Regarding the question of pitch, it is all a matter of whether one is playing on one's own or playing with others. If playing solo, it doesn't really matter what the pitch is. The problem comes when trying to play with others. Then, it's just a nuisance that the pipes aren't in true F. Personally, I think that pipe makers should grasp the nettle and start to make pipes consistently in F, then they could be a true transposing instrument.
Peter -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
