'susceptible smallest environmental Change, whether atmospheric....' Going from one room to another at Halsway was enough to unfettle mine very seriously. Going out in the drizzle with them cured it for a while. Happily, so did bringing them home.
The warm welcoming atmosphere there has its drawbacks! John -----Original Message----- From: nsp-request+j.gibbons=ic.ac...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:nsp-request+j.gibbons=ic.ac...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf Of Francis Wood Sent: 11 March 2009 13:14 To: rosspi...@aol.com Cc: Dartmouth nsp list N.P.S. site Subject: [NSP] Re: Chanter hole spacings On 11 Mar 2009, at 12:25, rosspi...@aol.com wrote: > Just to mention that Mike Nelson used my hole spacings on his > chanters which he graciously acknowledged on a diagram of chanter > hole spacings he produced in the early days. Well, Colin, it was gracious of you to share the design in the first place. You have always been most generous in sharing information and this is much appreciated. Perhaps not everyone is aware that Mike Nelson made Kathryn Tickell's pipes. Recordings of that instrument provide very good evidence of the success of that set of hole positions. The Mike's drawings first appeared in 1984 in a book long out of print, the contents of which are visible in incomplete form online. Most of the important stuff is there, including details of the chanter, at: http://www.machineconcepts.co.uk/smallpipes/pipe1.htm Of course putting the holes of the right size in the right place is only the beginning of the tuning process. All woodwind instruments have some degree of tuning latitude which an experienced player will correct by adjusting the embouchure. That option is not available where there is a captive reed, as with any bagpipe. Experienced players may find that tuning is an ongoing process, involving small occasional adjustments. This is not to imply any deficiency or carelessness on the part of the maker, but merely to state that these delicate reeds are very susceptible to the smallest environmental change whether atmospheric or dimensional. Reminds me of the story of an instrument that was once advertised: "Viola for sale - recently tuned." If only life were that simple! Francis To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
