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16/3/00

MATCHED CHANTERS by Doug Copeman

21 years ago we were just a bunch of guys who got together and played for FUN on the various and assorted chanters that individuals had bought along the way. Then, we got a P.M. who said that we would sound (and play) better if we had MATCHED CHANTERS. Sounded good to us. We asked around and the best advice that we could come up with at that time resulted in the purchase of a set of McLeods (at considerable $$$). They looked good (you remember that nice matte finish), but to our dismay we played about the same.

After a while we got a new P.M. and he said that he wasn't too fussy about those McLeod chanters. They didn't have the brilliant tone that he was used to with his Hardie. He said that we would sound (and play) better if we had MATCHED HARDIE CHANTERS. Sounded good to us. We purchased a set of Hardies (at considerable $$$). They felt good (oh yeah, macho Hardies), but to our dismay we played about the same.

After a while we got a new P.M. His problem was that by this time, the Hardies were fewer in number and many had gouged out holes and/or had sustained various other wounds. He said that we would sound (and play) better if we had matched chanters of any type. Sounded good to us. We were planning to have some younger people in the band, so we opted for the durability of plastic. So, we purchased a MATCHED SET OF DUNBAR-ELLER CHANTERS (at considerable $$$). They shone well (very lustrous and black), but to our dismay we played about the same.

An old friend who I hadn't seen in many many years, visited shortly after the plastic was purchased and I proudly brought him down to our band practice. He was also a *very* good player who for most of his career had played with *very* good bands, (ie, piping-wise, my opposite). At the post-practice beers (the apre blow),

I asked him, "So, what do you think of the band and our new chanters?"

"You guys suck." "Yeah, I thought so, but why?" "Because you're out of tune and your blowing's all over the place." "Ah shucks. Still, is there anything we can do?" This dialogue could go on, but his suggestions were:

1) Get yourself an electronic tuner, learn how to use it, and maybe eventually you guys will develop an ear.
2) Find the guy(s) in the band who has the better ear now and cultivate that ear (at this point, we're not talking about "THE SOUND", but rather being able to discern whether player A is a bit sharper or flatter than player B on a particular note).
3) Try hard to convince your P.M. that it is no threat to his manhood to have others, particularly the good ears, involved in the tuning process. 4) Don't even think about tuning the band until the guys have been playing their pipes for 20 - 30 minutes.
5) Always play with your drones on and in tune (except when breaking in a new reed).
6) Find a practice space with better acoustics so people can hear what they are playing (ie, introduce some bio-feedback). Our practice hall had a terrazzo floor and polished cement block walls so you honestly could not hear what either you or the guy next to you were playing. THIS DID NOT ENCOURAGE OR IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS. We used foam rubber ear plugs until we were able to find a better spot, and they helped a lot. This was a particularly important suggestion for us as we practice indoors most of the time.
7) The most important thing you can do is either send your band ear(s) and/or the P.M. to workshop(s) on band tone and tuning and/or bring someone in to give you a workshop on that and any other topics that you want to know more about.

Who, what, how, when, etc., etc. Fortunately, a favorable confluence of factors resulted in my buddy giving us our first workshop about a month later (after the tuner had been purchased). The facts that 1) he would be making the return trip anyway and "could" make another stop at the "End of the Earth", and 2) he had a special fondness for a particular brand of cheap booze, and 3) I had saved his tail from the neighborhood bully in our youth were all aired and the chips cashed that night. All he wanted from us was that we try to have our pipes going as well as we could by the time of his return and that we find an appropriate place to have the practice. I asked him if he thought we should be thinking about NEW MATCHED CHANTERS. He said, "Nope. Let's deal with some of this other stuff first".

The workshop resulted in a magic moment for us. First, we did the drone stuff, talked about the "sweet spot", and did some pipe maintenance. Then we got around to chanter reeds. The first surprise was not when he took out his chanter, blew on it and produced the "BIG SOUND"; we had expected that (the guy was a *very* good player, after all). No, it was when he offered his chanter around to the disease-free members of our band and our abdomens didn't explode as a result of our honking his reed. I suggested that perhaps he was a "wimp" amongst his peers. He replied, "Au contraire", that he blew a tone reed, and he suggested that others in the upper classes did, in fact, blow "wimp" reeds. Oh, my God! times two. How was it possible to get that big sound then? By being in tune.

He then proceeded to help us tune up and use the meter. Play, listen, adjust, play, listen, adjust, etc., etc. It went on for a good while. Then he said, "OK, strike up and play Scotland the Brave." We did, and to me, it felt like a miracle (honest, and sorry to be so maudlin). I fantasized *for an instant* that I was playing in Strathclyde's circle (sorry Fraser folk, of either persuasion). I think it was the first time that I had ever played with a band that was in tune (a sad comment, but true). The fantasy was soon broken by the customary arrival of the note mistakes and wavering tone, etc. However, I was not alone. Everyone had heard it. The band had sounded at least twice as big and loud and strong, albeit for a moment, but it had been there.

That "magic" moment did at least three things for us. First, it showed us a place we could go that we never knew existed. Second, it whetted our appetite to go there as fast as possible. And third, it convinced us that a set of BRAND NEW MATCHED CHANTERS was NOT IN OUR IMMEDIATE FUTURE.

Well folks, that's about it. My buddy made a few other suggestions like getting some decent reeds, playing sheep bags, getting involved with more workshops etc., and we have, in fact, done most of these. For us it is better (and cheaper) to bring people in than to take the band some other place. IT IS CERTAINLY CHEAPER THAN BUYING (in our case for the fourth time) A NEW SET OF MATCHED CHANTERS. We recently had a wonderful workshop on reeds. Our drum corp has had workshops, and they have found them beneficial, too. We have been extremely lucky with the people who have come here, both in the quantity and quality of their knowledge and in their willingness to share it with us.

Oh sure, from time to time a judge might say, "I don't like your chanters", but I don't see him bellying up with a contribution in hand for the cause. And without more to go on than that, I don't see the justification of dropping three kilobucks on some new chanters, matched or otherwise. That's real money that we have had to work for and we can have quite a few good workshops for that kind of cash. And by the way, we really like our Dunbar Chanters. So there.

I believe this article first appeared in the Voice round about 1993.

It is said that it is what is behind the blowpipe that produces the sound.

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