I am basically self teaching myself - with the aid of the Art of UPing and whatever I can find on the Internet. Also, there are only two other pipers in my Province (soon to be only one) so its hard to avail of instruction.
Anyway. I am working on my vibrato and I was wondering if there are established rules/quidelines for vibrato - or is basically a matter of doing what sounds right for your particular chanter?
I’m pretty sure that maintaining the pitch is crucial but are there any other things to look for in good vibrato?
If you are teaching yourself, (or even if you’re not,) get yourself a copy of “The Union Pipes, A Workbook” by Dennis Brooks. It covers everything there is to cover, besides that pesky other part, (reedmaking,) which is covered in David Quinn’s “The Piper’s Despair.”
Here’s a case in point. Gay McKeon on The Art of UPing Vol 2 uses the following for vibrato on the C natural. (X=closed, o=open and v=vibrato)
O X X V O X X
X
Where I find the one below to sound better on my chanter (less shrill and bit more subtle)
O X X V V X X
X
Comments?
I do have a small digital recorder so I may pursue that option as well.
In the next few days or so myself and the two other pipers will be meeting for an evening of playing and reedmaking - I’ll raise this matter there as well.
From what you have said, it sounds like you have run into a great truth - not all chanters are built the same, and not all fingering applies evenly or equally across all chanters. It is best to try all fingerings you may come across in the various tutors, but you will soon come to find the ones that sound best on your individual reed/chanter, and those are the ones you will eventually stick with.