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Subject: that flat high A Author: Scot Kortegaard [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 21:22:39 05/18/03 Sun Pipers are notorious for playing a flat high A. I'm guilty myself sometimes. Some days I prefer a more flat high A than others. I suspect I've never set my chanter up to play a true high A, in that I've never played one that's quite tonally true. I would probably feel it's overly sharp. Is it just that I've trained my ear to a flat high A, or is it in fact in tune? I also like a bit of craw, that also lends itself to a flat high A. I've also heard players play what I consider to be too flat of a high A. It's not easy to play that flat high A, and blow it for tone consistantly, in that you're always playing another note right before or after, and too often that note ends up sharp. I don't use a tuner, as I think I get better sound without one. I'm wondering what peoples thoughts are about this. Looking forward to some meaningful dialogue. I've all but abandoned RMMB, as most here have. There's a move afoot to have the "notorious Troll" booted, but I won't hold my breath. Kind Regards, Scot Kortegaard, P/M Kamloops B.C. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: John Mitchell [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 03:07:23 05/19/03 Mon I'll admit I sometimes have a hard time hearing that perfect H-A, but it's not a real note and more of a blend. That's why it's easier to flatten this undefined note to please the ear! Listening to a video tape of scottish instructors playing at a recital at a summer school, I couldn't believe how flat those Hi-A's were. Is this a common thing? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Scot Kortegaard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 12:03:42 05/19/03 Mon *SNIP* >Listening to a video tape of scottish instructors >playing at a recital at a summer school, I couldn't >believe how flat those Hi-A's were. > >Is this a common thing? As a young lad, I know we used to play with much more of a craw than we do nowadays. Hide bags, cane reeds, home made seasoning, leather flapper valves, and slopping all over those chanter reeds.... no dry bags, no moisture control, no water traps etc etc. The goal now is to have that clear ringing h-a, with power. Your comment John, that h-a is a "blend" intrigues me. I gather you mean it's a blend of two other notes, with a reference to the odd scale that the pipes are in. Is that what you mean, and if so, a blend of which notes? It's easy to tune one's h-a to low-a, but when I do, it sounds sharp on the whole!!!! And my ear won't let me leave it there. EVEN THEN!!!! It still sounds flat against my drones. It's an interesting problem! I'd be curious to know what a judge might think if I tuned my h-a perfectly with a tuner, and competed that way. Worse yet, I could tune my whole band that way!!!!! Cheers, Scot Kortegaard P.S. I'm outa here, gotta go play a band engagement, then go run a practice for Scotland. The sun's shinin', my pipes are ready, I've had a good sleep, and life is good!!!! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Brian MacColl [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 13:28:54 05/19/03 Mon The one thing that always brings me down is hearing lower grade pipers UNDERBLOWING their HiA to get what they think is that scratchy ring we all try to perfect. All they wind up doing is falling way short of the mark into a horrible crackly HiA and steady blowing is out the window. Just a tip for the lower grade pipers, and this is not a dig by any means. If you want your HiA to have that scratchy balanced ring, you have to play hide and you have blow steady. REAL STEADY. Waver either way, that ring is gone! Brian >*SNIP* >>Listening to a video tape of scottish instructors >>playing at a recital at a summer school, I couldn't >>believe how flat those Hi-A's were. >> >>Is this a common thing? > >As a young lad, I know we used to play with much more >of a craw than we do nowadays. Hide bags, cane reeds, >home made seasoning, leather flapper valves, and >slopping all over those chanter reeds.... no dry bags, >no moisture control, no water traps etc etc. The goal >now is to have that clear ringing h-a, with power. > >Your comment John, that h-a is a "blend" intrigues me. >I gather you mean it's a blend of two other notes, >with a reference to the odd scale that the pipes are >in. Is that what you mean, and if so, a blend of which >notes? > >It's easy to tune one's h-a to low-a, but when I do, >it sounds sharp on the whole!!!! And my ear won't let >me leave it there. EVEN THEN!!!! It still sounds flat >against my drones. > >It's an interesting problem! I'd be curious to know >what a judge might think if I tuned my h-a perfectly >with a tuner, and competed that way. Worse yet, I >could tune my whole band that way!!!!! > >Cheers, >Scot Kortegaard > >P.S. I'm outa here, gotta go play a band engagement, >then go run a practice for Scotland. The sun's >shinin', my pipes are ready, I've had a good sleep, >and life is good!!!! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Scot Kortegaard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 19:52:49 05/21/03 Wed If >you want your HiA to have that scratchy balanced ring, >you have to play hide and you have blow steady. REAL >STEADY. Waver either way, that ring is gone! > >Brian *SNIP* Hello Brian..... Good point about the steady blowing. I'm curious though as to what you mean by needing a hide bag to blow that ringing HI-A. I play a Gannaway, and I get it. A good friend of mine plays a Ross, and he definitely gets the ring. So.....whatcha mean???? Cheers, Scot. