Heres a good example of the subjective term “sound better”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3nLeHoXz_I
RORY
That sounds like a thinner version of me playing Rory
David
Well Davy, you know we dont believe that for a minute.
RORY
The Traditional Underground is not what it would seam. Some people think it’s the pits while others think it’s just a big bore. Because of all the minors, they say it got started in Newcastle.
I have some drones that tune to E but I don’t find all that much use for them. They can jarr with the b note on the chanter and it depends on the particular tune whether this is “acceptable” or not. Sometimes I feel it is possible to tune the e drones a bit flat but other ears might not agree. In any case a lot of tunes in ITM modulate between Em and G, so when you get to the G part the E drones don’t sound right. Maybe a G or a B drone would be better.
I’m glad we’re at the core of the issue. Although it appears that I got the shaft somewhere along the way and ended up with a bit uminous. 
Realistically I thought perhaps it was either a style of ITM I hadn’t heard of yet or another style of music altogether; perhaps a magazine or musical modus operandi or groups of people plumbing the historical depths for ancient music or perhaps something else again so I thought I’d ask.
Mark
Sorry to dissappoint you but the Traditional Underground is currently limited to my basement!! 
The traditional underground in the UK is a victorian decaying warren of oval tubes under the streets of London where cattle (often referred to as passengers by tube staff) are packed as tightly as possible into pens that the R.S.P.C.A. would, if it was battery hens, be prosocuting the owners.
Come to think of it,one suggestion for a lament would be “The streets of London” which is a pretty sorrowful affair about all the homeless and hopeless souls of London. Is that in E minor or G?
It’s not just that it ends with E. It’s that the tune “resolves” to E. That is, at places where it feels like the tune comes to a sense of rest or completion, there will most likely be an E or an E minor chord. The flow of the tune, the buildup and release of tension, depends on having that E as a “cornerstone.” When the tune is trying to resolve to E, but the drones are playing a D, that can interfere with the sense of resolution. Some tunes are more strongly tied to the root note than others.
The original poster in this thread has 2 unread private messages from me.
I hope they are of help.
Boyd
A relatively simple, yet lovely, air is Anach Cuan. You can play it in E minor no problem.
If you don’t already have them, listen to Seán 'ac Dhonncha sing it on his recording An Spailpín Fánach, or to Joe Heaney, on The Road from Connemara (where it’s spelled Eanach Cuain). Both are available from Cló Iar-Chonnachta (http://www.cic.ie/catalogue.asp?NAV=2&type=1&txtsearch=&txtsong=anach%20cuan&sel_category=0&sel_author=0&sel_subcategory=0), or from your local importer.
Hi there,
I composed an Em air awhile back for a similar occasion, if you’re interested, I can send the dots.
Cheers,
Charlie.
I think it would be fair to say that if you are a perfectionist with a good ear the only keys you can play your chanter and drones together in,are G and D maj, everything else is a compromise.
RORY
Do you have a website to go to where I can get all of that information?
I think that G minor and A major/minor also sound good against D drones.
I don’t know of any particular website. I learned basic music theory in school. I found that the DADGAD Irish Guitar book written by Sarah McQuaid gives a good explanation of theory, particularly scales, modes and chords.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit like looking for a website where one can learn algebra. Maybe, but it’s more complicated than just picking up a few facts.
Those “Music Theory for Dummies” and “Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory” books are not ideal, but at least they do present the basics in adult beginner terms. And like the book PJ mentioned, Chris Smith’s “Celtic Back-Up” book covers modal theory for Irish music.
I would think most pipers would find that E minor/dorian sound better against the drones than A major.
A minor (and C major) are both interesting ones for you to think sound good if you don’t think E minor does. They both have that C (the same distance from the D as the E, you know) that makes for interesting dissonance.
Personally I think everything sounds good against the drones to some degree or other. I love the feel of that dissonance of the E vs the D. I love how many tunes move back and forth between different modes and how you have smooth harmonies occurring and then that rougher dissonance. I love the way everything blends together so well (because, or if, the pipes are tuned properly).
I don’t feel like I’m compromising at all, but rather that all of these different modes provide wonderful opportunities for the ear to hear different things.
The Dear Irish Boy
is about as traditional and old an E minor air as you could get
EF# G3 F#E F#B2 AF# E2 F#ED3
EF# G3 F#E F#B2 AF# E2 F#EDE2
EF# G3 F#E F#B2 AF# E2 F#ED3
EF# G3 ABB e2d BAG 3(EF#G) F#2 EDE2
is the first half (from memory)
Its on recordings…I think it’s on “The Drones & Chanter” for instance
Someone will know which one of the 2 CDs…
Boyd