I am finding that I am not comfortable with the way my pipes feel when I am playing them. I am tall and have long arms, and I feel like my arms are too bent when I am playing. My base regulator does not at all rest in the crook of my left elbow, and to hold the pipes that way, then the chanter is way too close. I am thinking of getting a new bag, and was wondering if the length of neck of the bag is an important factor and variable that I need to consider to feel comfortable holding the pipes. Are there are adjustments in where the stocks are tied in depending on your size that will affect how they feel. I want to get this right if I am going to go to the trouble of getting a new bag. Thanks for any information that you have.
There are some quick, cheap ways to sleuth out what my work for you. One thing to try is to (in effect) lengthen the neck on your bag by extending the feeder tube the comes off your chanter top. You can do this with tubing, be it rubber or plastic, or by fitting a metal sleeve over (or into) your existing tube. This is all non-invasive stuff. Getting the chanter out and away from you can open up whole new vistas for you (especially in the reg department).
i initially had this problem also - i have a 6’-8" arm span even though i am only 6’-2"… so for some reason when i got my first full set, the bass reg bar did not sit comfortably, and no matter what, i was never going to be able to play the regs at all.
my solution was to get an oversized L&M bag from tim britton, and get the regulator bar redone taylor style by bc childress - made all the difference in the world. now the set lays comfortably in my lap and my ape-like arms lay very naturally across the regs.
the blowpipe should probably be much longer than you think it should be. mine is a total of about 12" or so which helps push the bag BACK under my arm…
To me, this illustrates another fact proving that learning to play uilleann pipes is a perfect “buried shovel” situation: you want to dig a hole, but you can’t get at the shovel you need for digging because it’s buried under three feet of rocky soil. With regard to dimensions and placement of your pipes (along with so many other aspects of them), a cruel irony dictates that you have to already know how to play them before you can arrange a suitable setup. I suspect that this is why we love them as much as we do – they are such a wonderful metaphor for life.
Yep, that’s for sure and given the cost and time it takes to craft our instruments you’d think that everyone would do this. However, most don’t (I didn’t) and we end up learning as we go along, adapting this and that until we find what we like and don’t like about them.
P.S. Thanks again for the staples you sent me, PJ. I got another good chanter reed out of one (for my Childress chanter).
Thanks for all of the information and pm’s with the great info. You all made some correct assumptions about my situation. These are new pipes to me, and my first full set. I think that I was assuming that I was uncomfortable with them because of the regs, but in reviewing the info you gave and really taking a look at the set, I noticed that the drone/reg stock is tied in at the junction of the neck with the bag, past the fat part of the bag (into the neck) and only 10" from the end of the neck. All that weight up high and way out there is pulling down on the neck and the reg pipe is too high and too far out to be anywhere near my elbow. The bag is pretty close in size to my practice set bag, but the drone stock location just looks funky. The neck on these bag is 12" from the body of the bag. I will definitely be getting a new bag. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any makers or instructors (i.e. better players or anyone close by, which is not to say that I am any good!!) to help me out. Maybe I will make it down to the Chicago Piper’s club meeting. Now I have an excuse to go. If some of you could e-mail my wife and explain the urgency of this, I would appreciate it. Also, if any one has any pictures or diagrams of where to tie in the drone stock, I would appreciate it. Thanks again for all of your help and responses. I read the forum all the time, and don’t have much to add most of the time, except a sarcastic comment or joke about something non-technically related.
Speaking of ergonomics here… I’m still new to the pipes and all (one year so far yay…) but the question of ergonomics has come up with the addition of my drones. To the point though, what determines blow pipe length - such as, how long is too long and how short is too short. Also, where is the ideal position for the blowpipe and drone stocks to be tied in the bag? I suspect pictures would speak a thousand words for these questions.. But if anyone could help me out I’d much appreciate it. Thanks,
I´d say this is a similiar problem like shoes or trousers. You are the only one who can determine what feels comfortable to you. As written, the neck length can easily be “adopted” by yourself. The same goes for the connector hose (if necessary, your pipemaker will send you a longer hose - after all pipes are custom made). The position of the main stock is different, cause you would need an other bag in case - however quite unlikely. Generally speaking though, the wrist of the right hand should comfortably be there, where the reg-keyes once will be. You´ll have to depend on the experience of your pipemaker. You also could attend a tionól, see what feels most comfortable to you and copy the measurements. Pictures are not as good an idea, cause you wouldn´t buy your shoes or your trousers from a picture alone, either.
In my isolated piper’s case… I would hope that pictures would do alot better then say “Somewhere near here”… Better than nothing anyway. Guess I will dig through the “pics of your pipes” thread.
