The Pipers Review. Iris na bpíobairí. A New Regulator Design. A Blind Piper Speaks Out. Plus: Patrick Sky

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1 The Pipers Review A New Regulator Design A Blind Piper Speaks Out Iris na bpíobairí Interviews with Pipemaker Dave Williams & Piper Mícheál Ó halmhain Sacred Music Rowsome Chanter on E-Bay Summer Schools Plus: Poems Reports Patrick Sky CD Review Piper Health Tips Vol XXII No 2 - Spring 2003

2 The Pipers Review The International Magazine for Uilleann Pipers CONTENTS: 1 Editor s Corner By Wally Charm 2 Regulators: How and Why I Came Up With the Buckle- Key Design By Cillian O Briain 5 Composite Drone Reeds By Malcolm McLaren 7 The Myth-Understanding About Blind Pipering By Liam Flynn 9 Patsy Touhey Slept Here By Wally Charm & Tom Quinn 10 Pipes and the Church By Daniel Sauter 11 Sean Reid Society Journals By Mark Walstrom 12 Sight Unseen: Buying a Rowsome Chanter on E-Bay By Gabriel McKeagney 14 Poems By Richard Falkner 15 Interview with Pipemaker Dave Williams By Tommy Fegan 16 Interview with Piper Mícheál Ó halmhain By Kynch O Kaine 23 Playing in Tune By Patrick Sky 24 Regulator Tuning Pins By Kevin Rietmann 25 Health Tips for Pipers By Dr. Robert Murphy 26 Summer Schools Irish Pipers Club Officers Bruce Singleton President Judy Webster Secretary Tom Quinn Fund Raising Rod Margason Merchandise Manager Not Shown: Web Master - Kyle Beatty Pipers Review Staff Wally Charm Editor Kynch O Kaine Music Engraving David Quinn Editor 36 CD Review - Sean Potts By Todd Denman The Pipers Review is published quarterly in February, May, August and November by the Irish Pipers Club, P. O. Box 31183, Seattle, WA Website: Editor: Walter Charm, 6010 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA Tel: (206) charm@seanet.com. Yearly subscription and membership: US $18.00, Canada $19.00 (US funds by Canadian Money Order) and foreign $22.00 (US funds only). The Irish Pipers Club is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization. Todd Denman CD Reviews Linda Charm Layout/Design

3 EDITOR S CORNER I am sorry to report that a number of members have not been receiving their Pipers Review. The magazine is posted by the first of February, May, August and November. If you do not receive your issue by the first of the following month, please contact me. The contact information is always on the inside page of the cover. I will quickly send you out another issue by 1 st class mail. The United States Post Office will NOT forward the Review since it is sent bulk mail. They throw them away. I have to have your correct address, so please send me your new address when you move it will make my life a lot easier. That being said, my wife and I are currently trying to plan our vacation for this summer. It is possible that it will fall about the time we produce the summer issue. Please be advised that the summer issue may be late. It is nice to see 24 new members listed in the Cuts and Pats column. This was the way it was during the Great Uilleann Pipe Renaissance or maybe it should be called The Riverdance Years. I was getting at least 3 calls a week asking about those strange looking pipes. Is interest in piping again on the rise? I obtained a copy of Thomas Kanmacher s tutor The Uilleann Pipes 2 books and a CD that was reviewed in the autumn issue, and I was very impressed. It has it all. Plenty of exercises (similar to a classical instrument tutor), and an exhausting section on the regulators that tells you much more than you really want to know. I wish I had this tutor when I was starting out. Those who can read music will find it very helpful, and those who don t read music can get a lot from the CD, and one of the books that is all text. Please see the advertisment on page 4 in this issue for ordering information. CORRECTION: In our last issure, in Cuts & Pats we wrote that Micky Zekley had bypass surgery. This was incorrect. Micky was having back problems. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Piping in Israel Dear Wally; I received the winter issue (no.1, 2003) today and enjoyed it very much, getting several good ideas that I had not thought of before. As for the article you requested, while much of Israel is desert, I live on the Mediterranean coast and enjoy a climate akin to San Francisco. When the humidity is too high, I just reach for my tin whistles and practice on them. No story there. The last few years Murphy s Irish Stout has been sponsoring Irish Reels (actually 4 days) with Irish films and a lot of Irish music. Last year John McSherry played with a local Irish band and this year Paddy Kennan and O Sullivan were here. It was great. Thanx, Efraim Eytan, Kibutz Palmahim, Israel Leo Rowsome Recordings Hi Mr. Charm I was going through my parent s material, and found a number of old 78 records of Irish pipers, especially Leo Rowsome. It occurred to me that there may be collectors in the club who have the equipment to play them, or would be interested in them for historic/nostalgic reasons. I have a file with the particulars. So far as I can tell, not much of this material is available on CD - and perhaps not in 33 rpm format either. If you think someone might be interested, please have them contact me at donaldson3@earthlink.net or alternatively at gregd@condorsys.com. If you know of a museum where they might better be donated, I would also welcome your advice on that as well. Thanks Greg Donaldson THE PIPERS REVIEW 1 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

