Narrow bore, wide bore - switcheroo

[wolvy]

Do you pipers out there that own a wide bore chanter and also a flat pitched, narrow bore chanter (like in a flat set) find that when going between one and the other, your "touch" needs to change alot - to the point where you feel you are losing something? For example, I often heard that trumpet players that also played trombones suffered by having to change too much when going between the two instruments. Could this also be the case for standard D pipes versus a flat set. There is so much you have to readjust to that the playing would suffer just a tad. Do any of you that are lucky enought to play both types of sets notice that your playing suffers when you switch?

[Joseph E. Smith]

The pressure to play a narrow bore is usually lesser than it is to play a wide bore... something one can easily adjust to with a little playing.

[djm]

It usually takes me a little while to re-orient myself going from D to a flat chanter, not so much because of the pressure difference, but because of the difference in spacing of the tone holes - they are wider apart on a flat chanter, and the difference in spacing is not even/equal. Even though I know that it feels different and that I have to hold my fingers in a different way, it still takes me awhile to get accustomed to the feel of the flat chanter.

djm

[beckitybek]

Do any of you that are lucky enought to play both types of sets notice that your playing suffers when you switch?

Quite the opposite actually. I find that my flat piping (of whichever pitch) greatly enhances my concert pitch wide bore playing, especially in terms of fingering/technique/variation and the like.
This may be due to the fact that I only ever play the wide-bore chanters in the pub (the neighbours complain otherwise) and the majority of my home piping is flat pitch, and I spend more time working on specific phrases and technique at home than I would playing out

Becky

[malanstevenson]

beckitybek wrote:

Quite the opposite actually. I find that my flat piping (of whichever pitch) greatly enhances my concert pitch wide bore playing, especially in terms of fingering/technique/variation and the like.
This may be due to the fact that I only ever play the wide-bore chanters in the pub (the neighbours complain otherwise) and the majority of my home piping is flat pitch, and I spend more time working on specific phrases and technique at home than I would playing out

Ditto for me. I've spent most of my formative playing / development as a player at home in the key of C, so moving to D seems like a breeze in comparison because of the smaller stretch, despite the sometimes higher pressure requirements (depending on the wide bore reed/chanter). The only thing that bugs me is that most wide bore chanters can't give me that lower octave GFE triplet without squeaking up to the second octave G. Pippety-pip just seems more satisfying in flat pitch.

Mark

[Tony]

....the neighbours complain otherwise....

You need one of these:

[billh]

It usually takes me a little while to re-orient myself going from D to a flat chanter, not so much because of the pressure difference, but because of the difference in spacing of the tone holes - they are wider apart on a flat chanter, and the difference in spacing is not even/equal. Even though I know that it feels different and that I have to hold my fingers in a different way, it still takes me awhile to get accustomed to the feel of the flat chanter.

djm

Depends on your chanters, of course - my flat chanters don't have wider spacing than my wide bore D.

Wolvy, I agree that it can take some adjustment - perhaps more to the point, if I _stop_ playing CP or flat for awhile, it takes me awhile to get back in the swing. If I am playing both flavors regularly then I don't seem to notice a problem switching between them, so perhaps this is more a case of one thing not transferring totally to the other, i.e. you get unaccustomed to playing a particular type of chanter.

I expect this is equally true when switching between CP chanters from different makers, etc.

Bill

[beckitybek]

....the neighbours complain otherwise....

You need one of these:

For them or me?!

[Davey]

I'm entirely in agreement with Becky...I find that after playing my C sets that my concert pitch playing is greatly improved. At least my perception has always been that going from an hour or so of playing a C set seems to improve the over quality of the sound, ornamentation and feeling of being in control or in that "sweet spot" when I later switch over to a convert set...

I also find, from my own experience, that when stiching from C to a D set that the concert sets highlight any sloppiness in my ornamentaion or general playing....If I play my flat sets too much I tend to get sloppy...or lazy...then again it might just be the fact that I tend to lose myself in flat piping..I've nearly put myself to sleep playing flat before!! WAY too relaxed! ....nothing like the rather X rated relaxation that Mr. Power seems to slip into, but still a bit too relaxed...

[Joseph E. Smith]

I've nearly put myself to sleep playing flat before!! WAY too relaxed! ....nothing like the rather X rated relaxation that Mr. Power seems to slip into, but still a bit too relaxed...

X-rated? I wasn't aware you had ESP... but please do not share your impressions of David's trance-like state while playing.

[Uilliam]

I agree with Becky and follow the same path.All my "pleasure" playing is on the B or C in private When I switch to the D it sounds like a foghorn and is really very simple to play but sounds too brash for my liking (but is fine for the pub and the great unwashed!!))
They are, to my mind, two similar, but very different instruments(flat v concert)I find no difficulty switching the fingering,in fact on the concert it feels like manhole covers..No, for my money, ye can't beat a flat set,ye really cannot.
Davey your new B chanter is very good I think ye should work on it to your hearts content at home...its a breeze.
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam

[djm]

Good point, Becky, Davey, Uilliam. I also find that switching from flat back to D makes the D seem much easier. The flat sets allow me so much more control, and when I switch back I seem to bring that feeling of control back with me. The problem is when I go D to flat, not the other way around. I'm afraid I don't spend nearly as much time on flats as I do on D, so it is more noticable to me.

djm

[No E]

I play my flat set (in B) the majority of the time. Going back to concert pitch is a little like driving my wife's car--it's familiar enough, but sometimes the controls seem to be in the wrong place.

No E

[Davey]

..Uilleam..did I miss something ??
"Davey your new B chanter is very good I think ye should work on it to your hearts content at home...its a breeze. "

..umm...well..seeing as I have sold a B chanter to no one as of yet, could you possibly explain this comment??

[BigDavy]

Hi Davey

I think it is my chanter that Uilliam is referring to.

David