I love that someone actually made such a video.  Youtube is such a great tool for us all.  Anyone can share anything.  Fantastic.  But we all have to remember that bad speakers and compression rates and all that distort reality.

Here’s what the author says:

“a experiment with three different NSP chanter

chanter 1 :
African black wood with a very good reed (one of the best reeds I ever made)
the black wood chanter have a lot of overtones and makes great harmonics with the drones

chanter 2 :
plum wood with a good (average) reed
this chanter sounds a little bit dull, but with more sweetness than the black wood chanter

chanter 3 :
hard maple with a not so good reed
the maple chanter sounds dull with no sweetness.
Playing this chanter I miss something in the sound, the chanter sounds ‘like a old man without teeth and a mouth full of potatoes who is talking to me’. This chanter is for me more or less unacceptable to play.

When I play the three chanter I hear great differences in the sound .

But bad recording, video edit, compression to a MPEG layer, YouTube compression, bad sounding loudspeakers and that all, it cuts off all the important overtones/harmonics of the natural sound.

The three chanters sounds equal (for me on my PC) when I hear them on YouTube…

Is this a new or important thing? No, but I was astonished that a chanter I will never play (the third chanter) because his natural sound is so bad, sounds ‘so good’ on YouTube.”

–

This video is about how all chanters sounding “equal” on youtube, but it inevitably brings up the question of what makes different chanters sound different from one another.  The author addresses this in the comments:

“I would say that 70% depends on the reed, 20% how the chanter is made and not more than 10% on the kind of wood.

The third chanter, made from maple, sounds really good with a better reed.

But a black wood chanter will always sounds different than a maple or plum chanter in my experience.

Not better or bad, simply different and it is up to you what sound you like.”

—-

I completely agree.  Choose your reedmaker first,  your pipe maker on the reedmaker’s recommendation (preferably the same fella), and then choose your wood.  Sure, wood choice does matter, but it’s far down on the list.  Most pipers can hear the difference between an ABW chanter and an apple chanter using the same reed (these two woods being two extremes), but even that difference is somewhat small.  Honestly, most comparisons between woods are difficult to make.  The difference between Sonokeling and Osage, or Palisander and Plum is so small.  Yes, it’s there, but you’ll hear much more of a difference with the same chanter and reed combo between a humid day and a dry day.

The first question you should ask yourself if you weren’t at MPF Fall 2010 is, “What was I thinking?!?”  You missed a good one!  Just don’t miss the next MPF which will be MPF number 10.   As always, I thoroughly enjoyed myself up in Maine.   A big thanks to Keith and Kelly for their amazing hosting and patience.  We had people from all over sleeping in every corner of their lovely home (I think 14 people!)  And a huge thanks to the instructors Tim, Koady, Ellen and Clamato.  Great tunes taught; amazing tunes played.

The concert was incredible.  We are so blessed to have such fantastic musicians willing to drive from so far to play us great music.

I’d like to let the photos and videos do the talking, but I want to mention one thing:  We always try to have a get together of one kind or another  Saturday evening.  I think we really hit on the right combination this time.  Most of the attendees of the workshop came to Keith and Kelly’s house and Kelly made a super supper for everyone.    While waiting for dinner, I gave a somewhat impromptu reedmaking workshop.  We plan to make this a more formal part of the weekend next year.  What was most amazing about Saturday night was the sheer amount of music played.  Talking about it afterwards, Clamato and I guessed that with only a few short breaks, music was played for about 7 hours!  Considering the first MPF when we knew only a few tunes all together, this is just unbelievable.  We’ve grown so much and learned so many tunes!

And MPF Spring 2011 will be  number 10!  So, while still keeping MPF it’s usual laid-back self, we’re planning some extra fun stuff for the tenth MPF.  Come join us for #10 and stay ’till #50!

I finally made it to Celtic Colours this October.   If you aren’t familiar with Celtic Colours, it’s basically THE Celtic festival in North America to be at (as far as I’m concerned anyway).   I really should have stayed home and worked on pipe making, but I had promised others (you know who you are) that I’d be there, and who knows when I might ever make it back.  Here’s a good little video to watch if you aren’t familiar with CC (actually its maybe a little annoying, but it does explain the festival and I’m in the video for 1.5 secs ):

Did you see me walk by with Ben Miller around 1:07?

My reaction to CC was “YOU SHOULD GO!”  It was unbelievable.  First of all, it was in Cape Breton in the Fall, so it’s a beautiful time to be in that neck of the world.  Secondly, while many international musicians are present for the week, the core of CC is the local musicians.  Each Concert (of which there were at least three scattered over the Island each night) consisted of several “acts” playing for  forty-five minutes or so each.  Time and time again, we’d go to a show for the international headliner, who’d be great, but the set we’d rave over was inevitably the local fiddler and piano player (or guitarist) just ripping through a mess of reels and jigs.

Beolach with Fin Moore and Angus Nicolson sitting in at the Festival Club

Without being too long-winded, each of the five days I was there consisted of going to a locally hosted community dinner (like homemade Roast Beef with mashed potatoes, turnip, peas, lovely yeast rolls and apple cobbler with ice cream!), then a show around 7:30, followed by attending the “Festival Club”, followed by the after party in the back room, followed by eating breakfast at 6:00 am and then going to bed and getting back up at 12-2 pm to start the whole process over again.  It was pretty brutal, but I saw tons of folk at the festival club every night that were over 50 and there until closing at 3:30 in the morning  (and up dancing for most most of it!).

After party in the Back Room

The festival Club, which began at 11:00 pm at the Hall of the Clans at the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s, was basically like a jazz club, but instead of drinking G and T’s or whatever and listening to jazz, you bought the local lagers and sat or danced to jigs and reels all night.  And it was 4+ hours long!  The musicians were the same musos playing at the concerts all week, but they got a shorter time slot and it was a bit more laid back.