4 PIPEMAKER S CORNER Regulators: How and Why I Came Up With the Buckle-Key Design By Cillian O Briain. First let us consider the regulators not in isolation but as part of a set of pipes. This brings me straight to one of my old hobby-horses: the nomenclature of uilleann pipes. We refer to a bag, bellows and chanter as a practice set yet it is every bit as much an instrument as a flute. We call a set with chanter and drones (in my opinion the optimum set of uilleann pipes) a half set yet its musical range and possibilities exceed those of the Great Highland bagpipe. (No offence to the GHBP!). To make a comparison with pipe-organs, people do not refer to a one-manual organ as a practice organ (1) or to a two-manual as a half organ. The current nomenclature is well established and I don t expect it will change, but I think it s a pity we don t refer to a half set as a set and state if there is anything more than drones, i.e. I have a set with a middle regulator, and refer to a practice set as a bag and chanter. In my opinion, and I know I m in a minority, the regulators are very much optional, and not at all necessary. I find it irksome how so much of the stuff I have read describing uilleann pipes goes on at length about the regulators, but does not mention the bass drone. I would consider the bass drone one of the outstanding achievements of the early makers, probably the lowest pitch resonator of such a small scale known to man. I wouldn t swap my bass drone for all the regulators on God s earth! However, I better move along. As I ve already stated, I consider the chanter and drones to be the optimum set of pipes. The musical interaction between the melody and drone is both beautiful and intriguing. A well made set is comfortable to use and does not inhibit the piper s ability to play. My primary consideration in designing regulators was to preserve the comfort and playability of a half set as much as possible. The thing I have found uncomfortable about most full sets is that the regulator keys stick up a lot, and force the piper to arch his (or her) wrist in a permanently strained position in order to avoid inadvertently sounding the regulators (or in some cases slashing the wrist on menacingly sharp-edged keys!). Small Regulator - Side View Small Regulator - Top View The reason the keys have to stick up is that the touchplate part of the keys has to be above the wooden block which holds on the next key. This made me consider the Taylor-style keywork. I have always admired the Taylors workmanship and time has proven it to be durable. Two heavy gauge posts, dovetailed and riveted, are much stronger than two wooden blocks. I know it can be said that there are wooden flutes still being played today that have been around a lot longer than the Taylor sets and still have their keywork intact. This is true, but the keys on a flute do not have to contain pressurised air. Also, they are operated by the fingertips, not hammered by the heel of the hand. Another advantage of the Taylor system is that the spring can be much wider than that of a block-mounted key and it can be much stronger as there is no risk of the pressure the spring exerts on the pivot pin breaking the posts. This gives us the opportunity to create a lighter, smoother action on the regulator keys. If the point at which the spring bears against the floor is close to the pivot, then the pressure required to depress the key will be less than if the bearing point is further away from the pivot. This means that a strong spring will feel light if the bearing point is close to the pivot. If there is an appreciable difference between the height of the pivot and the floor, then the bearing point of the spring will move along the floor towards the pivot as the key is depressed. Thus the pressure it exerts on the touchplate when it is depressed diminishes, though this can be offset by some degree by the compression of the spring. Seeing these advantages I decided to make a set in the Taylor style, though not a copy. I discovered that making keys from sheet metal is not as easy as you might think. If there is anyone who would be interested in the process it would be the makings of an article in itself, which would require a few pages of explanatory drawings, but I get the impression that sheet metal keys are out of vogue. I got the set finished and working satisfactorily, but there were some things that bothered me. First was the amount of work required in making the keys, though having said that, once you were properly jigged up and your patterns perfected it could become a reasonably straightforward process. Another thing that bugged me was just getting the small and middle regulator in and out of the stock. Because they are rectangular rather than round blocks they cannot be rotated while being pulled out or pushed in. You would be amazed how difficult it is to THE PIPERS REVIEW 2 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

