Yesterday I was posting as usual, then I had the thought "if I change the name of the blog to "medieval bagpipes", like in plural, it would be easier to find in the internet. When I tried I found another blog:
http://medievalbagpipes.blogspot.com
After reading this blog I felt so defeated... for so many reasons:
1. Is a blog with almost the same name as mine.
2. It is about the same subject, only that I include tips of aestetic customisation and repairs.
3. This guy has been doing it for much longer and also has a band.
4. He refers that the learning methods I've been using have been wrong.
Now a million questions assault my head:
Are the baroque chanters straighter than the mixodilian (scotish) ones? what is the most common key that people play on in bagpipe medieval bands? is it D, just like in the tin whistle? can be the scotish chanter be altered at all or do I need to build/get a new one? will PVC be good for it? Will I need to make a new reed myself? How do I tune the fingerholes once I have made the chanter?...
...or should I ask Ardor (one of the members of Corvus Corax, who is also friends with my girlfriend) all of these questions.
Any advice to be given, anyone?
HELP!
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1 comment:
Hi Joe! Don't give up! Your blog doesn't need to suffer on account of mine! :)
Joe ortega wrote:
Are the baroque chanters straighter than the mixodilian (scotish) ones?
It depends more on the type of chanter than the mode it plays in. Loud bagpipes like Highland, are usually alway conical (wider on the bottom, narrow at the top). Straight-bore chanters tend to be smallpipes -- like the practice chanter, using thinner reeds.
what is the most common key that people play on in bagpipe medieval bands?
The most common keys are the keys that most baroque and medieval music is in -- C, G, F, D and A-minor. Most of the music I've seen is in G and D.
Big pipes like the ones Juergen Ross, Jens Guenzel, and others make tend to be in the key of G. I've seen some in F.
is it D, just like in the tin whistle? can be the scotish chanter be altered at all or do I need to build/get a new one? will PVC be good for it? Will I need to make a new reed myself? How do I tune the fingerholes once I have made the chanter?...
This is a bit out of my area of expertise. I never made instruments (yet). All I know is that the Highland chanters use a different scale than the medieval/baroque one. Plus, Highland chanters are alway in B-flat. If you learn on a highland chanter (like I did), you will have to re-learn how to play everything when you eventually get a real medieval set.
I can tell you that a cornamuse is the closest thing to a practice chanter for medieval pipes than you can get -- not as cheap as the PVC Highland practice chanters, but it will have all the correct notes on it, and the fingering will be more the same. If the $300 price it too much for you, use a $10 plastic yamaha recorder. The fingering is correct, and the notes are, too. The only difference is that you can practice the circular breathing in the same way.
Don't give up on your blog -- Blog about something every time you learn a new thing. Blogging will help you remember things, track your progress, and be there for you in the future so you can use your blog as a reference.
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