All Uilleann Pipes, All the Time

My best advice would be to try to find an uilleann piper in your area that may be able to help your son obtain a used practice set and help him get started.

I got a brand new bellows a few weeks ago and an issue arose in relation to the air inlet valve. The bellows was perfectly airtight, but I found that the inlet valve was a little too tight and efficient. This meant that the bellows wasn't drawing in air as quickly as I could on my old bellows. So I ...

I would say try the same half-holing thing with the third finger of left hand as in the first octave. But much more difficult in the second octave because of pressure control issues. What you will get is a subdued flattened A - a bit like a bent note on a harmonica. But as a passing note ornament it...

A good place to start might be the Irish Centre in Camden, as it does promote Irish culture in London and should have links with Irish musicians and so might be able to link you up with some pipers.

Not me. I used to use copper sheet, but I am now using the gold coloured spring metal which I cut from my soup cans - the ones with the ring pull. I use the flat piece in the middle of the top or bottom of the the can. Very easy to cut with scissors and to work around the reed. And best of all at ze...

Just an update on where I am currently with my bass regulator. I had been trying for a while to make a bass regulator reed from the tubes I have of Medir cane, which of course is pretty hard stuff. But with my last attempt I decided to do something different - and instead of thinning the blades way ...

Congratulations are in order for being able to play in the upper octave. I can't help too much with the closed fingering. For me it's just a case of finding whatever works best for the chanter - or rather conforming my technique to how my chanter wants to play. A great deal depends on fine control o...

There is nothing unusual with the build or airflow of my own set. It was built in accordance with a long-established design and works fine within those limits, just like many other such full sets. My thoughts are on bass regulators in general and specifically their air supply - and how it might be p...

But even with the hollow stock design which you describe - where the bass regulator has it's own separate air feed tube within the stock, the back pressure from the bass regulator will still be an issue at the bag to stock outlet - the point being that this is the specific point where air pressure m...

My set has a solid stock - which I do like for other reasons. But the air supply for the bass regulator branches off from the baritone regulator feed. Of course a certain amount of back pressure is to be expected, but I think that when they added the bass regulator into the mix, it wasn't the best p...

My advice for what it is worth would be to start off with just, bag, bellows and chanter. This is more than enough for a beginner to get to grips with. Never underestimate the complexities of this instrument 8). Baby steps is the best way to proceed - and if you stick at it long enough to get your b...

For the last month or so I've been focused in on the bass regulator as I struggle to make a good reed for it. But aside from the reed problems, I got to thinking about the air supply. It seems to me that there must have been some good reason for fitting the bass regulator so that it's air supply com...

Well another failed attempt with a bass regulator reed - but I think I'm getting closer. The problem is kind of the reverse of how the chanter reed responds to pressure. The bass regulator reed always wants to jump the octave, but at low pressure. This means that if the pressure at the reed head isn...

Thanks for the advice - I'll keep trying. Indeed the cane I was using was a bit hard - maybe just too hard to work with the bass regulator. I'll try again with a softer tube - and scrape it down further towards the back. If that doesn't work I might have to try a plastic reed .

My drone reeds are ok. I make the traditional kind but from phragmites river reeds. I've even got the baritone drone going at F# to give me a tonic and third drone sound which I really like - all three coming in at low pressure and low volume. But I'd like to get that bass regulator going if I can -...