I had a great time, got a couple of orders, and am crossing my fingers that I can make it again sometime in the next few years or so.

Ben Miller playing his new MacDougall Style Palo Santo Border pipes with the lads from Seudan

Marcel from Cuba and Niamh from Ireland who both attended CeltFest Cuba with me.

6:30am getting breakfast before bed.

Brian MacNamara

Epic indeed!  Yes, the cornerstone of the alternative piping community on the East coast was last weekend, and yes it was a great time.  I enjoyed the company and the tunes played during the weekend very much.  My better half was able to come along and, despite her not being a piper, she fit in with the likes of Dan Houghton, EJ Jones, Tim Cummings and Anthony Santoro very well.  Pipers tend to be somewhat “different” than normal humans, but I guess she’s learned to deal with that whilst living with me.

Tim Cummings on pipes, Dan Houghton on guitar

It’s somewhat boring at times to be sitting at a vendors table, but this past weekend was less boring and more a blur of constant questions, tinkerings, shoulder strap fittings, and reed fettlings.  I guess the more pipes I put out there, the less boring a vendor table becomes.  Next year I might have to make people sign up for appointments.

I didn’t really get to play much for tunes myself, I’ll need to make a point of doing that next year, but I did hear a truckboat load of great tunes played by others.  Friday night I walked into a back room in the snowshed lodge and Dan Houghton and EJ Jones were blasting away in fine form on Border pipes and

Me fettling a chanter reed, Rachel working on "Law stuff"

Smallpipes.  Dan and EJ were great fun during the weekend, and they both invited each other up as “guests” during their concert sets, which was a real highlight of the magnificent Saturday and Sunday concerts .  I suppose I shouldn’t complement my “arch-nememsis” EJ, but since he’s such a great piper, pipe maker, and remarkedly nice guy, it’s hard not to say good things about him.

EJ and Dan burning down the house

There were too many fun things to mention them all, but a few highlights for me included:

Anthony Santoro’s Concert set.  The world would be a better place if Anthony had a CD.  He’s brilliant, and his playing

Anthony Santoro

has that something that I think is easier to find among Cape Breton musicians and the thing that too many Irish piper’s lack.  It’s drive; it’s excitement; it’s hard to describe.

Dan and EJ playing a set of cracking reels together during Dan’s set on Saturday night.  Also, EJ, Dan, and John Skelton playing an An Dro (i think) whilst people from the audienced danced in front.

Brian MacNamara’s uilleann pipes.  They sound amazing!  Koehler and Quinn of course.

Tim Cummings lead us all singing “The Dying Californian”.  I lent Tim a C chanter to better match his (and my) vocal range.  Tim played and sang this Shape note song while we joined in.

Tim Cummings on Border pipes and Matt Buckley on Banjo

At least three out of the five Scottish Piping teachers sang while playing for the concert and a fourth taught a “singing with pipes” workshop.  It’s a great thing to be bringing back into style.

It’s great to see so many wonderful people all sharing their love of the musical machine we call bagpipes.  In some ways it’s funny to bring together people who sometimes play very (relatively speaking) different music from one another.  But there’s just something about the bagpipe that connects us all together.  Drones, I guess.

Robert Resnik – Vermont Public Radio DJ for All the Traditions trying out Jon Swayne’s wide range of pipe offerings

Michael Macharg’s table of pipes

John Skelton playing a Jerry Freeman “tweaked” whistle

Jim McGillivray

Tim Cumming’s Border pipe class

Jim McGillivray’s huge smallpipe class

Jonathan Warner playing some tunes on my pipes

Jerry Freeman’s “tweaking” station

Jon Swayne

Tim’s drone talk/demo

MacLir playing at the Maine Celtic Celebration this past July in Belfast, Maine.

Keith plays the very first A smallpipe chanter that I made that was near to my current design.

It’s made of mesquite, from a large 3.5 foot tall, six inch wide chunk that my uncle brought as carry on luggage from Texas for me.

Keith’s drones are a custom set of Apple Border drones with 4 drones.

Keith’s a “drone fiend” and loves the extra boom that the Border drones have.

All photos were taken by Sarah Joy of Searsmont, Maine.

The scene as we arrived!

The Camp setting was fantastic.  Beautiful PEI, and very close to the bridge, so easy to get to.  A large quad-like lawn sat in the middle of two large buildings (the dinning hall, and the dance hall), a row of simple cabins, and a shower and a bathroom building.  The food ranged from perfectly acceptable, to amazing, and the food folks were very friendly.  Plus it was literally next to the ocean, with a beautiful red sand beach.

Bob Mitchell in class with Marcel from Cuba looking on.

The classes were great, both Ellen MacPhee and Tim Cummings are great at making students comfortable in class.  Each night included a concert and a dance.  We all came to love the “Souris Set”.  And the Acadian dances were a crowd favorite.

Great session down by the beach

Keith Smallpiping and Rosalind “Unipiping”.

Tim prepping for the “Thanks to the Food Prep People Parade.”

We visited the College of Piping in Summerside one day.

A set of pipes that was “played at Culloden”.

Us and Philomena the Westfalia at the College of Piping

Thanks to the Instructors!

Basically it was perfect.  Super classes, organized and unorganized sessions, concerts, dances, cards, “Tea”.  Everyone I talked to about Camp afterwards suffered from “Fiddle Camp withdrawal”.    We all can’t wait for next year.

A few of the zillion pipers who showed up.

And some more.

The fiddlas

Penny concentrating on “Merrily Danced the Quaker’s Wife”.

Come join us for the next one.  Maine pipes and fiddle dot com