5 pull them out of the stock. (2) My right arm was aching for a week after I had finished voicing and tuning them. I decided that having round rather than rectangular small and middle regulators would be a big improvement in the design, but how do you mount broad, flat keys on them? I had seen and done a little work on a set of pipes (3) that Leo Rowsome had made for Felix Doran which was unusual because the regulator keys were mounted in pieces of U-channel instead of wooden blocks and the U-channels were then soldered onto a tube which went over the stick. This has the advantage that the entire mechanism is made of metal which means that there is no need to have any slop in the key-action, something that is necessary with wooden blocks in order that they don t bind. One problem with this particular set was that the tone-holes were drilled through the tubing and wood, and the key-pad sealed on the outside of the tube. With time the timbers had shrunk and became out of the round so air could travel between the tone holes along the gaps between the timber and the tube. The style of keywork on this set meant that the touchplates had to be above the U- channel blocks so it didn t have the closer to the deck advantage of the Taylor keys. In fact, due to the deep tone-holes, the keywork was probably higher than on a conventional Rowsome set. Reluctantly I decided to try this design and went ahead and ordered the U-channel (rectangular tubing to be exact) then turned my attention to an old design problem with bass regulators. Bass regulator G keys often stick up in front of the D key on the middle regulator making it difficult, if not impossible, to sound the D on its own. The conventional solution is to have the key nearest the reed ( C ) as near the deck as possible and to have the two keys in between ( B and A ) stepping up to the height of the G. The entire bass regulator is then attached with a considerable degree of tilt. In other words, the bass regulator is not parallel with the others, but angled more towards the floor. Bass Regulator Even when a sufficiently low G is obtained by this method it is still harder to hit the D than on a set with no bass regulator because your hand has to arch over the G key. One solution I considered was simply to leave out the G key altogether, but I think this would have met with a lot of consumer resistance. (They would probably have described this as an eleven-twelfths set!) Another solution would be to get rid of the A key, which would allow the G key to lie on the deck. Now I wasn t seriously considering not having an A note on the Bass, but from a purely mechanical approach it was interesting to say, let s put a G key on it as if the A doesn t exist, and then devise an alternative mechanism for the A note. For example, you could have the A tone hole bored on the side and operated by a roller key with the touch plate between the G and B. Such a key would have a different motion to the rest. Nonetheless I believe it could work quite well, especially if the keywork were pillar mounted (the roller being in the gap between the bass and middle regulators). I also considered boring the tone-hole on the underside of the regulator and having a key pivoted on the underside down at the G tone-hole. At the other end it would have two posts coming up either side of the regulator between the G and B touchplates. These posts would be connected by a bracket that would serve as the A touch-plate (rather like a giant version of a Taylor chanter s F natural key). This would have the advantage of preserving the conventional touchplate motion. The disadvantage is that the key would be conflicting with the trumpet of the bass drone which usually rests against the underside of the bass regulator. I could think of two solutions to the problem: a Taylor style bass drone with the three bores in one stick, or put the bass drone at the back of the stock, Harrington style. This led me to the idea of a key that is for the most part two see-saws either side of the G key. If I were to keep the tone hole in its conventional position, but keep its depth to a minimum, then another bridge between the see-saws like that which creates the touch plate could hold the pad. The trick is to have the A key s pivot small and low enough not to interfere with the G key. Having enough space for the A pad to operate under the G key isn t a problem. That was the eureka moment. Why not have all the keys constructed as two parallel see-saws? If you don t have the lever part of the keys operating between the tone holes then the touch plate part of the key can be much closer to the deck and still have plenty of room to operate. From that point on it was straightforward design work. As I had already decided to try Rowsome s tube over the stick idea, it was a case of replacing his channel blocks with long tubes (20 mm on the bass A key, 14 mm on the rest), which spanned the two see-saws to create the pivots. An unforeseen advantage of these keys is that when one of these keys is depressed its touchplate bears down on the next pad plate, locking it down. For example, if you are playing F# on the middle regulator, the G key cannot open until the F# key begins to close. THE PIPERS REVIEW 3 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

