I've owned chanters with the traditional C-B and Colin's A-B-C
arrangement, and I prefer the latter for the B and C keys, finding it
more intuitive. The Colin Ross chanter also has a C# key next to the D.
With both arrangements, the keys in question are played with the right
thumb. I wonder if it would be more convenient (though perhaps not for
the pipe maker) to have the C key next to the E key and operated by the
little finger on the left hand. The key would be rather long, I'd
think, but it would provide for an alternating finger-thumb pattern of
B-C-D-E-F# for those rapid arpeggios.
Cheers,
Mark
On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 6:43 AM, Philip Gruar
<[1][email protected]> wrote:
May I put out a request for opinions from the NSP community?
Apologies for raising a subject which has been discussed several
times before - though maybe not in precisely the same terms, and I
like to keep abreast of the latest thinking among better players
than me.
Traditionally, the low B and C on an extended chanter have been
arranged with the B on the right and the C on the left, but Colin
has pioneered various other arrangements - especially three-key
groupings with the order going A,B,C left to right. I think there
seems to be a growing opinion that even with just the two low keys,
B and C, it is also more convenient to have them with B on the left
& C on the right. Having myself recently tried a chanter by Colin
with the low keys in that order, I must say it is much more
intuitive, but then I've never regularly played one myself with
either arrangement - only made them for other people (always the
traditional way so far).
"Scale order" left to right obviously makes sense when there's also
a low C# paired with the D in the right side slot - at least when
playing scale passages e.g. in the accompaniment to duet slow airs,
though in rapid arpeggio playing it may be better the traditional
way.
I have just given a customer the choice - he is a very good player,
and has been professional on other wind instruments, but he is
outside the NSP mainstream and has only ever played a 7-key chanter.
I explained the options, and suggested the B-on-the-left
arrangement, which after consideration he's gone for - but as I
said, without the experience. What do people think?
Philip
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