Posted by Todd Schiele in Piping related news
Read Jim’s article in Pipes|Drums magazineÂ
Mr. McGillivray has won an enviable number of the world’s top piping awards, including the Highland Society of London Gold Medals and the Clasp at Inverness. He is the Piping and Drumming Program Director at St. Andrew’s College. He’s also produced Pipes Ready!, Pipes Up! and Rhythmic Fingerwork, available on his website and other sites.Â
One Response to “Jim McGillivray comments on tuning”
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I couldn’t agree more with Mr McGillivray.
One problem is – as pipe bands demand a “higher, sweeter” tone, they carve the holes on their chanters to produce the sound they are wanting. The chanter makers review what the bands are doing, then they redesign their chanters accordingly. Then the reed makers have to produce reeds that will play well in these newly designed chanters. It’s a never ending cycle that means it is actually difficult to find a chanter reed that will work well in an “older” chanter (ten years old).
I usually pitch the NWJPB chanters at 476 to start off with (under ideal tempurature conditions). This is well within the pitch range that Mr McGillivray suggests. As the pipes warm up, they may reach 477 or 478. On a HOT day, they will go to 480 or slightly higher. The Gibson chanters we use are designed to be played within this range and pushing them any higher results in an ustable sound. The chanter reeds I select also give us a slightly lower, broader sound. I really try to stay away from the high, shrill chanter sound. It is too difficult to manage.
I for one am glad this topic is being discussed in piping circles. Many amatuer bands try to emulate what the Grade 1 bands are doing, either in their tune selection, medley arrangments or the tuning of their pipes. They hear that SFU (Some Famous University) Grade 1 Pipe Band is playing a certain type of bag or chanter or drone reed, so they rush out and buy the latest and greatest new doohickey for their band. When what they should be spending their money on is hiring some top notch bandsmen to come give them a workshop. Help them learn how to get a decent sound out of their existing equipment, or make recommendations for new gear based on their ability level.
~ Pipie