6 There is loads of space for the springs so I can use broad, plectrum-shaped phosphor bronze springs, which flex evenly, giving nice action. 2. I would admit that the lack of any visible timber apart from the bass regulator gives the instrument a somewhat homogenous appearance compared to the warm hues of brass keys in boxwood blocks or the stark contrast of ebony and stainless steel or nickel silver. 3. It does make for a heavier set, but perhaps not as heavy as you would expect. I hope the included illustrations will help clarify things. If anyone would like some details or some explanatory drawings of any part of this design let Wally know, and I ll do my best to get it in the next issue. It is early days yet, but so far I m very happy with this regulator design and I think it has a lot of advantages over block mounted keywork. Advantages: 1. It is as strong and reliable as the Taylor design. 2. It is easy to pull them out of the stock, and easier than a Taylor. 3. The action is light, positive, consistent and smooth. 4. With a crooked (Taylor style) bass reg, the full set is no more cumbersome than a half set. 5. The amount of wood required is about half that of a block mounted set. 6. The sleeves add rigidity giving them a very solid feel. 7. Because the two lever per key design gives you a slop-free action, there is never a problem with leaks. 8. Because the touchplates sit between the levers of the keys next to them, the overall keyboard is comparatively level. Therefore, it is easy to move from one note to another with the regulator constantly sounding. i.e. you can be holding down B on the small and G on the middle, then move down to A on the small and F# on the middle in a glissando fashion. Disadvantages: Middle Regulator No harm in pointing out some of the disadvantages, though for the most part these relate to the maker rather than the player: 1. There are probably three times the amount of components. Notes: 1. I do know of one practice organ. The funny thing is it has two manuals and pedals. It has only one or two very soft flute stops on the manuals and as far as I remember no independent pedal stop. It was built and fitted for the organist s garage so he could practice away at his fugues without annoying his neighbours. The important thing for this instrument is that it felt the same as the console of a real organ. 2. Shortly after I had made this Taylor-style set I was visited by Daniel Herve of the Paris Pipers Club. Daniel had observed that the regulator sockets on Taylor sets are tapered, so once you manage to shift it half a millimetre it becomes loose. You would get used to it I suppose, but the tapered fit sockets would be more prone to the regulators popping out on the floor. 3. This set was then, and still is, in the possession of Alphie Mulligan. I met Alphie at the Johnnie Doran Weekend in Wicklow and the Felix Doran set was still in good working order. Cillian O Briain is a very busy, innovative, pipemaker from Dingle, Ireland. He has been kind enough to grace these pages in the past, and I want to thank him for finding the time to do this interesting article. Gay McKeon, Mick Coyne and other top pipers play his pipes. THE UILLEANN PIPES THE INSTRUMNET, THE MUSIC AND PLAYING TECHNIQUE First edition of the Enlish version By Thomas Kannmacher To order contact: Thomas Kannmacher Rheinbacher Str. 146 D Ð Grafschaft, Germany Kannmacher@gmx.de THE PIPERS REVIEW 4 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

7 REEDMAKER S CORNER [4] It is then shaped so that its length is approximately 1/4 the length of the slot on the body piece. Composite Drone Reeds By Malcolm McLaren I first came across this style of drone reed in The Northumbrian Bagpipes by Cocks and Bryan, purchased over 20 years ago now, and first published in Details are given on the last page of this book on how to fold up your own metal-bodied reeds, and some N.S.P. drone reeds, which have metal (brass) tongues. These metal bodied reeds gave a more reliable construction method than trying to get the smaller sizes of cane to work effectively. That is not to say that the smaller cane reeds are not any good, but obtaining the right size cane can be difficult. Over the years, I have changed from one design to another, finishing up with brass bodied, styrene tongue reeds, and the following design has proved most effective for me, in both making and the sound produced. [1] Brass tubing is used, firstly cut to length, then sliced (junior hacksaw) lengthways for about 1/2 the length. It is easier to hold a longer length of brass tube in a vice and slice it, cutting off to the required length afterwards. Be careful not to squeeze the tube too tightly in the vice. I use soft-jaws made from ply board or fibre board. [2] Next I force the slit open, and with a piece of flat, mild steel the thickness of the inner diameter of the tube, I tap with a hammer on an anvil, so that the end view is a U shape. [5] It must be a fairly close fit to hold itself in place whilst it is soldered. A good flux, a hot soldering iron, and a good quality solder, will give an airtight join. This is very important in forming the end hollow cavity. [6] I then wash the soldered body in water to neutralise any flux, just in case. The top surface is then dressed on a single cut file, holding the brass body by the fingers and rubbing it over the file. Only the slotted section should be filed flat. Keep checking