When you put your pipes up against a tuner, what do you consider “in tune”? Dead on, 5 cents off, 10 cents off etc etc? Just curious what other people have as standards.
Cheers,
Sean
People sometimes overlook the fact that tuning is situational, and what is “in tune” in one context may not be “in tune” in another.
The scale on the uilleann chanter which is in tune with the drones is different than the one that is in tune with a guitar, mandolin, banjo, or keyboard.
If you tune the scale of the uilleann chanter so that every note is exactly “straight up” on an electronic tuner, you will be perfectly in tune when you play with the above-mentioned instruments. This is called Equal Temperament tuning. (I’ve done a lot of studio work, and performing with pipe organ, piano, etc, and so my chanter is tuned in this way.)
But if you play solo you’ll note that nearly every note is off, compared to the drones, to some degree.
The worst are F# and B. For the chanter’s F# to be a perfect blend with the drones it must be 14 cents lower than its Equal Temperament position, for B to perfectly blend with the drones it must be 16 cents lower.
The tuning system in which every note of the scale is a perfect blend/consonance with the drones is calle Just Intonation. For the low octave of a chanter in D, the Just scale goes:
D +/- 0
E +4
F# -14
G -2
A +2
B -16
C# -10
C natural -31 (this note blends with the 7th harmonic of the Harmonic Series produced by the bass drone, and is called the Harmonic Flat Seventh.)
Yep Panceltic has said it all and importantly “tuning is situational,”
I often ask who tunes the tuner?
I tested 4 tuners at a sesh against a tuning fork.Three of them shewed different readings 
Uilliam
Are you sure about that one, 31cent flat is very flat indeed.I thought the usual is about 4 cent flat.
RORY
i put my pipes up against a tuner once. they suffered a humiliating defeat. i think the whole thing was rigged…
Great stuff - I really only play by myself and my drones are being made as we speak so I haven’t had too much experience with tuning to other instruments or to the drones. So for now, I’ve only been concerned with how my chanter stacks up against an electronic tuner. I’m curious now to see see how the tuning does with the drones!!
Thanks again,
Sean
or how the drones does with the tuning. Best of luck.
ps- one of the best treatises on tuning is on the myspace- look up James Kenna. A brilliant example of how tricky it can be when you introduce the drones-assuming they’re reasonably steady!
There is more than one C natural available when using just intonation. As well as the harmonic seventh in the scale of D there is the minor third interval betwen A and C natural which is the one that Rory is refering to (I think). There may be others: it doesn’t bear thinking about!