Hello Alex and all, You seem to suggest that turning the bag inside out is unlikely.
I have two reasons for disagreeing, firstly because I have done so myself and secondly because I have seen many early bags constructed in this way. You will find that this was the usual method if you look at the available iconography or examine old examples. There has to be a good reason why this was adopted for many different kinds of pipes in different centuries and different countries. The method involves more effort, because of sewing through thicker seam containing the extra folded strip of leather as well as the Houdini-like contortions to pull the whole thing through the drone stock hole. Why would anyone do so if there is not a very significant advantage? Elegance and comfort is the probable answer. You may well be correct in your predictions about seasoning. Perhaps this is all about a balance of advantages. Francis On 27 Jan 2010, at 04:40, [email protected] wrote: > Allow me to offer two possible/likely explanations for leaving the seam > facing outward: > 1) To sew the whole bag and then turn it inside out sounds like a > (Warning: Americanism Alert!) tin-plated bitch. I don't see either > the chanter stock hole nor the drone stock hole being big enough to do > this readily, if at all. > 2) The bag seasoning is more likely to flow into the seam if the seam > is left on the outside. Think of what the two versions look like from > the inside: An outside-seam bag has a groove into which the goo will > flow. If you were to invert the bag, then the seam would stick up from > the inside surface of the bag, making it much harder to get the goo > into the actual junction. In other words, I'd think an outside-seam > bag would take seasoning better, and be a bit less leaky. > One Man's Opinion--Your Mileage May Vary > Alec MacLean > > In a message dated 1/26/2010 2:16:51 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > Hello Richard and Barry, > I agree entirely with the comments here. Comfort and the avoidance > of stress are essential for the effective use of any instrument, and > consequently for musicality. > One aspect of this puzzles me. I have studied a large number of > paintings and engravings showing pipes bags of the past. I have also > examined many examples in museums. Whether they are from Breughel, > Praetorius or any other picture showing a bag without a fabric > cover, they are invariably inverted bags, i.e. with the seam inside > the bag which has been turned inside out after sewing. An extra > folded strip of leather is sewn between the cheeks of the bag but > this does not project.Musettes are always constructed in this > fashion and so are early bags from the time of the Reids and Dunn. > In contrast modern bags have the sewn seam projecting as a narrow > edge. This is not necessarily more uncomfortable than an internal > seam but it has infinitely more potential to be so if the bag is an > awkward shape or held in an inconvenient position. > I wonder when and why this older and better method was discontinued. > Examples here: > Praetorius: > http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Syntagma07.png > Duerer (click to enlarge - 150%?: > http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/d/durer/2/13/4/076.html > And of course, here! : > http://www.richard-york.co.uk/past/bagpipicsmod.html > Francis > Francis > On 26 Jan 2010, at 21:27, Barry Say wrote: >> Hi Richard, >> >> Excuse me while I mount my hobby-horse. >> >> The size of the bag relative to the body shape of the player can > have a crucial effect on the perceived difficulty of playing the > pipes. I observed the posture of many players in piping meetings and > I came to the conclusion that those who had the bag tucked well up > into their armpit leaving the forearm detached seemed to have the > greatest freedom in playing the pipes, so I resolved to adopt this > position. >> >> When playing, my bag rests in the crook of my elbow and 2/3 to 3/4 > of my forearm is not in contact with the bag. The problem with > adopting this stance is having the confidence that the bag will stay > where it is put. It took me several years to get my pipes and my > stance comfortable, but now I find that I can play almost any > non-leaking pipes with relative ease. >> >> For a long time, the corner of my bellows was rubbing on my right > wrist and causing an abrasion. Now there is 3 inch separation > between the wrist and the corner. I dont remeber how I got rid of > that problem. >> >> I am currently considering taking an inch off the neck of my bag > to bring the chanter to a more comfortable position. >> >> I experimented with playing with the bag more in front of the > body, but I found that this required active pressure from the arm to > squeeze the bag, whereas with a standard bag I feel as though it is > the weight of my arm which is compressing the bag. >> >> Does this help? >> >> Barry >> >> >> Richard York wrote: >>> I'd welcome comments/advice on nsp bag shape, please. >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > -- >
