David Daye's Bagpipe Page

2011 September 24 -- Youtube Instructional & Technical Videos
2010 November 23 -- New Highland Bass Drone Project Ready

http://www.dayebagpipe.org/

My old email at osu.edu is closed. To email me click here or go to my daye1.com web site.

I've taken the new bass design as far as I can. I won't say that this beats the very best historic instruments, but it's definitely a step up from several commonly available makes I've owned. It has plenty of bass power, less noise and an appealing harmonic voice. The bore is more complex than historic Highland bores which I feel gives a maker more to work with in developing tone.

Click here for the New Highland Bass Drone Page.

Since I won't be making Highland pipes for sale, I'll be posting the design data and a very easy home-build brass tube, plumbing pipe and tape construction method here during the week ahead. I'm sure the large Highland player, maker and experimental community can get even more out of these ideas if there's more to be had.

Here's a sound sample of a prototype made outdoors at about 17 meters away, slowly moving and turning. It's early 80's concert B-Flat pitch, with Naill tenors and a War-Mac chanter. The design will scale to any pitch from folk tuning at 440 to the current contest 480's or whatever. A somewhat clearer sounding, large slow-loading version of the file in the less compressed .WAV format is here.

There's no processing of the sound except to reverse the published high frequency response boost of the microphones, and converting to the MP3 or .WAV formats.

2009 April 02 Resurrection

Over the coming days and weeks I will be repairing links and updating these pages after 11 years' neglect. At the time Ohio State University took the site offline, it was still ranking around 24 in Google among 2/3 million bagpipe sites of all categories combined, 9-10 years after my last edits. It'll never again return to a high ranking, but I get quite a few requests for it regularly so I'm restoring it to a site under my control and will keep it available for some time to come. Thank you all for your continued interest!

Click Here for David Daye's uilleann pipe making and performance site at daye1.com.

Newest Revision November 2010 marked with ***
Under the Uilleann Pipes Home Building Page

Copyright 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2009 David C. Daye

Feel free to copy any and all portions for individual desktop use and/or your individual study of piping. You may not republish all or portions of this collection in any form, or distribute it in any form, without permission. You must obtain permission for each item you wish to use even if I have already permitted any use in the past. You may establish electronic pointers or links to this page.

For info, problem reports, etc. email CLICK HERE 

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Bagpipes for Non-Pipers
• Introduction to Penny-Chanter for Non-Pipers. The world's first home-buildable Irish uilleann pipe chanter.
• NEW 2011 Youtube Instructional and Technical Videos.
• Photo Gallery
• The Scottish Highland Bagpipes and the Irish Uilleann Pipes
• Miscellaneous Photos
• Sound files of David playing various pipes
• Diagnostic sound samples, Highland & uilleann pipes
• MIDI tunes and exercises for uilleann pipes by Robert Thorpe
• Modified Highland pipes A-440
• Standard Highland pipes B-Flat
• Studio samples of uilleann pipe chanters
• Uilleann pipe & Irish miscellany
• SETI sound files
• Uilleann Pipe Reedmaking Book -- Light text and many closeup photos.
• Uilleann Pipe Home-Building Page -- Different new ways to make your own pipes. ***
• Assorted Reed & pipe modifications
• Common or Plausible Ideas
• Ravings from the Lunatic Fringe
• Instructional Help for Highland & Uilleann Pipes
• Miscellaneous Intriguing Ideas
• Stories -- Tall Tales from Piping's Frontier
• Links to other Bagpipe- and Celtic-related services

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Youtube Video Collection

Introductory Playing Videos for Brand New Uilleann Pipers

• Blowing the Uilleann Pipe -- A First Lesson
• Octave Jumping on the Uilleann Pipe -- First Exercises
• Testing the Uilleann Pipe By New Players

Maintenance and Technical Instructional Videos for Uilleann and Other Bagpipes

• Make a Pressure-Stable Artificial Drone Reed Using the Double-Tongue-Bend Method
• Adjusting Artificial Drone Reeds
• Make Bees' Wax Softer for All Weather
• Make a Stabilized Uilleann Chanter Reed Using Humidity Cycling. Special steps, for those who can already make reeds.

Photo Gallery

"Yep, they're me!"