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Brian MacColl [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 20:17:11 05/21/03 Wed I have only found that hide players are able to get that "ring" to the high A because more moisture is able to get to the chanter reed. More so, players of sheepskin almost have this "ring" built in! :) At least, this is what I have found in my travels. Does your friend with the Ross have the chanter hose attached? Brian > If >>you want your HiA to have that scratchy balanced ring, >>you have to play hide and you have blow steady. REAL >>STEADY. Waver either way, that ring is gone! >> >>Brian >*SNIP* > >Hello Brian..... > Good point about the steady blowing. > > I'm curious though as to what you mean by needing a >hide bag to blow that ringing HI-A. I play a Gannaway, >and I get it. A good friend of mine plays a Ross, and >he definitely gets the ring. > > So.....whatcha mean???? > >Cheers, > Scot. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Scot Kortegaard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 12:52:04 05/23/03 Fri *SNIP* Does >your friend with the Ross have the chanter hose >attached? > >Brian *SNIP* Hi Brian, I'm not sure ....... but I do remember him setting it up at first, and I do know that for a while he had the hose attached, with the chamber for the chanter only about half full of kitty litter. I'm not sure how he's playing it these days. He played the open class at the Vancouver indoor contest, and the sound of his pipe the week before he left was just amazing. Cheers, Scot. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Brian MacColl [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 20:53:48 05/23/03 Fri All right Scot, knock off the funny business! You never mentioned he was an Open piper! LOL They can ring the HiA like a dinner bell with anything. It all comes down to steady blowing, in my opinion. There is such a small sliver of the HiA that will bring out that ring. An open piper will find it and keep it, an amateur will find it, lose it, find it again, lose it...most times. But to me there is no shortcut, STEADY BLOWING. And in my experience, having played both hide and the Ross, I find that using more of a wet setup like hide allowed me to settle into that "ring zone" more reliably. Then again, it also depends on the chanter reeds. Brian >*SNIP* > Does >>your friend with the Ross have the chanter hose >>attached? >> >>Brian >*SNIP* > >Hi Brian, > I'm not sure ....... but I do remember him setting >it up at first, and I do know that for a while he had >the hose attached, with the chamber for the chanter >only about half full of kitty litter. I'm not sure how >he's playing it these days. He played the open class >at the Vancouver indoor contest, and the sound of his >pipe the week before he left was just amazing. > >Cheers, >Scot. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: John Mitchell [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 18:22:39 05/19/03 Mon I ain't too technical! All I know is, when I play amazing grace and it don't sound right when I hit that Hi-A strike thing, then it Ain't right! ;-) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Scot Kortegaard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 19:57:55 05/21/03 Wed >I ain't too technical! All I know is, when I play >amazing grace and it don't sound right when I hit that >Hi-A strike thing, then it Ain't right! >;-) YOU play Amazing Grace???????!!!!!!!!! Gawd, I wonder what that sounds like at 120 BPM ;-) Cheers, Scot. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: John Mitchell [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 14:28:10 05/22/03 Thu >YOU play Amazing Grace???????!!!!!!!!! Gawd, I wonder >what that sounds like at 120 BPM ;-) To this day, I don't think I've seen the music! ;-) Nothing worse than having to do the solo bit for the band and the pipes are not in tune or the hi-A D or F are out! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Scot Kortegaard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 16:07:52 05/23/03 Fri I've seen the music, never paid it much attention though!!! :) >Nothing worse than having to do the solo bit for the >band and the pipes are not in tune or the hi-A D or F >are out! Oh man, you hit a nerve!!!! Been there, done that! What's the worst, is you don't ever get a chance to tweek your drones before you play, solo!!! Last time I did it, I decided that I'm just going to stand there, and tweek my drones before I do the solo bit........ next time. And mannnnnnn, I get tired of playing it. Once, I did the solo bit, only I played "my version" rather than the bands!!! Hehe, you should have seen the hairy eyeballs I got accross the circle. "What the heck is HE playing????" Pretty good humour. Cheers, Scot. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: that flat high A Author: Kevin Griffin [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 12:25:32 05/24/03 Sat My ear was trained long before I started piping. I've never developed a liking for the flat high A - especially when a solo piper is playing a slow tune with a flat high A. Yet, when there are two or more pipers playing together, it seems to me that when they're tuned to a flat high A, the beat frequency(ies) between the high A's are masked. Has anyone else noticed this? I suspect that this is the reason for flattening the high A. On a related note, my War-Mac chanter with a Warnock reed sounds a flat high A with all other notes in tune (to my ear). I wonder if this is by design. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]