Why do they call them "regulators?"

Uilleann Pipes
1

Someone asked me this question and I realized I didn’t have a good answer. Why in fact, are regulators called “regulators?” They don’t “regulate” anything, at least in the various senses that we use that word today. The closest compatible definition I can find is “a device used to control the flow of gases,” which describes in a physical sense what the regulators do, but it doesn’t describe their musical function the way the words “drones” or “chanter” do. (By the way, I love that the French word for drone, “bourdon,” is the same as the French word for bumblebee. Truly the “hives of honeyed sound.”)

I did a search of this forum and didn’t find any answers, although I might have missed it.

2

Perhaps regulators are named so as they regulate the modal aspects of the tune.

3

Sean Donnelly in his pipemaking article in the SRS journal vol 2 goes some length finding an explanation.

4

Interestingly the word “regulate” and its related forms doesn’t appear to have a particularly long history in English. I checked the OED and it doesn’t offer much prior to what etymology online offers:

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=regulate

The term does seem to have come into common knowledge, if not usage, around 1687 or so when an official Crown body of “Regulators” was appointed for something or other. The control of machinery meaning seems to be the one most likely to be related, all right…

5

I recall something about regulators being part of church organs and that many early pipe makers were also organ makers …

6

The usage of a home gas stove is identical - a regulator opens and closes to allow gas to n burners at any given time. When not used, they are closed.

7

Regulate is a term from organ building, meaning to even out the volume of a rank of pipes. It’s listed in Audsley’s book on organ building, I came across another English book that mentioned it as well. Donnelly’s article has an advertisment from the younger Kenna, where he describes adding keys to the “chanter, pupilow, and unison regulators,” so there’s a couple more inscrutable terms to chew on. Sean couldn’t figure out what “pupilow” was supposed to mean, checking various musical dictionaries in several languages.

8

The English word is also synonymous with a (type of) bumblebee, cf. worker, drone, queen, etc.

9

“Anche” is French for reed. It’s also the word for the hip and/or hip joint.

Whenever I complain that my reeds are affected by the heat and humidity, people here give me recommendations for homeopathic arthritis remedies.

10

I’m just starting, and barring becoming a virtuoso (yeah, sure) I will probably top out at a half set…no regulators. But as to why they are called that? I don’t have the answer…I just think it sounds cool. A menacing name, daring you to take that last step into piping, haha. :slight_smile:

11

Yes, except the spelling is different (hanche) and so is the prononciation if you correctly use the article before… so you shouldn’t be given all that medical stuff :laughing:

12

Perhaps PJ had Québécois French in mind (not that of the Académie française). Just guessing.

13

Regulators regulate the number of people who play the pipes.

14

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

15

Because nobody would know what you were talking about if you called it a pupilow :smiley: .

16

Maybe we are all over analyzing this. Maybe there is no real good explanation at all? Kind of like ‘what is the meaning of life?’ Maybe the name origin just a puzzle for us to gawk at, and all in all, regulators as a name is pretty stellar an mysterious, and sounds cool in conversation. Also adds a bit more (as if really needed) complexity to the instrument. Seriously… If they were called ‘happy fun time sticks’…

17

Isn´t the modern word for pupilow whoope-cushion or so? :smiley:

18

The name “regulators” is short for

Reed Engaging Gadget, you Later Attempt To Organise Rhythm Structure


RORY

19

Clever. :laughing: