Piping on St. Patrick's Day

**Father Bill** · 16th March 12, 05:19 AM

Yeah - the banning of instruments is an optional observation of Lent that is rarely used any more. As a mid-way point, my churches have no processional or recessional hymns during Lent. Some churches are more rigorous than others on that rule.

Bill+

**ANP3** · 16th March 12, 08:18 AM

Well, my college is a Jesuit University so I hope pipes during lent is okay!

On to switching chanters, where would I get such a thing? For the future, it's far to late to get one now, but I like the idea. I would like to play at Churches, and school band concerts etc. So a more "musical," chanter may be in order. How much should I expect to spend on a thing like that?

**Father Bill** · 16th March 12, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by ANP3

Well, my college is a Jesuit University so I hope pipes during lent is okay!

Enquire. Be protected not ejected or dejected.

**ANP3** · 16th March 12, 10:51 AM

Haha good point.

**OC Richard** · 18th March 12, 06:33 AM

I found out what the story was on the Church where my Father-in-law's funeral Mass was held: it's a parish run by Norbertines, who are very strict about many of these technical points.

But since the priest who said the Mass was a visiting priest well known to our family, they let him call the shots, and the pipes were OK'd. (Though I did stick to the uilleann pipes! I can imagine that blasting on the big pipes might send the Norbertines running over from the rectory to see what was going on during a Friday in Lent!)

About various Highland pipe chanters, our pipe band plays McCallum band chanters, the new model with the huge oval holes, which pitch in well about 480 cycles.

McCallum also makes a "466" chanter and I use one of those for gigs, even outdoor gigs, because the "general public" likes the sound of it so much better. I get comments all the time, after a gig I've played at, that my pipes were more pleasing "than the last guy we had". I'm sure "the last guy" was blasting on a 480+ band chanter.

Many if not most pipemakers nowadays offer 466/Concert B Flat chanters.

Of course you have to set up your drones to play down at 466.

What I do is have the middle tenor set up for 466, the outside tenor set up for 482, and I switch an internal plug (a foam earplug) back and forth according to which chanter I'm using. The bass can just be tuned up or down to match.