student. I looked over the site, and it seems like a pretty good option.
Search the archives for opinions on penny chanters. You’ll find
plenty of comments, both positive and negative. I’ve been
playing a penny chanter for several years, and I’m very happy
with it. It plays in tune easily in both octaves and the reed is
very stable. The tone is decent – much better than many
wooden chanters that I’ve heard, but nowhere near as nice as
a really good one.
I’m hoping to acquire a nice flat set sometime soon, but
I plan to keep the penny chanter for sessions, etc. It isn’t clear
to me whether the divergent opinions about penny chanters are
due to reed issues, poor quality control in their construction, or
a bias against the unusual appearance and construction. I
suspect it is a combination of these, since I have encountered
all of those things with various penny chanters and people.
Another option is to search out clubs that have loaner sets. The club in Seattle has a number of sets that they loan out to people who want to try them out. (At least they used to.) It might be worthwhile checking this option out if money is tight.
This way, if you end up deciding that the pipes aren’t really the instrument for you, then you haven’t made an investment of several hundred dollars.
As a fairly recent penny chanter owner I can heartily recommend it. I bought the black delrin model with a c nat key. I built my own bag, bellows and connecting pipes from scratch. It’s not rocket science, you just have to be careful to make sure everything is airtight. If you want to get into a good UP practice set, and you don’t mind “some assebly required,” David Daye’s $340 “Starter Set Easy Kit” has all you need.
The Pat Murray sets are also a very good means of gettign started without much dough - and it looks like he now offers them with a MacHarg leather bag as an option too.
Another option, which is how I started out some time ago, is to watch carefully for a fine quality starter/practice set on ebay or other related sites.
I bought a very good starter set from someone that didn’t successfully sell it on ebay, and I sent an email and negotiated a very good price. There are many people buying these things and then quiting after a short passage of time (maybe more than other instruments given some additional challenges).
I played it for a year and then sold it when my Gallagher practice set was ready. The first one was made by Bruce Childress and since wish I hadn’t sold it (for more than I paid for it). I also received NPU tapes and tutorials and a case with the set when I bought it, and kept the tapes/tutorial when the set was sold. The most important thing to me was that it was a very good quality chanter and reed and it played in tune. I think that I paid in the $400’s and sold it for over $600, and used it for a year (the only thing UP item that I have ever sold to date).
I have also bought a few other chanters for under $600, and I would say that there is a risk if the practice set is not made from a know maker and if it isn’t reeded or needs a new reed. If it is from an active pipemaker, it certainly can be rereeded easily, even by mail (though climate differences will be a factor).
IMO, there are wonderful alternatives to spending $1000+ when someone is starting out, and determining if they are dedicated or not. The backend risk is also lower if the answer is “not” as you may get your investment back. You just need to keep an eye out and be patient.
How did you go about making your own bag, bellows, and connecting pipes from scratch? This is something I’m interested in doing, and I have a bit of experience in instrument making and the sort. Are there plans or anything like that? Thanks .
Thanks a lot for the link. I was thinking about buying a nice chanter, maybe just a penny-chanter for now, and building the bag and bellows. Currently I don’t have the tools either to make a chanter, but I bet I can make the other parts without too much trouble. The instructions on that site seem entirely doable, and the bag and bellows appear simple in theory.
Has anyone here successfully made their own bag and bellows and have any pointers by chance? Thanks a lot!
That site describes a set of SSP, but could be easily adapted for UP. You can probably find the proper cloth-backed vinyl cheap on remainder tables at local fabric stores.
Plus, you’ll have something to do while waiting for your new chanter!
I built my own bellows, bag, stocks…etc. The way I did it is a little less labor/parts intensive than the instructions on Eric Reiswig’s page. All of the parts can easily be found at Lowe’s/Home Depot. The only part I had to buy elsewhere was a length of 1/2" i.d. brass tubing, but that is readily available at most r/c hobby stores. (Obviously, the leather/vinyl will have to come from an appropriate store). If you really want to go this route, I will gladly take some pics of how/what I did and post them with a “shopping list.”
my frustrations as it all… 
.
Thanks a lot for the info.