What is people’s experience playing narrow-bore concert pipes in sessions? Can you hear yourself well enough?
I’m contemplating getting a concert set because I play with others frequently; but I love a darker tone than standard Rowsome-style sets usually pack.
Thanks,
Mick
I am not sure a ‘darker’ tone is what you will find in a narrow bore chanter. Ideally, from my point of view, the narrow bore and associated set up will allow you the tonal flexibility and control associated with a good flat chanter. And, ideally again, it won’t shout at you like some wide bore chanters would. Which does not necessarily mean it won’t have a strong voice or will sound whimpy.
That said, it depends on the maker and what he is trying to achieve with the design and set up. From that point of view it is probably best to look at specific makers and see how their pipes would suit you. Discuss what you’re looking for and see if anyone can deliver that.
Thanks much! I realize “darker” is a subjective and vague word. I just prefer a sound that isn’t quite so loud by default, and heavy on the higher-frequency overtones, as the more aggressive chanters I’ve encountered.
Tonal flexibility and control are exactly what I’m after!
Regards and thanks again,
Mick
My own experience has led me to conclude that the reed has a greater influence on volume and tone than the bore. Rather than experimenting with different chanters, you could try experimenting with different reeds. For example, get different reedmakers to reed up your chanter.
Incidentally, I read that Leo Rowsome used to change reeds depending on whether he was playing solo or with the Quartet. He needed more volume for solo performances but probably didn’t want to drown out the other pipers in the Quartet.
My own experience has led me to conclude that the reed has a greater influence on volume and tone than the bore.
This is really interesting. Could you explain how you would design a reed for a chanter to sound more like a narrow bore one? Is it just something that happens or can you influence it by altering certain measurements?
The reed is the biggest contributor to a chanter’s tone. A poorly made reed will sound muted. The biggest contributor to a reeds tone is not in the construction, but in the quality of the cane used. In a well made reed, the quality of the cane is deciding factor of the tone from it. The cane from Spain is usually quite hard and must be thinly scraped in order to vibrate and sound. Softer cane is usually left a bit thicker in the scrape as it crows more readily and when working. It has thicker blades than one from harder cane. Geoff Wooff has used California cane from me since he lived in Australia. He will use no other. This is because of the tone he can only get from this softer cane. Benedict Koehler has said that the best toned reeds he has made come from my cane. A number of other reed and pipe makers concur.
A narrow bore D set seems like a good idea on the surface, but I have yet to hear one in a session that I liked. The only Wooff sets one sees on the market are his narrow bore D sets, with good reason. He may have a newer model, but they seem to be the least accepted sets that Geoff makes. A Rowsome or Rowsome based set, reeded with softer cane is not overly loud and obnoxious. One reeded with hard cane is. I find the narrow bore sets by any maker to be drowned out in a session, unless they are set up to be loud. Then they suffer from tone. A well reeded narrow bore D set is just too quiet in a session. A well reeded Rowsome type blends well and is not necessarily overly loud. This is why they are almost in universal use by all the top pipers playing in D.
Leo Rowsome got cane from my mentor, Dan Sullivan, who harvested cane in Sonoma, California. Reeds made by him are still being played in his chanters by a number of top pipers. Cillian O’Briain, before he was making pipes played a Rowsome chanter. He was unhappy with the tone of it until he tried some of my cane. He said he always knew that the characteristic sound of a Rowsome chanter was lacking until he coupled it with California cane. Not all cane from California is soft. A lot is quite hard. I can drive 20 miles from where I live and fill a shipping container with California cane that most will find hard and no better than Spanish cane. Sometimes fairly good cane comes from Spain, but they are inconsistent in supplying it. A lot is almost unusable for uilleann pipes. That is why I have searched for sources of softer cane.
A dark tone is a good description of what a Rowsome type set will produce if coupled with softer California cane. They do not shout at you and are loaded with tone. Nor are they overly loud. Examples are Paddy Keenan and Liam O’Flynn. K&Q sets are a great example of this. A dark tone is what I look for in uilleann pipes. Hard cane yields a sound which is brash and strident to my ear. In D (or concert pitch) sets, I prefer the Rowsome types, reeded with softer cane. The overtones are not as rich as in a narrow bore type, but I think the narrow bore types, set up for best tone, are drowned out in a session environment. The narrow bore types, of which Geoff Wooff, Derrick Gleeson or Brad Angus are examples, are great in the lower pitches. They are fine either amplified for concerts or for very quiet settings. Loud or soft is not the question. It is all about tone. K&Q produces a C set with a larger bore than the narrow types. They may not be quite as rich in overtones as the narrow ones, but have great tone none the less and are actually preferred by some. The richness of the narrow bore sets is often lost in larger settings and are best used in small or parlor settings.
I didn’t suggest you could adjust the reed to make a wide bore chanter sound like a narrow bore, but I have made reeds for my chanter have sounded entirely different when played - different tones, volumes, etc. I’ve seen the same with different makers’ chanters. There’s more to reedmaking than making an in-tune reed. Getting a tone that suits your piping style and blends with your drones and regs is very important.
Every set of pipes is different, but my Angus NBD set is very quiet, and not suitable for session playing. Just playing with one other piper made it hard to hear myself. I had Michael O’Donovan work on making a reed for me that would be louder, and he couldn’t increase the volume (even with a spruce reed). He told me that it could probably be done, but it would take a lot of tinkering.
That being said, the chanter works well, has a nice tone, and is perfect for playing while the family sleeps. 