Re the article by Geoff Woof in An Piobaire, anyone tried his cross fingerings for the 3rd octave? I’ve got up to 3rd e on my Howard concert pitch chanter, with the half holing the back d like a speaker key trick, but no further.
By the way me and the pipes are off to Slovenia next week, lets see what they make of 'em there.
Hi Sean,
Have you added the regulators yet?
Only time I hit the third octave is by pure accident and it usually means I’ve got to adjust my reed. 
Hi PJ, no the regs are at Brian Howard’s ready for pricing up of renovation.
I’m in no hurry as the old two octave chanter and drones is enough of a challenge.
I did find Geoff’s article interesting though, and wondered if anyone with a flat chanter had managed to get those really high notes.
I’ve not read the article but I’ve a C chanter with a 3rd octave C key (3rd octave D on a concert chanter). I’ve no idea how to use it and the only tune I’ve heard so far in which it is used in Seamus Ennis’s version of Duke Gordon (the Louis Quinn recordings).
djm has a Kennedy B set which is keyed up the yazoo. I understand he can get a few 3rd octave notes but he’s better placed to discuss that.
Ha! Not even in my repertoire, yet. I’ve enough trouble with the regular notes without looking for a 3rd 8ve. I got the fully-keyed chanter because a). Joe offered, and b). I have these strange fantasies about actually being good enough someday to use them suckers.
I found the Wooff article intriguing, but not very well explained. I would think that a more detailed explanation of air-waves, harmonics, good vibrations, etc. specifically aimed at the UPs and written at a level for even the barely literate such as myself would help in several ways. It might make it easier to figure out alternate fingerings in any octave. It might make it easier to figure out reed problems. etc.
djm
Geoff did this on my chanter in his workshop last time I saw him. I didn’t know if he meant to do it or not. What he was demonstrating was that the nodes were in the perfect position and played in tune even at that velocity. He got all the 3rd octave notes on my set. I haven’t looked too closely to the fingering Geoff mentions in the article but I can get a third octave note with the G fingering no problem at first octave pressure just by leaking the back D hole and replacing it again. Fascinating stuff but I do have enough to worry about just playing in time 
Bye now, stay between the lines,
Patrick.
Go get 'em Sean and Have a good time 
Look forward to hearing those regs when you get them back. I was speaking to Brian today and I may go over to the Sportsman on Wednesday eve.
Cheers
Mark 
Haven’t read the article, but the only third octave note I’ve been able to get is top D. Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes it goes “gaak” instead. I wonder if anyone could post the fingerings for the other third octave notes? I’d like to try them.
Join NPU. Access the article on-line or download it.
djm