Heather Clarke's Tutor..

[sean an piobaire]

OK it's getting off the subject, but I'd like to point out that I do mention Skirts, Dresses, AND Men's and Women's KILTS.
So in regard to Popping Valves, some Pipers don't like the extra height of the Chanter, as it sits on the Valve when it is closed,
and resting on the Piper's knee.
As the Chanter is Sitting Too High, the Regulator Keys are just that slight bit farther away from the heel of the Hand,
making them a little harder to find, and press open.
Thus, many people prefer the Leather "Piper's Apron" for that "Low Down" position, closer to the Regs.

However, I think the Popping valve is absolutely necessary, weather You are wearing a Kilt, a Dress, or a Skirt at those Gigs where
You are paid to play Irish Pipes AND say....the GHB, at different times during the ceremonies. (More Bagpipes means more MONEY.
and KILTS means more Money as well, as You have to look the part of Piper to the Crowned Heads of Europe, to get higher pay and so on.)
A Piper's Apron is obviously a good fit for Trousers, and for the Women wearing Skirts or Dresses, again,
the Popping Valve is the device to have, dangling as it does when open.....from the bottom of Your Chanter.
NOW..... for the "Stop Key" on the Chanter Head..........
In the Kennedy design alluded to above, the pressing down of the Stop Key withdraws a wire with a loop at one end,
that at rest, (with the Stop key closed ) keeps a small Leather Check valve open on the Lead Tube going into the Chanter Head.
One end of this wire is attached to the Stop Key by a hook and eye, then this wire runs through a small section of
the Chanter Head, and out to the end of the lead Tube and the wire loop actually protrudes a bit out of the Tube to keep the Check valve open.

For added clarity the "lead tube" is the part of the Chanter Head that plugs into the Chanter Stock, which is tied into
the neck of the Bag. There's the wrapping of Thread on it that keeps the lead tube fitting in the stock airtight.
The Kennedy Stop Key arrangement can get out of service by the check valve not seating properly,
or the single tiny hinge on the leather check valve breaking off, after so many swings open and closed.
How do I know this ? I played a Kennedy set for 2 years (1973-74) and it was made in 1959 about 2 years after
Dennis Brooks' Kennedy set, which was made in 1957. Both sets shared the same features, in fact, to my knowledge,
the Stop Key and the Popping Valve are on every Chanter that Moss and Alf Kennedy ever made.

The Kennedy Popping Valve is a kind of Metal Thimble Cap with a Weight on the bottom and a Leather Pad in it,
which fits completely over the end of the Chanter.
It's a close fit, but just loose enough internal diameter, to drop open when the Chanter is lifted off the Knee.
There is a Rim (a complete circle of rolled metal) at the Top (open end) of this Thimble that is retained by the Chanter mount above it,
and this is so the Valve does not fall completely off the end of the Chanter, as the Rim is captured by the Mount at the bottom of the Valve's fall.
You can remove the Valve by unscrewing the Bottom Mount off the Chanter. The Mount and the Valve come off together.
You have to be careful, as woe be to those Pipers that would cross-thread this Mount, where the Catalin Plastic screw threads
of the Mount meets the Blackwood screw threads of the Chanter !
When the Valve drops open there is a series of little holes around the circumference of the Valve that can emit the sound of the "Bottom D"
This Popping Valve does soften the D Bell Note and it also drops the Pitch of the D, perhaps as much as 10 cents of a semi-tone.
Sometimes the Leather pad inside the Thimble would stick on me and I had to take the assembly apart, and use a cleaner
(rubbing alcohol) to take off any of the oil & dirt that built up on the Leather Pad.
As popping valves go it is a very reliable system and You can remove it and use an Apron if you want to.
Perhaps someone here on C&F can provide a close-up photo which would go a lot further to explaining any mystery ?
Here's hoping Your Popping and Stopping Go Smoothly !
Sean Folsom

[KAD]

Aw, shucks, bensdad.

I recently heard a piper explain that the popping valve (whoops, almost wrote "pooping valve," there's your answer about whether pipes are housebroken!) gives one the complete freedom to move the chanter wherever it needs to go while playing regs. That made a lot of sense to me, now that I'm regularly wrestling a 3/4 beast and tilting the chanter at crazier and crazier angles to hit crossed chords.

KAD

[Brennen Fitzgerald]

I remember watching Chris McCallum move his right leg out further when hitting lower reg keys. He always gave me the impression that he once played guitar, possibly bass in the way he did it. That would eliminate the changing stick angle...

[mke_mick]

Just watched the video of Ms. Clarke. Wow! What musically and technically impressive -- authoritative, actually -- playing! Clearly her excellent book was no flash in the pan.

So, it seems she resumed playing for that particular wedding, after a 3-year hiatus (!). Does anyone know if that signals any intention to enter the scoil/concert/seminar fray? Clearly she's got quite a lot to offer, by way of showing how it's done!

Cheers to all,
Mick