The Scottish Highland Bagpipes and the Irish Uilleann Pipes. Photos copyright 1992 Beth Ann Daye

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Miscellaneous Photos

• Burns Supper Humour: -- 49 Kb, Presbyterian Night in Little Italy
• Uilleann Pipe Girl -- 43 Kb, girl unnamed, from tourist brochure.
• Chandelier -- 83 Kb, how you really know you're in a piper's house.

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Sound files of David playing Highland and uilleann pipes

All the sound files are in Windows .WAV format, 16-bit mono sound. Several are sampled at 11 KHz, somewhat muffling the top end or treble a bit. 3 are sampled at 22 KHz because I'm trying to illustrate tone. This makes them potentially large (sorry) so I kept the durations rather short (a few bars).

Diagnostic sound samples, Highland & uilleann pipes

MIDI tunes and exercises for uilleann pipes by Robert Thorpe

Modified Highland pipes - key of A-440

• Jig o' Slurs 215 KB -- Live (chanter in background) in pub 3/17/90 with Innisheer band.
• Scotland the Brave 384 KB -- Good studio recording with Jeff McDonald guitar & marching drum.
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Standard Highland pipes - key of B-flat

• Farewell to the Creeks 359 KB -- Good studio recording backing John Sherman's guitar & bouzouki.
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Short studio samples of 2 fine Uilleann pipe chanters

• Silent Night 286 KB -- 1986 Alain Froment chanter, 1st octave with J. David Hawkins guitar.
• Roll on River Big 747 KB -- 1993 Kirk Lynch chanter, 2nd octave played as saxophone with J. David Hawkins guitar.
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Uilleann pipe & Irish miscellaney

• The Banshee 384 KB -- Live in pub 3/17/90 with Innisheer band, wife Bethy drumming.
• Whiskey in the Jar 452 KB -- Played as a saxophone backing local rock band The Bellows.
• Rab's Wedding 87 KB -- Studio recording of home-made D whistle, "Infra-Whistle" cheap to make but "super" sound, with guitarist John Sherman.
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Other sound files: SETI (Sounds of Extra Terrier-estrial Intelligence)

• Cairn Terriers: Murdo & Geordie Doggie Page.
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Assorted Pipe and Reed Modifications

• ALL all types of bagpipes
• GHB Great Highland or Scottish bagpipes
• SP Scottish or analogous bellows-blown smallpipes
• UP Irish uilleann pipes

