Anyone know what that bit of hardware on Mr. Spillane’s chanter, right under the windcap is? Some sort of stop key or something? I’ve never seen it anywhere else. I can’t find a good picture, but if you’ve ever thumbed through the Spillane tutor, you’d know what I mean (I think).
Might be the microphone pickup.
I think Spillane’s chanter has a pickup that is drilled through the chanter top and, at least in live performances, is attached directly to the reed.
??? What,like to learn more about that. 
It,s a Barcus Berry sax pickup.To insall it you need to mill out a small slot at the top of your chanter.The wire is placed in the slot then covered with blu tack to seal it. The actual pickup is attached to the reed just below the bridle.You will need to use an eq, pedal to take the harshness out of it,also a delay pedal,etc.It beats sitting on top of a mic for a whole gig.You can also use a mic as well to sweeten up the overall sound.Stephen
I know that Davy tends to pick up his pipes and dance around the stage, but as far as I know, he’s the only piper to do this. The rest of us are condemned to sit in place while we play. 
Seriously? That’s weird. I would think there’se far less intrusive ways of mounting such a pickup, even if it needs to be in contact with the reed. Strange that this hasn’t been visited before. Thanks for the info, though.
Not that my playing is ready for it, but what’s the best way to mic the pipes for recording? I’m talking about a free standing mic on a mic stand…range? Location? For example, an acoustic guitar should be miked at the 12th fret at a 45degree angle for the most natural sound. Would be curious to know…thinking about running the mic through an effects pedal for recording…pipes might sound cool with some reverb/delay, etc. 
At least when I can play worth a damn.
For recording and live playing the best results I’ve had is a mic at about 8 inches from the chante, pointed at 45 degrees towards the G hole. I don’t recall what mic was used for recording but for playing live I use an SM57 for the chanter.
No need to sit on top of a mic when you have one of these:
Seconded. If your aim is to record the natural sound of a chanter then a good quality condenser at a few feet distant is the way to go. If you close mic you’ll need some EQ to balance the sound.
on thing for certain,
point the mic at your A hole and the sound won’t be appreciated. It won’t be enjoyed much if you point towards the D hole either.
eh hmm
Move the mic around and see what you get. there are no hard fast rules. It’s all about the ears.