I’ve been researching pipemakers and have come across O’Grady pipes which are described as easier to play due to lesser air volume demands. Of course, I understand from my research as well that “easier” is still used in the context of a difficult learning curve and that any such advantage may be so minimal a factor that I should get it out of my purchase calculus. That said, are there any other makers out there that have pipes that might fit into this easier category? In particular, I’m also looking at K. Lynch pipes.
Any set of pipes (well, nearly any) can be set up to play relatively easy. I would suggest you look for a pipemaker who is near to you and easily accessible as you go through those horrible initial months. Look for any music events with UPipers near to you so you can go out and ask questions and listen to various sets in the hands of various pipers. A good piper can make many a less expensive set sound good. The easiness of play has more to do with the quality and set-up of the reed than any other single factor. Having a good reedmaker or pipemaker within wailing reach can be an invaluable asset.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, my experience is that chanters that are capable of loud volume can be among the easiest to reed “lightly”, as high volume relative to effort can be indicative of an efficient acoustical design.
I wholeheartedly agree with most of what djm wrote exept this leetle semisentence here: “…than any other single factor.” This might seem a very leetle thing but I think it crucial. Neither a good reed nor piper can compensate airtightness. Airtighness (not Volume) seems to be the main problem in piping and there is absolutely NO point in fumbling with any reed before the set isn´t a 100% airtight. The problem: The conception of “airtightness” differs hugely. Airtight like a tyre or felt airtightness for a few seconds? The consolidation: any set can be seasoned. The felt “hardness” of the reed is relativated by the airtightness of the set. A “simple” formula for easy playability & good sound: How to achieve the highest pressure with the least effort.
You just would not believe how easy it is to play a 100% airtight set, how nice it sounds and how easy reedmaking for it is. For a proof: Attend a tionól, stick your own chanter (shut up) into as many sets as possible and play them. You will experience a range from (exaggerated) “ridiculously easy to play & lovely sounding” up to “squeezing your eyes out of your head & mediocre result”. All of this - mind you - with the same (your own) chanter-reed combo.
Hi Bill,
That is, C/B chanters are inherently low volume, and making light reeds for them is not easy. This explains why the reeds I made for my C chanter tend to be (much) harder than the reed in my daughter’s D chanter. Does this make sense?
Miki
This is weird, I don’t know how many posts on here I’ve seen saying how flat sets generally take less air to play vs concert sets… Airtightness aside, if you have a leaky set, then it becomes unfair to compare - duh. I guess this mostly depends on the reeds, but to what extent? I wouldn’t know, since I play a concert half set at the moment, and that’s all I’ve ever played since I started last year.
Dan get yourself a good set from a good maker. I don’t think you’ll find enough difference in the “ease of play” from one good maker to another to matter.
The advice to get a maker (or at least a good reed maker) that is close to you is sound. But, if you live in proximity to good pipers willing to mentor you and help you with reeds as needed even the distance of the pipe maker becomes irrelevant in my view.
I am very isolated from pipers and makers but have had good success mailing things to be reeded occassionally as needed (and it’s rarely needed). Still, I’d love to be close enough to drive to my reed guy or maker.
I am not an especially experienced player. If others disagree with my thoughts here, please correct.
No, that doesn’t really make sense. It should not be at all difficult to make light reeds for your C chanter - but it takes practice to learn to make any style of reeds, and what works for one style of chanter will not necessarily work for another. (I wouldn’t assign too much significance to the possibility that you’re better, currently, at reeding one than the other - that’s only natural).
I was comparing “like with like”; that is, I think my comment is true for concert pitch sets, compared to one another, and for narrow-bore flat sets, compared to one another.
I would agree that on the average, flat sets take a lot less air and are easier to play than concert pitch sets, but there are certainly exceptions in both directions.
For the most part, flat sets (or, at least those which have some resemblance to the Old Master sets of the mid-19th century) are at their best playing fairly quietly, with thoroughly scraped reeds which are not particularly open. Because the bores are quite narrow, and they are (it seems) designed to play with a relatively small lip opening in the reed, the overall rate of air usage is low. These factors, coupled with smaller toneholes, tend to make the instruments subjectively less loud than similarly efficient concert pitch sets.
However I was reflecting on instruments of more recent vintage; I feel that some concert pitch chanters which are described as “quiet” or “mellow” are, in fact, just inefficient or stuffy. An inefficient reed can make an otherwise loud chanter sound quiet, and a stiff reed can make a loud noise even in an inefficient chanter, but neither will sound very rich. Good reeds well-fitted to good chanters will give a lot of sound relative to the amount of effort and airflow; thus often ending up louder than less efficient pairings. Such chanters and reeds can indeed be set of to play more quietly, but this requires a narrow reed opening to reduce the air flow, and not all chanters will accept this.
To be fair to the original poster - this was a beginner’s question. The short answer, for a beginner, is twofold; one, it’s very important that a practice set is set up so that it doesn’t take too much effort Two, there’s a wide range of playing pressures that are considered “reasonable” by various makers and teachers; I’d advise shopping around for a fairly low-pressure setup to start out. (I am confident this is the majority opinion but there is always a minority viewpoint.)
It may be impossible to get a straight and/or reliable answer to the question of ‘whose set to buy?’ on this list, for many reasons. There’s no good consensus on which sets are best; very few people will have tried more than a handful of different makers’ sets, properly reeded and set up as the maker intended; and the sets are scarce enough that those few ‘makes’ which almost everyone agrees are good are mostly unavailable. I’d seek quiet counsel, off-list, from more than one experienced player/teacher.