to see that it is square on the file. The use of a thicker brass end piece allows quite a bit of excess so that a perfectly flat surface is achieved. Sharp edges are removed by a Stanley knife blade, and the whole surface rubbed gently with 600 or 800 wet-and-dry (automotive) abrasive paper, to give a very smooth surface. [7] The success of your reed is dependent on this surface being perfectly flat and smooth. Select a thickness of Styrene sheet for the tongue and cut it to size, the width being the same size as the outer width of the brass slot. Don t forget to scrape off the sharp edges of the Styrene tongue, with either a Stanley knife blade or some wet and dry paper. [3] This body piece should be dressed with a file to give a uniform shape. The end piece is then formed in flat brass sheet (0.5 mm) so that its width is the same as the slot in the body. [8] The length of the tongue goes about to the soldered end of the tube. You can use the Stanley knife blade to cut the tongue shorter if you need to raise the pitch of the reed. Bind the tongue on to the brass body with dental floss. More binding shortens the tongue, and also raises the pitch. THE PIPERS REVIEW 5 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

8 [9] Set the elevation of the tongue by slightly raising the outer end, while holding the middle of the tongue at the same time. This gives a gentle curve to the tongue. BAGPIPE LEATHER FOR SALE Suppliers of top quality Black and Brown Canadian Bagpipe leather for over 30 years When fitting the drone, I use waxed dental floss to give an air-tight seal in the reed seat. Ordinary hemp or cotton with beeswax gives the same result. Blow the drone: if it is too flat, sharpen it by binding more floss along the body, thus shortening the tongue, or cut a little off the outer end of the tongue. If the tone rises when blown harder, shorten the tongue. If the tone falls, lengthen the tongue. (Sometimes you can add blu-tac [or wax] to weight it more.) When the correct balance is achieved by comparing the size of the reeds to the size of the drone bores, a reliable and brightly sounding drone is assured; one which requires practically no maintenance, and works in varying temperatures and humidity. Sometimes if a problem is detected, it is dust or dirt between the blade and the brass body. A thin piece of good quality paper when passed beneath the tongue will remove the problem. The hollow cavity enhances the tone of the reed and gives you something to hold onto if you need to remove or reseat it. Prompt shipment of all orders large or small THE LEATHER WAREHOUSE LIMITED 1969 LESLIE ST., NORTH YORK ONTARIO, CANADA M3B 2M3 Phone Toll Free Fax tlw@baloo.com As a rule of thumb, the bore of the drone reed is similar to the bore of the drone into which it fits. In recent issues of The Pipers Review, detailed plans were given of a set of Taylor drones. I have found the following dimensions for composite brass/ Styrene drone reeds to work satisfactorily: Drone Reed Measurements: Bass: Over all length 75mm; 7/32 OD; Tongue.030 Styrene. (Sometimes extra weight (blu-tac) can be added to the end of the tongue.) Baritone: Over all length 52mm; 3/16 OD; Tongue.030 Styrene. (This thickness can be reduced to.020 for better response in some drones.) Tenor: Over all length 35mm; 5/32 OD; tongue: 020 Styrene. Malcolm McLaren, is a pipemaker living in Brisbane, Australia. He can be contacted at: mrmclaren@bigpond.com New Printing The Cumann na bpíobairí Collection of Pipe-Friendly Tunes 2nd Edition By John B Walsh We have a new supply of this highly acclaimed tunebook containing 516 tunes. $28.00 US - Postage Paid Irish Pipers Club P.O. Box Seattle, WA THE PIPERS REVIEW 6 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

9 ARTICLES OF INTEREST The Myth-Understandings About Blind Pipering By Liam Flynn I think I really became aware of being a blind piper when I was at Willie Week a few years back. I d always assumed I was one of just a fairly big crowd in Milltown, nothing extraordinary, nothing special. Well, I was staying in digs with Portia Howe who had just taken up the pipes and being beginners we were in the same classes. We even had lunch a couple of times. Instantly the word went round the good people of Milltown, Do you see the young wife looking after her poor, blind, husband? Isn t she wonderful? Come the Thursday and Chris, her husband, turned up. A new rumour, Do you see the young trollop is now messing around with another man, and her poor husband can t see them. Then they discovered Chris was her real husband and it turned into, Her leading that poor blind man along all that time, it isn t right. I was delighted to discover that I could never be in the wrong when in Milltown and have had an affection for the place and its people ever since. Amongst hundreds of pipers of every shape size and pitch I clearly stood out. I understood then that legend and being the centre of gossip are in a strange way linked. I was delighted when Wally asked me to try and tease out the realities of being a blind piper from the mythology that surrounded us in the past and still surrounds us in Milltown. I think I now know why Garrett Barry didn t stray far. I don t know if you have ever noticed, but just about every book on the uilleann pipes, or