Hi.
What I want is: a tin whistle that has an uilleann pipe reed. Does it exist? Where can I buy it?
I don’t want a bagpipe that has whistles instead of reeds. I want the opposite: a whistle that I can blow directly but makes the wonderful sound of an uilleann pipe.
Maybe this is a stupid question, but is what I want called a “practice chanter”? I wanted it to be with open fingering (like tin whistle).
But even IF a practice chanter IS what I want, then where can I buy such an uilleann practice chanter with these characteristics?
Just curious here – if you want the uilleann pipe sound, why don’t you just learn to play the uilleann pipes? Why are you anti-bagpipe?
but is what I want called a “practice chanter”?
What is usually referred to as a practice chanter is used for GHB practice – the same doesn’t exist for the uilleann pipes (as far as I know – its worth asking on the forum).
Personally, I don’t think what you are looking can exist because of the nature of the reed itself. But its worth asking folks. Be prepared to duck, though.
“Ew” all you want. I like the sound of these. I played alto sax in highschool, so it probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to make some recognizable noise with one.
If I wanted to be snarky , I could say that it’s the very fact that they are not mouth blown that “makes the wonderful sound of the uilleann pipe” possible. But I guess what you’re describing is almost conceivable, at least with regards to the chanter.
There are a number of more or less simple system mouth blown double reed instruments - bombarde, dulzaina, duduk, shawm, etc. But these are wet reed instruments. Capped reeds are closer in sound to a pipe chanter - krummhorn, cortholt, cornamuse, etc. Susato makes krummhorns and “kelhorns” which are relatively inexpensive. The fingerings are more akin to Renaissance recorder than whistle, though. For a bit more you could get a real uilleann starter set.
There’s also the Xaphoon. Single reed, with its own fingerings. I’ve tried one, and it’s fun. http://xaphoon.com/
Try asking on the World/Folk Winds forum for info about those other instruments. Good luck!
P.S. I’d heard somewhere that the Highland Hornpipe may no longer be available, but that may be wrong. It looks like the website is accepting orders.
Yeah… The only way you’re going to get that “uilleann pipe sound” is to actually learn to play the uilleann pipes themselves. Either that or listen to a cd of uilleann piping…
Thanks for all the input people. Just to clear out some details:
I don’t want those highlander hornpipes because they either use saxofone or clarinet reeds and I don’t want that, I wanted it to sound trad
I am aware that being mouth blown I could never achieve the sound of an uilleann pipes for many reasons. But I wanted some kind of compromise: a sound close (yet different) to uilleann, but with the simplicity of tin whistle playing.
I do want a trad sound, to play trad music. And no electronics, please
You ask much. I don’t know if there will be anything exactly like what you
want. The closest I can think of is Calmont Music’s simple-system “Irish oboe”.
The “uilleann sound” is primarily that of staccato playing. Even in a more open style of playing the use of staccato is extremely important. You can’t get this with a whistle even with tonguing.
The closet you can get it to take an uilleann chanter, tape some plastic tubing to the input pipe and blow. There’s your uilleann-whistle. Of course, the reed will last about 20 minutes so have a big stockpile of those on hand. I think you can get them in 10-packs at the corner music shop.
Seriously though, if you want the sound, you’re going to have to commit to the madness and get a set and spend the next couple of decades taming the beast. There are no shortcuts.
misterpatrick
I think you didn’t read when I said: “I am aware that being mouth blown I could never achieve the sound of an uilleann pipes for many reasons.”
As I explained, I do not want it to sound exactly like Uilleann Pipes because I am aware that it would be impossible.
I want something as close as possible, with the obvious differences caused by being mouth blown and open fingering.
In other words: I am aware there will be big differences in sound, and I am willing to accept those differences.
As to the durability of the reeds given the moisture from the breath, I guess the well known plastic reeds would do the trick, no?
I will not even discuss the advantages/disadvantages between such an instrument and Uilleann Pipes. That would be a topic for another (BIG) thread where certainly Uilleann Pipers would assassinate anyone daring to speak about anything being better than Uilleann Pipes
The Irish Oboe looks interesting… what kind of reeds does it have?
I see your points, but again the reed is going to be a problem. The plastic reeds are simply crap and can’t get both octaves. An oboe or bassoon reed might work but then you might as well go with a baroque oboe or shawm.
What about the Uilleann practice chanters like this http://www.songsea.com/uwc.htm or other ones out there?
I know that pipers are definitely against them for using them to try and learn the pipes, but they might be what you are looking for. I have never used one, so I can’t say how good it sounds.
Not resistant; nonsynthetic reeds are constructed either to work with breath moisture, or in the case of bellows-blown instruments, without it. Far as I know there’s not much if any middle ground. Neither can do the other’s job.
Hm, I thought the sound of the uilleann pipes was just that, the sound of the uilleann pipes, not necessarily staccato fingering per say. Northumbrian Smallpipes can play staccato notes so does that mean they sound like uilleann pipes?
I’m not sure why you’d want something that sounded close to the uilleann pipes, but not quite… Maybe you can get a keyboard to play uilleann pipe notes?
Uilleann chanter and regulator reeds are double-reeds typically made with cane (arundo donax) and sometimes other woods like elder or spruce. They are very similar to other wet-blown double-reeds like those found in oboes or bassoons. They are not at all similar to single reeds like those found in the saxophone or clarinet.
Nano is correct, as usual, that they are both meant to do different things so there isn’t really any crossover. You can’t plug an uilleann chanter reed into an oboe etc.
Plastic sounds awful and won’t play two octaves well no matter what people claim. The “practice chanters” sold by Song of the Sea or whatever are to be avoided like the plague.
Part of what make uilleann pipes sounds like uilleann pipes is the pipery bits - the staccato triplets, rolls, the crann, the off-the-knee open playing, the swell, the constantly-being-out-of-frickin’-tune. I can play a tune on the pipes straight vanilla and it’s not really going to sound like the uilleann pipes because what we hear when we hear the pipes are those distinctive playing features. This is why so many pipers start out and have a hard time hearing anything that sounds like the uilleann pipes, it just sounds like Dawning of the Day being played on a wounded goat.
, I could say that it’s the very fact that they are not mouth blown that “makes the wonderful sound of the uilleann pipe” possible. But I guess what you’re describing is almost conceivable, at least with regards to the chanter.
