Hi All,
My inquiry is about small pipe combinations.I gather that A/D is a good harmonious combination to have because of shared drone pitches?.I’m interested if there are other good or not so good ones,
C/Bb is of interest.Also what are some of the good drone combinations as some makers offer to mix and match.And could someone explain to me the difference between open and closed fingering and if one has an advantage over the other.I gather that SSP’s only have one octave but I was wondering if you closed off the end of the chanter like an uilleann pipe, if it would kick into a second octave.
Would much appreciate any replies.Thank you from obviouse potential novice.
hi
I have a combination Northumbrian/SSP set by Ian Ketchin, which has 4 drones, NSP style, and as you can switch them on and off, you can have any combination at any time. it’s in C.
see http://www.ianketchinsmallpipes.co.uk/
SSP chanters can’t be broken into the 2nd octave, I’m afraid - mine has an extra key for high d, which I’d recommend. It’s amazing how many tunes become playable with just this one extra note.
open fingering is like the whistle, lifting more fingers for each note
closed is like the NSP, where only one finger is lifted at any time. Ian’s SSP chanter will play either, as well as GHB fingering - it’s a very forgiving chanter.
closed fingering:
x xxx xxxx
x xxx xxxo
x xxx xxox
x xxx xoxx
x xxx oxxx
etc
it gives a lovely popping sound, and is great for fast runs and arpeggios.
good luck
b
Check out piperjones’s videos on Youtube.
He demonstrates the drone combinations very well.
http://uk.youtube.com/user/piperjones
Mukade