album for that matter, always has a throw-away observation about how the blind piper of such and such was famous. I mean, John Kelly opens his masterly book Grace Notes and Bad Thoughts with the story of how he boked over the blind piper of I m possibly glad to say it was the picture, and not the man in person. I m also relieved that this didn t create a revival of ritual boking over blind pipers in an attempt to stay in touch with tradition. Now there are a number of things about blind pipers that seem to fascinate most pipers who are afflicted with sight. First let s deal with the myths. No, blind pipers are not all super quick at learning tunes. Blind people often listen more carefully and make the most of the data they gather. I don t learn tunes any faster than most people given that a lot of sighted learners cheat by watching the player s fingers. Cillian Vallely, if you are reading this I know you played along with me by just watching my fingers because you admitted it when drunk: a real achievement as you were playing the concertina at the time I recall. Now, I ve never met a lady piper prepared to hold hands while she plays, so I don t know if you can learn a tune through direct touch. But, believe me; we don t learn any faster than the rest of you so don t feel inferior when you are in lessons with us. The man who made my first practice set was always fascinated to know if I could recognise people by their smell. I wondered at first if he thought he had some kind of a personal hygiene issue, but when I probed him on the matter I discovered his curiosity had been aroused by a story of O Carolan. Apparently the good harper had a thing about a certain lady, who didn t feel the same about him. She tried to creep past him one day and he knew her by her smell. You will be relieved to know that there are few people easily recognised by their smell. Now that I ve answered the questions you were too embarrassed to ask let s move on to some practical points about piping in the dark. In no particular logical order: reed making and adjustment, braille music notation, and travelling in Ireland. When I took up the pipes reedmaking was a black art. Makers guarded their secrets very closely and some makers were proud that no one else could make reeds for their chanters. I know, I know it s stupid, but there weren t many pipers and knowledge was power. The log jam broke really when Dave Hegarty wrote and published his reed making book. It s easy to point out the errors in the early printings, but you have to remember that this little book really opened up the general principles of reedmaking to many many people. I lived near a piper in Hereford at the time, a man by the name of Gordon Taylor, and we combined forces to try and make some reeds. Now of course being guys the first priority was to get some technology and gear in. We raided local stores for a couple of gauges, sand paper, an old cylinder head to cut up for copper strips for bridles, and yards of brass tubing from the model shop. Cane was a problem. NPU had a few bits, but we were serious and we wanted it in bigger quantities. We got the address of a grower in Spain and ordered a couple of kilos of the stuff. Yes, OK, you guessed, you are better informed these days. 4.4 pounds of Spanish cane is enough to keep you going for a life time. There were bags and bags of the stuff. Still we didn t worry about wastage. Storage yes, wastage no. I ll just cover the basics of making a reed blind here. If someone wants me to bore at length on the topic they can THE PIPERS REVIEW 7 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

10 me. Given that few blind people are much good with a pencil there is a need for a bit of lateral thinking when measuring stuff. Cut slips wider than you need, and then bring them to size comparing all the time with a set of callipers. Cilliann O Brain used to supply, and he may still, a lovely bronze template you can use to cut round to shape the slip. If not, you may need to make one out of aluminium sheet. Folding staples is undoubtedly good for your soul, but molten solder plays havoc with your braille reading finger, which renders you illiterate. Just acquire a dozen staples of the right design. I m assuming you are always going to reed your own chanter and are not intending to set up in business. Set the eye by crimping on to a prepared mandrill to a tolerance fit. Or if you know the dimensions, just have the staples pre crimped. Keep away from super glue to fix the head on to the staple. I know it s appealing, but detaching a reed from your nose picking finger is a hell of a frustrating process. A tight turn of PTFE tape will hold the slips in place long enough to get the binding on. Now for the interesting bit; there is a little gadget that bassoon reed makers use. It is a tiny slip of metal that you slip between the lips of the reed to judge how thin they are. It s like a double ended arrow head, but either very flat or slightly convex on each side. Slip the flat one in and you can judge the amount of curvature you have in the lip. The metal slip is the bow string and the reed lip the wood of the drawn bow. Replace the flat one with the convex and you can easily feel how thick the lip of the reed is. You can press the lip lightly against the