A recent chanter made for John McSherry of Ulaid and the Olllam. John has been using this for his recent series of online lessons for Uilleann pipes.
“It has great warmth and sweetness with power in all the right places, a joy to play! My go to chanter”. John McSherry
www.whistleandpipes.com
More fun with the wood turning !
Very satisfying to see a part of a tree transform into a musical instrument before your eyes !
Uilleann Pipes
Uilleann (meaning elbow in Irish) refers to the way in which this Irish bag pipe is played; The air pressure within the bag is maintained by squeezing the bag between the musician's elbow and side. This instrument first appeared in the latter part of the 18th century and has developed over the years to their current form. They are the most highly evolved type of bagpipe as they have a range of over two full octaves and also have the capability of providing accompaniment to the melody using drones. Chordal accompaniment is also possible with the use of the regulators.
A set of pipes contains seven reeds, four of which are double reeds, these are the chanter and regulator reeds. The remaining three reeds are single reeds and go in the drones. All of the reeds are made from Arundo Donax, commonly known as cane which grows in a Mediterranean climate.
I currently make chanters, practice sets, half sets and full sets:
The timber is carefully selected from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) sources. It is initially bored and allowed a considerable period of time sometimes up to several years to season before comencing the work further. Although this adds to the waiting time for instruments to be made it helps insure that the crucial bores remain stable and don't change over time.
Practice set consists of bag bellows and chanter,
Half set consists of bag bellows, chanter and drones,
Full set consists of bag bellows, chanter drones and regulators.
High quality materials are chosen to construct instruments.
Materials available include: African blackwood, Ebony, Cocobolo
Rosewood,
Decorative trim: Timber, Alternative Ivory.
Metal work: Brass, Stainless steel, Silver
Specials on request.
Contact me here for more information.
I currently offer workshops, having taught piping and reed making workshops in many places across the world, from Lorient France, Jeonju South Korea, Festival Interceltico Tapia Asturias, Common Ground On The Hill USA, all the way back to Dublin and Belfast . Please contact for further details.
A recent repair job on a broken boxwood mount. Before and after.
