Chiff and Fipple Forums

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I have a set of Andreas's C sharp Ennis set, Firstly I would like to point out that the original chanter was a left handed one, Ennis was right handed! So it is obviously not an exact copy. This did affect how he sounded and played them, also the original chanter is acknowledged, by those who have played it, to be difficult to play, therefore Andreas has made some alterations to make it easier, I do find mine to have certain 'foibles' that one needs to get used to, there are some fingerings in the upper octave that want to work a certain way, and this can be heard on Ennis's recordings too, I think my set sound and play very much like the original. They seem to work best at 20 cents flat of C sharp when warmed up. Very close to A 415. It must also be remembered that no Coyne chanters are like any other ones, they are all different, and when a reed is changed over it will sound different anyway. My set matches Leo Rickard's set and Mark Redmonds in pitch and sound, except for the different reeds of course.ATB.

The Ennis Coyne was supposedly in pieces when James Ennis bought it in London in 1905 (?). It was rebuilt/restored by John Brogan (and converted for a right-handed set for James Ennis). The conversion would have involved making a new (right-handed) mainstock. I'm not sure how much else of the set is original Coyne and what was made by Brogan. There are photos of James Ennis playing the set with a contrabass regulator, which has since disappered, and a different chanter top. The bass drone slide seems to vary in length when comparing photos, which could indicate that it was repaired/replaced at some point.

I haven't played it but I know at least 2 people who have. Apparently the position of the B hole is awkward, making it difficult to fully close, and affecting the tuning of all notes below (i.e. the majority of the notes ). So it takes a little getting-used-to. But apparently, once someone is used to it, it plays well.

There's a video somewhere on YouTube of 4 different pipers taking turns to play the set.

I had a Rogge C# chanter for a while. Not sure if it was based on the Ennis Coyne but it played beautifully and felt very comfortable.

I have a C# Rogge on order, should be coming this late summer or fall.

While every chanter is different, including copies, I do indeed wonder, and even believe that, at fleeting moments, “that” sound could come out. I will see once I get it. As others have said on other threads, it can depend largely on the player. I also like to wonder, if I were able to somehow travel back in time, and give Séamus my Rogge to play, if the layman would be able to differentiate the Coyne and Rogge, aside from obvious pitch differences, and of course the drones…

IIRC Rogge makes his own synthetic drone reeds, I am certainly interested in possibly experimenting with different materials to get the sound I want…