Common or Plausible Ideas

• ALL Air-tight Pipe Bags 5KB -- Brief notes on substances for sealing Highland and uilleann pipe bags, by Craig Hazelbaker.
• ALL Artificial Drone Reed 59 KB -- Diagram for making artificial drone reeds, metal body, soft plastic tongues, mellow tone.
• Photo of base (drone end) of reed shown in diagram showing inner and outer tubes (12 KB)
• Photo of side view of tongue (25 KB) -- .020" thick styrene tongue. MM ruler shown, 0 is at base of reed
• Photo of face view of tongue (16 KB) -- note outer body end was sealed with 5-minute thick epoxy
• ALL Artificial Drone Reed Alternate (84 KB) -- photo of moisture-resistant, more natural tone. Cane body, plastic tongue
• ALL Artificial Reed Basics 10 KB -- General notes on making double- and single reeds for drones and various single-octave pipes.
• ALL Pipe Bag Building 15 KB -- New text document, showing different shapes and seam constructions, diagrams & photos.
• ALL Chanter Modify 37 KB -- tips for (partly) filling chanter holes, preserving finish.
• All Chanter Reed Dull Tone 25 KB -- One common cause of dull tone, may occur early in manufacture; remedy.
• ALL Desk Lathe 71 KB --Electric drill clamped on desk, with end of work inserted into clamped wood block, for making tapered mandrels etc. Suggested by Benedict Koehler.
• ALL Double Reed Marking 43 KB -- Marking reed blades with data on cane type, dimensions, dates, staple data for future reference.
• ALL Drone Reed Maker 32KB -- Photo of lever device for making cut in drone reed tubes.
• ALL Drone Reed Maker 2 19KB -- Closeup of drone tube cutter.
• ALL Drone Reed Strength 21 KB -- prevent drone reeds from stopping by heat-setting the tongues into position.
• ALL Grading Reed Cane 6 KB -- Simple method to measure and describe cane hardness. Drawings and photos.
• ALL Lap Lathe 99 KB -- Electric drill with work spun against leather patch on leg for making tapered mandrels etc.
• ALL Measuring and Copying Chanters 15 KB -- Text and diagrams for measuring and making castings.
• ALL No-Stop Artificial Drone Reed 4 KB -- Making an artificial reed which does not stop due to humidity or over-playing.
• ALL Welt Leaks 22 KB -- tie chanter stock to bag & prevent leaks.
• GHB Bag Fitting 30 KB -- easy tests, changes to make pipe bag fit better.
• NEW 11/2010 -- GHB Bass Drone -- A new even older bore design, blending features of a 1910 Henderson with an 1850 uilleann pipe bass.***
• GHB Bass Drone Fat Reed 37 KB -- making fatter bass drone reed for some older pipes but maintaining modern pitch.
• GHB Bass Drone Roar 25 KB -- reversible cures to make drone stop roaring, sound rich & strong.
• GHB Practice Chanter Easing 17 KB -- Making practice chanter easier to blow.
• GHB Practice Chanter Problems 30 KB -- Text about practice chanters not working well.
• GHB Things Growing Inside Bagpipes 2 KB -- Fungus, bacteria, and things that go "yuk" in the night.
• UP Bridle Options 19 KB -- different bridle positions per different blade designs.
• UP Bridle Photo 40 KB -- closeup of one type of sliding bridle. Grips both edges & faces, easy to adjust.
• UP Chanter Bottom 11 KB -- a wrap-around bottom ferrule for making bell hole smaller at extreme bottom, for better tuned hard & soft bottom D. Made by Dave Williams.
• UP Chanter Reed Maker 140 KB -- kitchen cutting board with cane-measuring holes, trough & backstop for gouging, width & length measurement marks, slots for forming sheet metal staples. Photo shows markings to translate "float test" waterline mark to sink-percentage.
• UP-SP Drone Move 22 KB -- re-mounting small drones for better microphone pickup position.
• UP Octave Fixes 25 KB -- discussion and diagrams of common causes for difficulty getting into or maintaining the 2nd octave; suggestions for remedies and avoiding problems in future.
• UP Learning for Highland Pipers 10 KB -- Thoughts & experiences about making a big musical change.
• UP Chanter Reed Elevation 30 KB -- Rescuing newly tied reed blades whose lip opening is becoming too small.
• UP Rush Holder 45 KB -- photo of thin tube strapped to drone to hold wire "rushes" used for tuning chanter
• UP Scrape 1 30 KB -- chanter reed scrape diagram and explanation, based on bassoon reedmaking.
• UP Scrape 2 35 KB -- method for creating bassoon-based scrape shown above.
• UP Scrape 3 33 KB -- common variations on the long-style scrape shown above.
• UP Staple 1 37 KB -- non-destructive staple tricks to flatten (parts of) 2nd octave.
• UP Staple 2 35 KB -- flairing brass tube to simulate rolled staple, sharpen 2nd octave.
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Ravings from the Lunatic Fringe

Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here

• ALL Stability in Natural Reeds 5 KB -- Text discussing manufacture and coatings to increase the humidity resistance of reeds.
• GHB A-440 Bagpipe 3 KB -- Notes on setting up bagpipe to play at concert A-440. (See "Stories" for Orkney Wedding experience.)
• GHB Chanter Major Adjust 37 KB -- tips for non-destructive but major chanter flattening.
• GHB Chanter Reed Flat 29 KB -- tips for major flattening of chanter reed.
• GHB Drone Major Flat 29 KB -- tips for major flattening of drone reed.
• GHB Extremely Easy Reed Setup 6 KB -- Text on setting up extremely easy GHB chanter reed.
• GHB Extremely Easy Reed 30 KB -- tips for making chanter reed extremely easy to blow, as for 1st-timers, elderly etc. Text file below.
• GHB Extremely Easy Reed 27KB -- photo showing scraped reed with thin wire bridle just at top of binding.
• GHB TUNE "The Pipe-Major's Nightmare" 62 KB -- Sheet music for 2-part march, by David Daye (See "Stories" below for tale by same name.)
• GHB TUNE "A Useless Deception" 24 KB -- Sheet music for 4-part stomp or hornpipe by David Daye 2000
• GHB Strong Reed, Flat F 15 KB -- Text & diagrams, blowing-in, tuning.
• UP Bass Drone Shorten 75 KB -- a wrap-around endpiece for fitting into sessions & other cramped locations better. In place on drone at left; normal endpiece shown above at right with round resonator, at its normal length.
• UP Chanter Reed Reverse Taper -- 60 KB Blades narrower at top than at middle. Easier hard D, better tuned E's, when trying to use softer cane in recipes meant for harder cane. Tested on wide bore concert D chanter by David Quinn.
• UP Blade Fill 19 KB -- coating blade interiors for tone, octave ease, retard humidity response.
• UP Blade Grain 31 KB -- reducing humidity damage to 2nd octave ability.
• UP Make a "Squinnter" Chanter 15 KB -- very inexpensive, easy-to-make uilleann pipe chanter, using wood planks rather than lathe-turning, by the Australian pipemaker Craig Fischer.
• UP Make a Penny-Chanter 20 KB -- very inexpensive, easy-to-make uilleann pipe chanter, also info on other home-buildable components of uilleann pipes
• UP-SP Plastic Reed 30 KB -- a few ideas for plastic SP or UP-regulator reeds.
• UP-SP Plastic Chanter Reed 10 KB -- A successful first attempt at 2-octave plastic double reed using novel preparation.
• UP Scrape 8 KB -- One method, with diagrams and explanations, for making long-style chanter reed scrape and break-in for easy 2nd octave.
• Top Go back to top of Bagpipe Page

