David Naill Bagpipes - Solo Blackwood Pipe Chanter (IN STOCK)
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1.00 poundsD. Naill Bagpipes - Solo Blackwood Pipe Chanter: The David Naill Blackwood pipe chanter is a great choice for soloists. The Nall Blackwood chanter has excellent harmonics and is easy to reed.
Question: How do you know when all of the notes on your pipe chanter
are in tune?
Answer: When all the intervals between the notes
are correct and each note is true and blends harmoniously with the drones.
OK - so how do we achieve this?
In a perfect world each
manufacturer's pipe
chanter would have a chanter
reed that is made specifically for that chanter and this chanter and
reed combination when put together would match perfectly. This perfect
combination unfortunately is extremely rare. In most cases the reed you have
selected will on some notes be too sharp or too flat and this is something you
as a piper need to be able to correct.
Let's start with the Low A and High A
notes. The eight-note spread from Low A to High A is an octave, and achieving
this octave is the first thing we must deal with. The easiest way is with the
use of a tuning meter. Bagpipe
tuners can range in price from $40.00 to $700.00; the meter I am
currently using is a Korg
TM-50 Priced at around $40.00.
Tuning the Low A, C, E and High
A
1. Press the power button to on.
2. Press the calibration button
till the numbers in the top left corner read 455hz.
3. With your drones shut
off play low A into the meter and observe where the needle sits.
4. With the
drones shut off play high A into the meter and observe where the needle sits.
5. If the Low A and High A are in the same place on the meter your Low A and
High A are an octave apart. If the needle is not sitting in the same place for
both notes move
the chanter reed up or down in the reed seat until you have the Low A
and the High A in exactly the same place on the meter. You can't go to step # 6
until you have achieved this.
6. Tune the outside tenor drone to the Low A
(See September Newsletter). With the tenor now tuned to Low A and High A, let's
see how we can bring C and E into tune.
7. With the outside tenor drone
sounding, play Low A, C, E and High A, (Always play notes in a 3 or 4 note
context) listen to the C & E are they in tune? Not sure? Try slightly over
blowing on the C then try slightly under blowing. Did either over blowing or
under blowing improve the C? Do the same under blowing & over blowing test
to the E, did under blowing or over blowing improve the sound of the E?
8.
If when you slightly under blow on either the C or E and that note comes into
tune then the note is sharp and can be corrected with a bit of tape placed
across the top of the hole. If when you slightly over blow and the note comes
into tune the note is flat. You could push the reed down into the reed seat to
sharpen one or both of these notes but in doing so you will put the High A out
of tune. You can't sharpen a note with tape, you can only undercut or enlarge
the hole, this is something I would not recommend at this point, and the best
thing to do would be to replace the chanter reed.
Tuning the Chanter
Notes Low G, B, D, F and High G
1. Open the bass drone and tune it to
the outside tenor (See September Newsletter) The Low G, B, D, F and High G are
easier to hear with the bass added to the background.
2. To tune F, play Low
A, E then F listen to the F. Many times the F is too sharp, try a little tape
and play the same combination of notes as before. You may have to adjust the
tape slightly to achieve the sound you want.
3. To tune High G. Play Low A,
E, F, High G, & High A, if it sounds fine leave it alone; if you think it is
a little sharp, add a little tape.
4. To tune D. Play Low A, B, C, D, again
you may or may not have to use tape to obtain the desired sound.
5. To tune
B. Play Low A, B, C, D listen to the blend between the B and the drones and if
needed add tape to the top of the hole.
6. The Low G can be tuned if needed
by adding a small piece of tape to the top of the sound holes located on either
side of the pipe chanter. The use of tape is a perfectly acceptable way to
flatten a note and bring that note into tune. You do not want to cover more that
half the hole on the note you are adjusting, if you cover more than half you
will change the notes adjacent to that note. Try to find reeds that you only
have to tape 1/3rd or less to bring the notes into tune. Take it one note at a
time; just like you learned to play one note at a time and you will get there.
Two Chanters are Better than
One
Why would I need 2 Pipe
Chanters?
If you play in a Pipe Band one of the smartest moves you can make is to have
two pipe chanters in your pipe case. Many Pipe Majors like to set up the pipe
chanter with a fairly strong reed to give the band as much volume as possible,
especially if it is a competition pipe band. Pipe Majors spend a great deal of
time choosing reeds, taping notes and tuning chanters to give them the sound
that they are looking for from the pipe corps.
Individual pipers, on the
other hand, like to play with an easier reed and perhaps a different pitch than
the band. When they're at home and away from the band, they'll remove the band
reed & tape and set the chanter to their individual preference. This is not
at all fair to the Pipe Major or your fellow band members as it means that the
Pipe Major has to go through the whole setting up and tuning procedure at each
and every practice.
Let's make the Pipe Major a happy guy (You don't see
that all that often). If you have two pipe chanters with reeds caps in your pipe
case one can be used for the band set up just the way the PM wants it to sound,
one can be set up to your individual strength and pitch preference. Put the band
chanter in for band practice, use the other at home, everyone is happy.
Learn by doing!
Pipe Chanters
The Low A and the High A should sound an octave apart, if this is off you can correct the pitch by:
1. To raise the pitch - Place the reed further into the reed seat.
2. To lower the pitch - Raise the reed in the reed seat.
3. If a certain note is too sharp - A piece of tape placed over the hole will flatten the pitch