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Ceol na hÉireann / Irish Music, Volume 1, Issue 3, Page 22

Ceol na hÉireann / Irish Music, Volume 1, Issue 3, Page 22
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Ceol na hÉireann / Irish Music
volume Number
1
issue Content
Stability of hard D is not a simple thing musically. Hard D needs to be easilyproduced with a modest pressure increase and it also needs to be stable againstoverbiowing when it is graced with short duration high notes, e.g. a cran. A flatsecond mode generally makes any note harder to overblow and is undesirableexcept in the case of hard D (and also back D) where this is the exact result wewant to get. If the second mode is definitely not sharp and the first and thirdmodes reasonably tuned, the stability against overbiowing is good.To fine tune these responses in a chanter without altering the bore directly,rushes can be used. Rush is a generic term for any piece of wire, shim, wood orrush put inside a chanter to adjust the intonation of it. Rushes are commonlyused at the bore exit to tune the pitch of the low D. If it was necessary to reducethe bore just above the B hole, a piece of tape or wax could be attached to afine piece of steel wire, eg guitar string, and slid into place. The bottom end ofthe wire can be bent into a U shape in order to let it sit in the bore without fallingout. To reduce the size of a chanter throat, a small piece of rolled up paper orbrass shim can be used. The exact size of this is critical.COMPARISONSHaving outlined the basic acoustics of this D fingering, we can now revisitfigures 5, 6 and 7, the bore deviation plots, and compare them to the conclusionsof this analysis. The three old chanter bores chosen are different types but whenthe deviations are examined and compared with the perturbation predictions andmode tuning requirements, it is obvious that they all achieve various amountsof tuning work in the important bore areas.The process of comparing these bores to an average straight line is a bitsimplistic and masks some of the convex tendency mentioned in the previoussection. A more complex method is needed to show how significant these localbore slope changes are but even with a simple linear plot like this, thesophistication of the old instruments becomes evident.The Harrington chanter, being more nearly conical than some of the others,shows the deviations very clearly against a straight line. It has amounts ofeffective enlargement near the back D and F# holes together with reduction inthe area of the B holes and Eb holes with a flare out at the exit.The Kenna C chanter shows throat area reduction, D area enlargement throughto the F# hole with a levelling off or reduction of curvature at the B hole,37combined with significant bore reduction starting above the Eb hole and a slightflare at the exit.The Coyne C# chanter again shows throat reduction, back D enlargement, moreB reduction than the Kenna, G-F# area increases, below Eb reduction and exitflaring.The Kenna is an early chanter, probably circa 1800. What makes it even moreimpressive is that it has as much finesse as the later chanters. Even at that earlydate the designs were well worked out. This leads us to speculate about whatthe connections were between pipe makers and the makers of other instruments,and whether pipe making was part of a formal trade structure with a system ofapprenticeships? How was the design information transmitted from one makerto another?CONCLUSIONThere is much more involved in finishing a chanter than just filing the holesbigger to tune the notes of the scale. In general, bore modifications can be usedto affect the pitch of notes produced, the stability of them and the ease ofproduction of them. Simply put, when most of the bores lower resonances arewell aligned with the harmonics of a note being produced, good things happen!Its too much by far to elaborate here all the different bore adjustments andcriteria for making them over all the different fingerings. The position, diameterand depth of all tone holes also needs to be taken into account since they are animportant part of bore design. Since there is a lot of interaction between thedifferent adjustments there needs to be a methodical approach to bore tuning.As Ive shown with these few possible adjustments for Hard D on this onechanter, it always is the case that the significant bore deviations in these fine oldinstruments coincide with the places that adjust the bore modes through all thefingerings. When copying them by whatever means, you depart from theoriginal at your peril. I hope I have shown how accurate the copyists workmust be.As the old makers appear to have done, I suggest that we should be payingattention to this level of detail and these techniques both when copying oldchanters and when designing new ones.36Ceol na hEireaunIrish MusicCraig Fischer
issue Number
3
page Number
22
periodical Author
[Various]
issue Publication Date
2001-01-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Ceol na hÉireann / Irish Music, Volume 1, Issue 3

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