Over the years I have frequently enjoyed working in collaboration with customers to develop new pipes; sometimes this has been for on-off projects, such as the ‘flat’ smallpipe chanter for Pete Stewart; others have stimulated on-going partnerships to develop and extend the potential of existing, traditional pipes. The two most lasting of these have been with Barnaby Brown and with Callum Armstrong.
Barnaby Brown
Although not a highland piper myself, I began making copies of early highland pipes in the early 1990’s. However, it was not till meeting Barnaby in the late 1990’s, that I was able to take the project further. It was his background in the early history of highland piping that made our ensuing collaboration so fruitful. Together we researched early highland bagpipe chanters, eventually focussing on and measuring in great detail the earliest known, that of Iain Dall (1656-1754). Since then I have been making copies, and Barnaby has become involved in an intense and long-term collaboration with reed-makers that has resulted in the production of a suitable chanter-reed. Barnaby now does all the work involved in finishing and setting up all my highland pipes.
?Callum Armstrong
Callum and I met up in 2009 when he ordered his first set of smallpipes. He was at that time a music student at Trinity College in Greenwich, studying baroque recorder. No sooner had he ordered the pipes than he began asking for the addition of a variety of special features. Once he had the pipes his approach to playing them was uniquely innovative, venturing into areas that I had never envisaged.
When, two years later (after two LBPS competition wins playing this new chanter), he asked me to make him a Cornish doublepipe, my instant response was to refuse, saying that he had to come to the workshop and make it himself.
Since finishing his doublepipe our collaboration has developed into a firm friendship and he regularly spends time at my workshop where he currently does most of my reed-making and tuning.
Callum is a brilliant musician and a prize-winning player of the great Highland Bagpipe. His approach is uninhibited and adventurous, and combined with my willingness to experiment, our collaboration has led to the exploration of several new possibilities in bagpipe design.
SCOTTISH SMALLPIPE WITH EXTENDED DRONE SYSTEM
The basis of this pipe is my combination 4 drone (ADad) set of Scottish smallpipes with a modified drone system designed by Callum. We have extended the possible combinations by adding plugs along the length of the drones, a total of 5 in all, giving a wide range of possible tunings which Callum has explored in his own compositions.
|
BASS |
G |
A |
B |
|
|
BARITONE |
C |
D |
E |
F |
|
TENOR |
G |
A |
B |
C |
|
ALTO |
C |
D |
E |
F |
KEYED CHANTER
Callum extended the basic chanter, by requesting two keys- one for high b and the other for G#.
Also a second thumb hole to play a C natural and a plug beneath the bottom G to allow it to play G#
EXTENDED RANGE CHANTER
He discovered that by using the high b key he could overblow and play in the upper octave. Based on this discovery we set about experimentation to develop the possibilities further; this work was partly funded by a development grant from The Lowland and Border Pipers' Society..
DOUBLE CHANTERS
Over the past 30 years I have been making double smallpipe chanters- mostly based on the Talbot finger-hole combinations, but some with double holes all the way. I made one in C for Callum and he has really taken off exploring its possibilities. We have since designed one in A.
TRIPLE CHANTER
This is Callum’s latest invention; it has 27 finger holes and carries a health warning…
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