Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

4

8 4 22 20120927 22 Finally with regards the use of the pipes by other contemporary Irish composers, mention must be given to the work of Ronan Guilfoyle (b. 1958). Guilfoyle is one of the leading jazz musicians in Ireland. He has also written many works for contemporary classical performers, so some consideration must be given to the works on his 2003 album Exit such as ‘Foun- dation Garment’ (2003) which are scored for uilleann pipes, saxophone, guitar, bass guitar and percussion. Martin Nolan’s role as the piper in this project varies from straight tune playing to abstract improvisation. This is music which defies easy categorisation, but the composer’s own description of the music as ‘contemporary jazz blended with Irish traditional music’ 3 would seem to confirm my opinion that these pieces are more in the genre of contemporary jazz than contemporary clas- sical music. Or maybe it is music which needs a new genre invented for it; ‘Jazzitional’ or ‘Trazz’ perhaps! This completes my survey of concert music featuring the uilleann pipes. There are many works which were not discussed for logistical reasons. The final part of this series, which ap- pears in the next issue, contains an up to date list of all the concert works featuring the uil- leann pipes that I have found in my research. 1 Davey asks for D and C chanters in The Brendan Voy- age and D, C and B-flat chanters in The Pilgrim. 2 http://www.somasa.qub.ac.uk/~prebelo/index/ 3 Ronan Guilfoyle's Official Web site. http://www.ronan- guilfoyle.com/ (accessed June 15, 2010). ~ Technical ~ UILLEANN PIPE MAINTENANCE Ted Anderson I N MY TRAVELS to various piping events, I have had the opportunity to examine a number of sets of uilleann pipes, both an- tique and modern. One of the most noteworthy things I have seen is the large array of materi- als used for wrapping tenons, ferrules and mounts on pipes. A lot of modern substances have been used for this purpose, some which are marginal and others not adequate for the purpose. It is my opinion that PTFE (plumbers’/Teflon) tape has no place in a set of pipes. A number of GHB (great highland bagpipe) players seem to love this stuff, but it doesn’t work very well there either. Most mak- ers of GHB and uilleann pipes seem to agree with me. Dental floss, nylon string, sewing thread and others are often pressed into service. Let’s examine the “whats and whys” of the tra- ditional materials used. Most antique sets and a number of modern ones have used ‘shoe thread’ to wrap these joints. Shoe thread is a single-spun linen thread, used in hand-sewing boots, shoes and harnesses by high-end custom makers, but it has been difficult to find in recent years. A century ago, single-spun cannabis fiber was often used. This is the true hemp. The older pipes were wrapped in thread which was bleached white. The yellow thread sold by GHB suppliers is referred to as “hemp”, but is, in fact, linen thread. I was told it was dyed yellow, so that inspectors of British military piper’s instru- ments could see that the outlawed cannabis fiber was not being used. About eighty years ago, all cannabis products were made illegal, in order to

8

22

[Periodical]

2012-09-21T00:00:00

anonymous,guest,friend,member