Mike Daly - 07/21/00 13:33:32 My Email:4mpiper@bellsouth.net location: Nashville, TN

Comments: Stumbeled onto your site and was greatly suprised. Have been wondering if anyone had this comparison on pipe chanters and reeds. I am a solo as well as a band piper and have experimented with many reeds and chanters myself. It seems every few years a new chanter comes out that is better than the next. I have found that the best wooden chanter (for me) is a Sinclair. I can get great tone at a lower pitch with little problem. I use a Shepard reed (med) and try to keep it as dry as possible. For band, I find the least problems and best tone is the 97 Shepard plastic w/Shepard reed. Only the (D) for the most part ever needs to be flatened. I can use the same reed in both chanters and get a great sound. With the price of reeds today, to me, thats important. I try to keep the band chanter (Shepard plastic) around +15 for the best balance and +5 for the wooden Sinclar. Before I would buy another hot chanter, I would recomend you find a company who is willing to send you a few of each kind and make a comparison for yourself. If you are a beginner, bring them to your pm or whom ever in you group has the best ear and let them deside for you. I look for a chanter that (Pings) on every note and rings like a bell on the lower hand. For my hands I also prefer a more tapered chanter as opposed to a thicker one. I hope some of this info is of help to your study and wish you great suscess.

Acid Piper - 06/02/00 02:42:02 My Email:acid_piper11@yahoo.com Band: Many location: windsor, ont

Comments: Some good tunes here! Give me an email because i wanna jam!!!!!!!!

syd - 04/29/00 20:38:05 My Email:scots@syds.fsnet.co.uk Band: ashbourne for this year location: grantham

Comments: first time i have visted your site. loved the piping,will be coming back. if i can give you any comments on piping,be it band or solo please get back. also if you can recommed any other sites i will be most gratful.

bb - 04/24/00 03:54:24 My Email:kilt001@hotmail Band: na location: oregon

Comments: most reeds are made with a curvature inside. this is why no matter how a reed is trimmed or cut or a staple changed certain characteristics like crow or flatness persist. staples have internal volume, the larger the sharper & louder & vice versa. the eye an determine pitch of higher notes also. chantermakers work backwards from a reed to the chanter. putting the wrong reed in a chanter is not very helpful. almost all chanters i have seen will produce a true b flat piano scale with the proper reed. the tri k is duplicating the chantermaker's reed. elevation is the distance from an imaginary centerline to the arc of the blade down the centwr of the reed. the notes correspond to the elevation from top to bottom as a result of backpressure from the column of a r in the chanter. length of blade curvature of reed width of blade will affect this as well as thickness of blade creating response. curvature of 2 1/2 to 3 inches can produc a sweet reed in our drier climate. essentially shorten reeds with a flat f until true and thin tips until response is right. remeber those old chanters with flat fs and sharp hi gs ? trim f until true somtimes as short as 1 1/2 inch in length overall & thin blades until reed responds. oh well many different combinations will make a go d sound but i sure wouldn't carve a $ 300 wooden chanter. had trouble with a Hardie that gurgle on the bottem until i used 5/32 inch tube for the staple. this works very nice in sheperds also good luck

Davie Douglas - 03/24/00 06:22:40 location: Rhode Island

Comments: Really like this site. I will revisit many times to pick up on the differences.

Ruphis Harley - 03/14/00 01:37:01 Band: Georgetown Ladies location: Beaver Creek

Comments: Hey Sunnybouy, Learn how to blow your bagpipes you feck'in candy ass. I have played with girls going through menopause who sound better than that you fat bastard!!!! RH

Ruphis Harley - 03/14/00 01:36:14 Band: Georgetown Ladies location: Beaver Creek

Comments: Hey Sunnybouy, Learn how to blow your bagpipes you feck'in candy ass. I have played with girls going through menopause who sound better than that you fat bastard!!!! RH

Suzanne - 05/11/99 03:58:50 My URL:http://www.clo.com/~suzanne My Email:suzanne@clo.com Band: Bonnie Strappin' Lassies location: Toronto, Canada

Comments: I am returning your visit to the Kung Fu Ceilidhe Girls. Great site, very educational. We will add your link.

June Hislop Daly - 03/21/99 16:06:17 My URL:http://freeserve.uk My Email:June@daly3.freeserve.co.uk Band: Graham of Montrose location: Montrose Scotland

Comments: Love your page, and found it very interesting, as after years of highland dancing and judging I took up playing the pipes three years ago and just love it. Keep up the good work, June

Ringo - 03/14/99 21:58:14 Band: Presently a Free Agent location: North America

Comments: Noted the considerable challenge in setting up your band today. High G's and High A's particularly upsetting. Not a nice robust sound like I was expecting. Interesting drones throughout the band. I like the sound of the Gibsons. Bill Sawyer has the b st punch off his drones of the entire band. Impressed with steadiness of drones, which I will attribute to the easy-drone reeds that I think are being played throughout the band. You can hear guys searching for the sound on some notes, however the drone are holding steady. Quite interesting. I'm thinking that the reed/chanter combination is not the best. Also, I wonder if the chanters are past their prime. Maybe they are just too different (each chanter) to get the sound you're looking for out of th band. Maybe time to look at getting a new set. Maybe those new Shephards are worth looking at? Love the sets, although tempos rise and fall throughout each tune. Also, tempos are considerably slower than I'm used to, however I'm sure they'll come up n the field. Love the opening tune to the medley. Good choice. Slow is kind of non-descript. Most of the rest has been heard at one time or another. Jigs and reels need to come way up. On two wheels. Generally, the calibre of players in the band is uite good. It's still early, but with that drum corp, Niagara should be right in the thick of things this year. I do not count out that Army compost band, and of course the Washington DC band is excellent. Should be another interesting season

Rob Smaill - 03/12/99 14:08:09 My Email:xtech@syscom.net

Comments: Can you help any band with their sound setup? I think with your experience, you should get out there and help these small bands out. We will gladly pay you for any expenses. I'll contact you soon!

Shep - 02/19/99 13:59:44 My Email:ewe know Band: The Best location: End of the earth

Comments: Since when did you carve holes out of a chanter to suit the reed???????

Jim Harris - 01/31/99 03:56:33 My Email:jharris@scalris.com

Comments: Wow. love this stuff your doing, I really learned something today. Have you run any workshops? I wish there was more information like this on the web. thanks and I'll be looking forward to stage 2

Ross R. Zastrow - 01/30/99 12:54:22 My Email:medic@localnet.com Band: P/M Gordon Highladers location: Buffalo, NY

Comments: Thanks for the effort. My personal Preference...Sheppard. I'm considering buying these for my band..they seem to be a little more forgiving,if you will, for those who are let's say a little less particular in their playing. They also have a nice tone from what i've heard.

James Stewart - 01/29/99 16:54:03 My Email:hamish@netrover.com Band: Toronto Police Gr.1 location: Toronto(but travel from

Comments:

Laura Stewart - 01/29/99 05:58:23 Band: Glenwood PipeBand location: Standford.NY

Comments: Could you come down to our Band and Help. We need someone that can set us up. I'll contact you. Thanks for all the Info Laura

JACK MacDONALD - 01/28/99 18:11:29

Comments: Hmmmm! VERY INTERESTING

John Desormeau - 01/28/99 15:20:24 My Email:jdesormeau@aol.com location: Delray Beach, FL

Comments: Very interesting. But I think I am going to have to listen to it about 97 more times before I begin to appreciate the differences. I will certainly keep returning to hear the other setups you have planned. Thanks for the time and effort.