The traditional flat pitch pipes in pitches from E-flat to B-flat were made with narrower bores for a quieter sound than the familiar contemporary Concert D pipes, which were developed a century ago for playing in small halls.
My flat pitch Penny-Chanters are based on a well-liked Egan design. They're made with the same construction as the famous Concert D Penny-Chanters, although their more sophisticated acoustics require a little more complexity in the execution. Therefore the price will be somewhat higher to account for the extra labor. The prototypes started as exact a replica of bore and toneholes as an enhanced tube-bore construction will allow. From there they are being fine-tuned to suit the different shell dimensions that result from inexpensive standard off-white plastic pipe exterior.
A more traditional-looking black Delrin plastic exterior will also be offered for a small extra cost as it is for the original Concert D Penny-Chanter.
Meanwhile narrow-bore Penny-Chanters are already playing in the key of C and C#. A narrow-bore D is now in the first testing phase. Like the Concert D Penny-Chanters, the narrow-bore chanters will use a conventional cane reed, one of a very mainstream narrow-bore design that is known to play in several respected historic chanter designs.
The Daye Narrow-Bore Penny-Chanters are being adjusted to suit the mainstream reed in both C and C# pitches. We're also working to match the narrow-bore D to the same reed to round out a set of 3 that will take the very same reed. This will be for the convenience of the piper, of course, who may want to have a collection of several different flat chanters. It will also help me keep prices down as there will be only one set of dimensions and tools required to reed a collection of these narrow-bore chanters.
We expect the C and C# chanters to go on sale in mid Spring 2006.
To E-mail David Daye click here
Telephone Whidbey Island, Washington USA 360-579-UILL ( 8455
)
Bottom of Daye Flat-Pitch Uilleann Penny-Chanter Page
