Anyway, I started into the world of piping using one Deger Electric Bagpipes (lovingly called DEB). I find these to be really a pretty neat idea. Hole (alias electric finger sensor) spacing is the same as on a regular GHB chanter, so it’s an easy crossover. Also, should you like some accidentals, there is a mode to add them to the scale. You can also play the beastie in almost any key of the rainbow!! Very handy when playing with a band, who may not have their repitour in Bb. Has a mode to change the voicings from GHB to SSP for some added fun effects, and is MIDI compatable. The best part (I think) about the set up is that you can plug in headphones, and practice (with the drones sounding!!) in private!! I used to practice on the bus!
This thing is truly awesome. It looks quite sleek, and plays well in tune. There is even a way to tweak tuning to match other instruments!! I’ve also put mine through an electric guitar ‘chorus’ effect to achieve the sound of a whole pipe band.
I know that there are other electric bagpipes out there. Any info on them? Any players with stories to tell?
I never tried electric pipes, and live in a place of no neigh bours. But out of curiosity, can you change the fingering pattern to that of the recorder? (the fingering on all my pipes, so they are cromatic)
When last I played around with a MIDI wind controller,(1992?) it was well on the way to being able to be configured into pretty much anything. bends, vibrato, graces, assignable touches, 16 octave range, etc, etc, etc…Probably only reason theres no syn-uilleann yet because theres no syn-uilleann market…
thankfully!
The technochanter has now grown into Technopipes with drones and full midi.
These are perfect if you commute to work by bus or train and the price is also very affordable
Currently available versions are (others are under development):
Great Highland/Smallpipes
Northumbrian smallpipes
Here are some sound samples: GHB SP
There are a few more on the website
One of the distributors has a good summary of the technopipe and all the new features, here
I have one of the Fagerstrom Technochanters. It’s a bit of an earlier model–GHB & SSP chanter but no drones. Not the most authentic sound, but it’s been a serious lifesaver during times that I’ve been away from home and not had my GHBs around to practice.
In my ongoing efforts to find an electronic whistle of some kind, I recently stumbled upon the technopipes. It seems to my untrained eye that the Open Galician fingering would be relatively easy for a whistler to adapt to. Any thoughts on this idea?
the deger or any other type of electronic chanter was kind of nifty when they first came out but are actually total shite when compared to Mark Sauls set up. check out his myspace www.myspace.com/marksaul
i asked him about it a few years ago and he tried denying that he recorded using an electronic chanter, its sounds that good i believed him
As far as the GHB e-pipes, I prefer the Deger model to the others (although I’ve not yet tried Anders Fagerstrom’s newest offering - I hear it’s the fa-shizzle - or whatever it is that young people are saying these days.).
As to UP e-pipes, there’s always the mythic V-Pipes http://www.vpipes.com/. I’ve not seen them yet either. I’m wondering if the “V” stands for vapour…
Back in the day (about 15 or so years ago) George Boyd in Chicago was making some pretty kick-arse GHB e-pipes and was well into the process of developing UP e-pipes as well. I recall speaking with him at the time and being told that he was integrating the processor etc into the “bag” and also building in an arm-operated pitch bender. He was also intending to develop regulators for this beast. My understanding is that he was etching his own processor boards and as a result developed multiple allergies and sensitivities that pretty much compelled him to leave the arena. A real shame, that… If anybody has anymore info, I’d sure be interested in learning more.
