Chiff and Fipple Forums

To get the second octave shouldn't take a great increase in bag pressure, just a little "bump" in pressure, so it sounds as if the reed may be too open. But, if you open a reed, it plays flatter and takes more pressure, if you close it, the reed should play sharper and take less pressure. ...

If the drone tends to play flatter with an increase in bag pressure, the reed needs to be adjusted so that it plays flatter. You can move the bridle so that the blade is longer or put a weight on the free end of the reed. Using beeswax is the old way, poster putty is the modern way. Anything that wi...

Johnered66 wrote:Wow, your set has a touch o' class from some great names.

It's a shame that I can't do it justice.

Ronan Browne is the piper that convinced me to buy regulators, but I haven't gotten them reeded and tuned to the rest of the set yet. He is awesome with the regs. I now have a 3 maker C 3/4 set (Mark Hillmann bag and bellows, Seth Gallagher chanter and regs, Pat Sky mainstock and drones). Mikie Smit...

Perhaps these will help:

Straightforward bellows for smallpipes & Uillean bagpipes

How to Make a Simple, Quick & Easy, Foolproof Bagpipe Check-Valve

I found it strange when I first started on pennywhistle, I learned from a book, so I had to read the notes. After several years, I found that suddenly, a tune would come to me without learning by the notes. For a long time, I had to know the name of a tune before I could jump in and play it with oth...

It amazes me how few people know that the uilleann bagpipes are bagpipes. I point to my bag and ask them to guess what that is, then point to the drones and ask what those are, then to guess what instrument it could possibly be. Most people guess right but there are still some people don't get it ev...

That doesn't fit my understanding. It doesn't describe any ornament that I know The pop/yelp/bark can be done on the notes octave E F# and G. With the chanter closed and bag pressure for the note you want to bark is achieved, finger the note at the same time as lifting the bell off of the popping st...

My first reed troubleshooting step is to check the reed for leaks along the sides of the reeds and leaks through the binding. PTFE or beeswax is good for sealing binding leaks, beeswax or white wood glue is good to seal the sides, but avoid the last 1/8 inch or so at the lip opening.

The tin whistle plays in different modes, so try a board search about whistle modes rather than keys.

I hear music using my ears, so I think there is a direct connect within the brain.

Reading music adds steps to the "music to brain" connection. However the dots do have their value, especially to isolated pipers.

The longer you listen to the pipes, the faster you can listen.

A little beeswax (or poster putty) on one side of the bridle should keep it in place. A set of drones makes the best tuner as the pipes play in just intonation (all notes harmonize with the drones). Most available tuners measure equal temperment (all notes are equally out of tune). I use a tuning fo...

I know lots of bagpipes have a goat head as an ornament, but that is awesome

I use an 8 channel preamp with a phantom power supply and some decently priced 3/4" condenser mics that I caught on sale. My sound card is a Soundblaster Live, so I only need two channels, but I can mix up to 8 mikes into 2 outputs. My son uses 3 1" condenser mikes, one directed at the A h...

My favorite solo whistle is my Generation Bb tube with the Hoover Blacktop fipple (no longer in production, sadly). It is the most expressive whistle I have. I have a Hoover B pvc whistle which seems to be the second whistle I would reach for playing solo. I also have a C Generation tube with a Hoov...