metal without damaging it overly much. I tend to do the final sanding by drawing the reed across sand paper as though drawing with a pencil, but obviously holding the reed fairly flat. This works for me as I find I can keep things fairly constant. I use Cillian O Briain s bridles because I ordered a bagful and they are easy to work with. The wire twist style used by Andreas Rogge looks easy too, but I understand the adjustment of a copper strip more readily and it s easier to do with your teeth when you forget to pack the pliers. Pipemaker Brian Howard tells me though that pliers are cheaper than teeth, and he s a Yorkshire man so I believe him. Reed adjustment in the chanter is easier if you have one of the chanters that has a parallel reed seat. The dangerous part is re inserting the chanter back into the chanter head. To be honest, after I had broken two reeds at thirty pounds each, I just sat down one day and kept repeating the action with a duff reed until I could do it without scraping the inside of the chanter head. I tend to take the chanter head out of the bag and drop it down over the chanter which I grip between my knees. This gives you two hands to work with; one to hold the head, and the other to guide the reed home. I m looking forward to having Andreas fit my regs with his reed adjustment system which will allow me to tune the reeds without taking the regulators out of the stock. It s a little pin attached to the reed that you can wiggle to move the reed in and out. Very elegant and I must have a set. A few years ago I got the Royal National Institute for the Blind, who are the main charity for the blind in England, to put the Dance music of Willie Clancy into braille, and while they were at it they agreed to do the same with O Neil s 1001 Tunes. Braille music is a bit like ABC notation, except for one big difference: some smiler in the past decided to make it interesting by moving a letter along. So to write the note C, you actually use the letter D. I never did find out why. The duration of the note is indicated by adding dots below the letter. So the letter D with a dot in the bottom right hand corner is a D crochet. All I have to master now is playing the pipes one handed while reading with the other. I have to admit it s just simpler to learn by ear and check the book for the bits you can t work out. ABC is on the whole just easier as you can also get it played back on the computer. I just want to touch lightly on travelling in Ireland. Now there are some serious points here and maybe some less so. Ireland doesn t really have any effective anti discrimination laws so when you stride in to a hotel or restaurant with a guide dog you are not actually supported by law if they try and help you to leave by the nearest window. Well, the law of assault maybe, but not laws that offer you some kind of access rights. So if you are a blind piper with a guide dog, be careful to phone ahead: a forcible ejection often offends. Alternatively, get immensely fat and then they will give up trying o carry you to the window. In general, Ireland is dog friendly, and I ve only had one or two minor misunderstandings over access. Public transport can be challenging. The last time I used the trains they didn t have automatic doors. When the train stopped, and you hoped it was at a station, you took a chance and opened the door at random. If the dog lead went tight, the dog was probably dangling from it, and it was the wrong side of the train. You got it right about half of the time though, so it wasn t all negative. An agile dog THE PIPERS REVIEW 8 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

11 is a prerequisite or one with a sense of self preservation. Seriously, dogs trained in the UK can deal with any situation, but if it s not a drill you are familiar with, then for Christ sake ask someone or carry a long cane to probe the drop. There s hardy and there s fool hardy. When Wally asked me to write this article, he mentioned that some of the old books talked about blind musicians travelling around on horse back or being lead by a helper. Now I ve never tried touring Ireland on horse back, but I did get a lift in Suzan Bugovsky s Land Rover with her dog named Grim. This story should be preserved for future generations and apologies for this being off topic. Grim is a Great Dane crossed with a Rotweiller, so he s big and nothing worries him much. He has a particular fondness for sticks. When driving along through country lanes, he amuses himself by reaching out of the car window and snatching branches off the trees as you go past. My poor Golden Retriever Saul, who was travelling with him, looked genuinely astonished by this foible. I m not sure if Grim was trying to impress the foreign blond by this macho demonstration, but it s a habit I m glad Saul didn t acquire. My last memory of Grim was as I left the car park at Shannon Airport in the direction of the check in barrier. He had climbed out of the Land Rover to bid us farewell, and there was a clatter. Click, click. Click, bang! Grim had managed to tread in the butter dish, and stomped around the car park displaying his new fashion accessory. No one was going to laugh at him now were they? So it s a thank you to all those pipers who have shared the road with me. We may not