440Hz pipes

[ohiopiper]

So I bought a set of Husk cane reeds a while back. They tune right at the hempline, just that tuning is 440Hz instead of the usual high 470s.

Normally, I'd just push the drones down and tune up to the chanter.

But I also happen to have a spare chanter. I've been messing with it, trying to get it down as close as possible to a "true" A. The drones sound very rich and mellow at this pitch, I have absolutely no idea what the chanter will sound like after I'm done with it.

Anyone else tried getting down to 440 without drone reed extenders and purpose built chanters? Am I crazy? Wait... don't answer that one.

I'll post a sound file if I get it going right in the next few days.

[piperdbh]

I've not tried it, but I hope the rest of the world will join you in your tempering of the chanter. It would make playing with other instruments (such as church organs) much easier.

[highland mafia]

Ive never tried to go down to 440.. Christ! I taught an air cadet band last year and tried to tune them as low as possible in a little competion to hide all their blowing issues that I just couldn't beat out of them. And i tell yeah. I had a hard time getting them much lower then 470!
A friend of mine has a 440 chanter that he bought to play with organs and other instruments. But I don't know anyone who has modified a 480 ish chanter to 440.. Excuse my ingnorance, but how would you even do it?? tape the lower parts of the holes and carve the tops?? Extend the reed up??? How??

[ohiopiper]

Spent a few hours messing around with it today. Here's my results so far.

The chanter in question is a Gael 474, the reed an Abbedour medium. Drone reeds are Husk cane.

The drones are perfect pitch right at the hempline, pushing them down about an inch and a half gets them to 478, normal pitch.

I wrapped TONS of hemp around the reed an seated it out quite a bit until the high A was right about 440, give or take a few hertz. I've threaded the reed seat, so adjustment isn't too much of a problem. Semed a tad unstable, so I didn't fine tune it just yet. Good thing. The low A was somewhere in the ballpark, nothing a little tape couldn't fix. The enitire right hand was passable, showed promise of being able to be tweaked a bit. Then I clamped down my right hand and let fly with an E. Jumpin' Jehosophat! Who let the dying cow in my house!?

I'm not really willing to carve up the chanter, so maybe my experimentation is at an end for now. I'm off to Dunsire forums to glean more info about reed choices for these chanters. I just used what I normally play in my Dunbar Elite.

[highland mafia]

Thats the trouble isn't it?? Getting drones where you want isn't to difficult. And getting low A down low is also not to bad but the top hand is gonna bew the tricky bit.. You should see if you can find a junker of a chanter, something you can carve up.. Cause to be honest I think you're gonna have to carve the top holes..
Good luck Id love to hear how it goes..

[Pyper]

My instructor needed a 440 chanter for a gig. Starting with a 466 chanter, eventually got to 440, but it was a lot of effort and probably didn't sound as good as a 440 chanter would have.

But stick wires up the chanter, like guitar strings. They'll lower your pitch some.

[The Wizard of BC]

This brought up a question I was pondering a while ago.

Now, please don't yell at me, I'm not a piper and won't ever be.

But I do know some about music.

My problem is that I find the pitch of a pipe chanter too high for my liking.

Are bagpipes ever made tuned to "C" or concert key, Bb1-Eb5?
This is a pitch down around the range of a bassoon or base flute in the key of "C -10 or -12".

[OC Richard]

My problem is that I find the pitch of a pipe chanter too high for my liking.

Are bagpipes ever made tuned to "C" or concert key, Bb1-Eb5?

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but a Highland Bagpipe in the key of C would be a step-and-a-quarter HIGHER than ordinary modern Highland pipes (which are tuned a quartertone higher than Concert B Flat, that is, halfway between Concert B Flat and Concert B Natural).

The traditional key for Spanish bagpipes (Gaita Gallega, Gaita Asturiana) is C. If you think Highland pipes are high and shrill, just listen to these things!

A bagpipe an octave lower than that, in low C, are rare but existed in the Central French tradition. These bagpipes are HUGE.

[Chas]

I have no idea what this thread is about.

But,

I stand straighter when I hear Flower of Scotland

And,

I usually cry when I hear Highland Cathedral.

Regards

Chas

[TheBlackTaylor]

Anyone else tried getting down to 440 without drone reed extenders and purpose built chanters? Am I crazy? Wait... don't answer that one.

Hello Ohiopiper, which drones are you playing with? And no, you are not the only crazy one to do that!