Out of choice which key would anyone have a flat set in and for what reason.
Bb because I have not yet heard a Bb set which didn’t have a terrific tone.
With flat sets I think the main consideration is the sound. It’s such a personal thing that it almost doesn’t make sense to ask someone else.
Other considerations might include tonehole spacing and your physical hand span. Some flat chanters can have rather wide reaches. Like sound and tonal range, this varies hugely from maker to maker. Some B chanters can be as narrow in span as concert pitch, whereas even some C chanters can be a big stretch.
First you need to educate yourself as to the range of tone colors, and tonal ranges, available, by listening to recordings and ideally listening live to good players; this will help you identify the sets and playing styles that appeal most to you. From there you need to search to find a maker whose offering will help you achieve the sound you want.
By “range of tone color” I am referring to the range of different sounds that a chanter can produce for a single note. This can be a particular strength of narrow-bore chanters; they can offer multiple alternate fingerings, both on and off the knee, which gives you a broader dynamic range and effect. Smaller toneholes, for instance, can broaden this range, at the cost of some volume when played on the knee with closed fingerings. Slightly larger toneholes, particularly on the bottom hand, can respond better to “standard” modern fingerings, if that’s one of your requirements, and give a ‘bigger’ sound overall, but they can restrict the tonal palette.
Bill
I find it really hard to generalise, as every set has its own distinct characteristics which are equally as important as the actual pitch; having said that, there is something about the ‘off’ tones (not sure what the technical term is, but I mean C# and B) which I find ‘resonates’ more than in those which are whole tones below concert D (ie C and Bb).
As I have a 3/4 B set by Bill Haneman I am probably biased, but that’s my two penn’orth!
Jim
Bill, are there different characteristics that are often associated with different pitches of flat sets though (real flat sets not low pitch concert pipes)? I suspect this would depend very much on the maker but I’d like to hear from you all the same. I remember a while ago you mentioning to a buyer that for a C# chanters he should undoubtably go for ebony because it suits the character of C# pipes. That got me wondering..
I don’t think I was as definite as that - or at least didn’t mean to be. I would have tempered the recommendation according to the person who was asking, and my assessment of what he/she was after.
I do think there are a few broad generalizations that are mostly true, but it’s a tricky business as there are exceptions. Where C# is concerned it’s a little easier because only a few people are currently making C# instruments and I have some familiarity with the sound they are getting.
With that disclaimer, broadly speaking I think C# has more penetrating power, more edge/fire/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, than B (whereas with B I might be more tempted to use words like ‘richness’ and ‘depth’). This is I think partly down to the way our ears react to the slightly higher pitch. To some extent using a wood like ebony can emphasize this tonal difference. On the other hand, my favorite original C# set is not made of ebony at all - the chanter is some unidentified native timber. I tend to agree with Jim - without any objective basis - that there’s “something” about C# and B that’s especially interesting - perhaps it’s because our modern ears are dulled to C major and related keys, which are so common in pop music.
But there’s no getting around the more important fact that different makers or even different instruments from the same maker can have quite unique qualities, which have to be evaluated one-to-one between listener and instrument. It’s very hard to say anything meaningful because we just don’t have the right adjectives - or at least, people seem to have very different ideas of what is meant by such words as “bright”, “dark”, “mellow”, “rich”, “clear”, etc. 8 bars is worth 1000 words. Even the broad statements I made above are just my current personal take on the question. Listen to the recordings and decide for yourself!
Perhaps it would make more sense to talk about specific instruments/recordings/reeds, e.g. Padraig MacMathuna’s Nick Adams boxwood B set as heard on Blas na Meala, vs. Ennis’ ebony Coyne C# as heard/recorded by RTE in the 40’s, or Robbie Hannan’s ebony B set as heard on his first Claddagh album (‘Irish Traditional Music played on the Uilleann Pipes’ IIRC), vs. Joe McLaughlin’s anonymous B chanter as heard on Drone and the Chanters v2, etc. In which case we are at the mercy of the microphones and engineers…
Bill
Is this roughly the sound you are looking for?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgxEd0oBnUc
(Kenny McNichol’s latest youtube posting).
David
very cool clip there!
Is the Seamus Ennis set of pipes that Liam O’Flynn plays a concert or flat set? I think concert, so I’ll have to dig through my albums to find out unless someone beats me to the punch…
Matt
Howaya Matt… it’s in the magical key of C#.
PD.
Very good… Thanks Pat! (If you see Kyle Swanson say “hi” for me…) 
Hi Big Davy
Great clip. What key are those pipes and what is the name of the tune please.
Hi Tim
I believe they are in B, as for the tune you will need to ask Kenny.
David
Hi Davy. Not wishing to seem ignorant but who is Kenny or what is his username and I will PM him re the tune name. I looked for a kenny back a few pages but couldnt find him.
many thanks
Tim
Hi Tim
Kenny McNichol is the piper and pipemaker.
You can PM him as KM on the forum, or contact him via KM Bagpipes
David
Thanks David. Much appreciated
Tim
My first post here though I’ve been lurking for a while.
I’ve been pondering the choice of key for flat sets recently and have decided on either a B or C full set. I don’t think I would ever purchase a full set in Bb or C# though I can see how a chanter in either of those keys would be useful to me.
One thing I’ve been wondering about is how anti-social certain keys are for other musicians. C would be pretty easy for any competent musician as C is pretty common key however B would be far from easy except for those with B/C button accordians.
I’m not sure whether I want to be social or not. I mostly play with others so I guess it has to be C for me.
Most flat sets that are fashioned closely after original narrowbore designs are not exactly in “modern” pitch anyway; i.e. B sets are mostly flat of B, C# sets are flat of modern C#, and C sets are not always in modern C either.
Unless you’re playing with a fixed-pitch instrument such as an accordion, this is not a problem. You wouldn’t want to try to put a flat set up against a Paolo Soprani anyhow.
B sessions seem to be undergoing a renaissance, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they are somewhat “in vogue” these days. At the moment they seem more common than C sessions. You’ll find flute players who own B flutes for this very reason (and of course the fact airs sound great on B flutes).
C# sessions are rare but on the other hand it’s easier for string players to tune down to C# than to other pitches. Pipes and fiddle are fantastic together and C# is a great key for that.
If you’re playing in C most musicians playing with you will be more comfortable tuning their instrument down than transposing on the fly or restricting themselves to the tunes in C/F/Gmix etc.
regards,
Bill