Miscellaneous Intriguing Ideas

• ALL Grow Your Own Reeds 3 KB -- Sources, photos, and tips for buying, growing, harvesting reed cane. New root photo
• ALL Cane Density Measuring Jig 10 KB -- Diagram of jig to read sink-percentage of any length tube or strip after it is dunked & waterline is marked.
• ALL Carrying Case 33 KB -- Photo of electric guitar "gig bag" (soft case) holds full UP or GHB very inexpensive ($15-$50 US) compared to bagpipe cases ($100 or more). (Not for sale here.)
• ALL Pressure Meter 30 KB -- sketch of how to make water-filled tube to measure operating pressure and/or steadiness.
• ALL Celtic Music Chords 2 KB -- Introduction to basic accompaniment.
• GHB Wedding Tips 2 KB -- Notes on playing for weddings.
• ALL Drone Reed Squeal 3 KB -- Causes & cures of drone squealing.
• GHB Pipe Band Recruiting 7 KB -- Ideas for planning a band recruitment & training program
• GHB Pipe Band Leadership Problems 5 KB -- Thoughts on a common sorry state of affairs.
• UP Liam Og O'Flynn's Reed 9 KB -- Discussion by Pat Sky & measurement diagram by David Quinn
• UP Uilleann Pipe Comparison for Scottish Highland Pipers.
• UP Microphones 3 KB -- Mic-ing uilleann pipes, ideas from REC.AUDIO.PRO
• UP Chanter Measurements 10 KB -- David Quinn 1984 "Liam O'Flynn (Leo Rowesome)" pattern of chanter
• UP Chanter Measurementst 10 KB -- C# old flat chanter owned by Kevin Rowsome, possible Harrington
• UP Chanter Measurements 12 KB -- Taylor chanter in Ireland, bore shape diagram showing deliberate irregularities
• UP Chanter True 12 KB -- Taylor chanter, bore shape diagram shown to accurate 1:1 scale. Notice that the bore at this scale appears to be almost completely straight conical
• Make Your Own Whistle 2 KB -- updated: cheap, balanced Irish whistle, great-sounding "Infra Whistle"
• Whistle photo 40 KB -- whistle under construction with steps in telescoped tubing and some holes & tuning tape showing.
• X-Ray Photo Top 146 KB -- Upper bore of David Quinn unnumbered late 1980's chanter.
• X-Ray Photo Bottom 122 KB -- Lower bore of David Quinn unnumbered late 1980's chanter.

Instructional Help for Highland & Uilleann Pipes 

Highland Pipe Self Instruction Page. 25 KB

A separate web page with extensive notes on the pitfalls of self instruction in the demanding traditional Highland bagpipe style. Discusses tools for assessing progress, ideas for practicing and improving technique, links to some of the illustrations listed below. Not a tutor, rather a guide to be used with any of the fine tutors available on the market.

