How long do you obsess?

[djones]

I've been struggling for hours over days to get my chanter into a perfectly wonderful balance in both octaves for all notes. A reasonable expectation for a musical instrument, so?

I rushed rushes of copper and steel ...

I re-reeded reeds ...

I inserted and extricated the reed at various depths...

I never did get it perfect. Today, I decided to settle for 'almost': high B is a little sharp (taped it) and back D is very sharp (same treatment) and I have a long copper wire running down the length of the chanter that makes it all stay together somehow.

My wife, whose wisdom far exceeds mine, says "It's fine ...it is a folk instrument after all..." what'd'ya think, you're gonna play Carnegie hall?

Granted, I am a beginner and it probably takes me longer to figure things out than those experienced pipers.

So to my point: how long to you obsess about your chanter? Do you all get it perfect? Ennis recordings reveal inconsistency. Articles I've read about sessions in olden days say tuning perfectly was no big deal. But recordings of Keenan show a very mellow and well-tuned instrument.

It was getting crazy: I was spending my practice time monkying with reeds and such instead of playing... Maybe I could get into grade 2 GHB one day if I fussed so much on my GHBs!

Dave Jones

[carel]

your wife is right

[snoogie]

Spend your time practicing...as long as your chanter plays 'good enough' don't worry about perfection and enjoy making music.

Even if you were to ever get perfection, it would only last for a few moments until the reed warmed up/cooled down/humidity or temperature changed.

-gary

[carel]

in the beginning I had lots of problems tuning the monstrum
but it becomes more easy (after 4 years)
one year ago it took me appr 30 minutes to tune the drones to the chanter
now maybe 5 minutes (depending on the weatherconditions and most important: my condition)

[Cayden]

The best option is to get your tuning as close as possible for an average of circumstances and learn to control and adjust your intonation while playing.

[djones]

By intonation you mean bag pressure?

I have read posts where some skip certain embellishments they have learned in certain weather conditions.

It is amazing how conscious one has to be to play this instrument. What I mean is, on piano or GHB or, I think, most instruments, one learns until it becomes automatic: a muscle memory. But that does not seem appropriate here. Rather, with this instrument, the challenge is to have the ability to constantly be aware and controlled and conscious while playing. If I played UP all by "unconscious automatic muscle memory" I suppose it would only sound good when the environment matched the circumstances in which I learned the tune...

Dave J

[Cayden]

By intonation you mean bag pressure?


Dave J

By intonation i mean what I say, intonation the pitch of each note in relation to your drones (and/or the people you're playing with). You use bag pressure, fingering and what have you to adjust if necessary.

I don't think it's unusual, a fiddleplayer has to adjust his intonation, as do flute and whistleplayers. You listen to yourself and you adapt, it's never a matter of rolling off what you have learnt. Or at least don't think it should be.

[Joseph E. Smith]

Snoogie is right, you ought to be enjoying yourself just now. Then, sooner or later, with a little more experience you will come to the profound realization that this instrument is rarely in tune for very long.

I estimate that roughly 75-85% of the time, you have to tune as you play... bag pressure, finger gymnastics, chanter off/on knee and other variations for all of the afore mentioned.

[djm]

If you don't have drones yet you are wasting your time imho. The chanter is designed to sound good against drones, and will usually fall quickly into line when they are on. Just get it close and go make some music.

djm

[David Lim]

Could I ask, are you obsessing in isolation?

Meeting up with some other pipers may put your problems into some sort of perspective.
Allowing you to judge more clearly whether they warrant taking from your practice time or not.

David

[djones]

Yes, I'm up here in the Adirondacks in isolation... Haven't found any local uilleann pipers less than an hour's drive away (I'm in Glens Falls, NY).

I've got to get myself to one of these tionols or workshops or something. The weekend in North Hero VT in August is easy travel from here... got GHB games that weekend this year, though.

Will keep my eye out for workshops etc nearby. I bet there are things going on in Montréal...et puisque j'étais prof de français, je parle assez bien cette belle langue.

Thanks for help all - this forum is clsest thing to tutor and it is been extremely valuable to be...

Gratefully yours,
Dave J

[Joseph E. Smith]

You know,

Seth Gallagher lives somewhere in your state (and if you do not do so already), you ought to take up making your own reeds, and Seth should have everything you need for this.

[danny]

just keep on playin in or out of tune

[ausdag]

I never did get it perfect. Today, I decided to settle for 'almost': high B is a little sharp

If you mean 2nd octave B is sharp then that is very common - nothing to get your ball of hemp in a tangle over at this stage. Also, try doing what I do for my sharp top B - play it not with the 2nd and 3rd fingers up as usual, but with the 3d (ring) finger down. That brings my sharp B into tune.

and back D is very sharp (same treatment)

is much better than a flat back D - as you've found, it's much simpler to fix.

and I have a long copper wire running down the length of the chanter that makes it all stay together somehow.

also normal. If that is the extent of it, then it sounds like you have a pretty good reed.


Cheers,

DavidG

[Joseph E. Smith]

If that is the extent of it, then it sounds like you have a pretty good reed.


Cheers,

DavidG

... ain't it the truth!