Miscellaneous Diagrams and Instructional Notes

• Bag 17 KB -- 1st attempt at holding and blowing full bagpipes.
• Hold 27 KB -- GHB or UP chart, extra tips on finger & hand posture, for beginners.
• Move 30 KB -- GHB or UP chart, how to move fingers for melody & grace notes, for beginners.
• GHB Birl 2 KB -- Notes on making the tap-&-curl birl.
• Confidence 7 KB -- GHB document, tips for student & teacher on instilling confidence in the student.
• Exercises 2 KB -- GHB text file, some tortuous melody and grace note exercises, all levels of skill.
• Musicians 2 KB -- GHB text file, fingering issues for people with previous music expertise.
• Tuning for Intermediate Pipers -- ALL -- principles and methods for getting and staying in tune longer
• Uilleann Pipe Fingering Chart -- 30 KB graphic showing the common closed scale fingering.
• Uilleann Pipe Reedmaking Video 3 KB -- UP document reviewing a chanter reedmaking video.
• Uilleann Pipe Instructional Video 1 KB -- UP document reviewing a fine instructional video, with e-mail link to source.
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Stories -- Tall Tales from Piping's Frontier

If it didn't happen exactly as I've told it, then it should have!

• AIRPORT.GUN 1 KB
• Bagpipe Lesson Fees .5 KB According to student background (humor)
• The DC Daye Competition Bagpipe Detuner. 3 KB
• An Orkney Wedding 2 KB Performing with the Orchestra
• The Piper's Wife 3 KB
• The Pipe-Major's Nightmare 5 KB (See related sheet music under "Ravings" above.)
• The St. Patrick's Day Piper's Panties. 4 KB

Links to other Bagpipe- and Celtic-related services

• ABC Music Page Tunes written in easy short-hand.
• Arundo Donax Facts from the Double-Reed web site
• Augusta Center, W. VA., home of Irish Week and other folk music workshops.
• Bagpipe Association of Germany Page
• Bagpipe Music Writer Tunes (David Williams' page) tune files for Bagpipe Music Writer software
• GHB Bagpipe Supply Comparison Page
• The Bagpipe Web
• The Bagpipe News Group:
• A "usenet" discussion group for all bagpipes: REC.MUSIC.MAKERS.BAGPIPE
• Bagpipe Teachers List.
• Balmoral School of Highland Piping - Great summer school for serious bagpipe instruction.
• Ceilidh Trail Celtic Music School, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
• Central Ohio Celt Page
• Ceolas Celtic Music Archive & Links
• Chicago Tionol Uilleann Pipe Workshop and Gathering, September 1998
• Chris Langan Uilleann Workshop (Tionol) January 1999
• College of Piping [ GHB Highland bagpipes ] in Glasgow, Scotland
• Comhaltas (USA) traditional Irish music society events & activities.
• Comhaltas (Mayo, Ireland) traditional Irish music society events & activities.
• Daughters of Erin Page
• Dennis Havelena's instrument and pipe building pages
• Edinburgh Festival '96 Home Page.
• Edinburgh Festival '96 Unofficial Home Page.
• EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY COLLECTION OF HISTORIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
• Gaelic Home Page.
• Highland Bagpipe Chanter Reed Making by Gordon Spiers -- Text files etc.
• International Double Reed Society Home Page
• Irish Pipe Band Association Home Page
• Irish Pipers' Club (US Northwest) Home Page
• Making Bagpipes by Casey Burns
• Northumbrian Smallpipes Page
• Building a Northumbrian Smallpipe Page by Mike Nelson
• Na Piobairi Uilleann Home Page The uilleann pipers' club in Dublin, Ireland
• Ohio Scottish Games and School
• Pat D'Arcy's Uilleann Pipe Page
• San Francisco Uilleann Pipers' Page
• Seth Gallagher's Uilleann Pipe Reedmaking Page
• Swedish Bagpipes (what next--the Finns?)
• Uilleann Penny-Chanter Products Page
• Uilleann Pipe Fact List.
• Uilleann Pipe Description by Todd Denman
• The Uilleann Pipe Mailing List Moved to Ireland February 2001:
• A discussion group for uilleann piping, much like the main Bagpipe newsgroup.
• Send e-mail to LISTSERV@listserv.heanet.ie
• No subject line. (Ok to put something there.)
• Message simply: subscribe uilleann Firstname Lastname
• To subscribe now, review these instructions and Click here
• West Coast Uilleann Gathering (Tionol) February 1999
• Willy Clancy Summer School (in Ireland) of Irish Piping and Music
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