have done it on horse back, but I would hope that it was still a little adventurous. May there always be dogs like Grim in Ireland, and may they be on my side. CELTIC GROOVES IMPORTS Hard-to-find Irish CDs, Videos, Books, etc. Tommy Keane, Paddy Keenan, Brian McNamara, John McSherry, Neil Mulligan, Mick O Brien, Jimmy O Brien-Moran, Sean Og Potts, Kevin Rowsome, & al. Philippe Varlet Website: philvar@erols.com Phone: Patsy Touhey Slept Here By Tom Quinn and Wally Charm When I told Tom Quinn that the West Coast Tionól would be held in San Francisco at St. Monica s church it brought back a flood of memories, for Tom s family has been associated with St. Monica s and the surrounding neighborhood for many years. The muse came to Tom and he put down the following information about his family and Patsy Touhey, one of the most famous Irish pipers to grace the American vaudeville circuit. Tom Quinn & the famous house My great grandfather, John Thomas McGuire came to San Francisco from County Fermanagh at the turn of the last century. A colorfull and eccentric figure in the Irish community, he owned the first saloon in San Francisco with electric lights. After the great earthquake and fire he built a home at th Avenue. The family were original members of St. Monica s Parrish. My grandfather was born in the house and was in the first graduating class at St. Monica s. My mother was born in the house and baptized at St. Monica s It is documented that Patsy Touhey performed in San Francisco during the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition. This was just before WW1 and French fliers were training American pilots in Newport 17 s at Chrissey Field, which was located on the Presidio just north of St. Monica s. Family legend claims that my great grandfather convinced Patsy to come to his house to watch the planes. The hour became late, and Patsy spent the night. He performed at my great grandfather s saloon the next day. Since I was a child every trip I made to San Francisco has taken me by my mother s families old home. This time when I went by the structure was being prepared for demolition. It was on a Sunday morning before things got going at the tionól, when Tom, Benedict Koehler, my wife Linda and I took the short walk to Tom s mother s family home. Like Tom said, it was being prepared for demolition. We talked to some of the neighbors who said the neighborhood did try to save the three row homes. Tom got there just in time. THE PIPERS REVIEW 9 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

12 Oliver Seeler Pipes and the Church By Daniel Sauter Crotty-Doran Branch, C.C.E. Some time ago a topic appeared on the uilleann piper s list server regarding playing Irish bagpipes at a Catholic wedding. The writer asked his parish church to include some Irish piping tunes in the wedding music, and his request was denied by the pastor because the uilleann pipes were not sacred instruments. There was a lot of conjecture and debate about sacred instruments that followed in subsequent replies to the thread. Many posts interpreted this stance as an affront to the uilleann bagpipes, as though they were somehow inferior to other instruments and thus not considered a sacred instrument. The following article is an adaptation of my response I offered to members of the list. I attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary ( ) in Chicago and Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary ( ) in Niles, Illinois. I left my studies in the seminary to pursue a career in electronics and data processing, but I do remember a few details from my Liturgy classes and other research. An explanation of the history of music in the rites of the Catholic Church can provide some insight into the concept of sacred instruments. Instrumental music in the Roman Churches of early medieval Europe, when and if it existed, was typically provided by a portable organ. This device was suspended from the player s neck and rested on the chest. The musician pumped a built-in bellows with his left hand and played a melody on an accordion-like keyboard with the right hand. The organ had a range of three octaves and was the first instrument to become entirely chromatic. Most liturgical music prior to the thirteenth century was written in Gregorian chant, strictly monophonic and uniform in time measure. Subsequently, polyphonic music was introduced and the development of the modern musical staff and musical notation were adopted, allowing more complex melodies and the specification of rhythm. In the middle of the thirteenth century, medieval cities in France saw the construction of great cathedrals, the demesne of medieval bishops. Using newly adopted Gothic architectural techniques great cathedrals were Sacred Instrument? being built from stone and mortar at the rate of up to eight or nine new structures a year. Over time these grand structures were outfitted with stained glass windows and equipped with massive pipe organs. To say they were quite loud is an understatement. During the High Renaissance, developments in musical composition by classical masters such as Bach, Buxtehude, Mozart, and others, provided a rich assortment of musical creativity. Many works were written with liturgical themes, as evidenced by Mozart s Requiem Mass and countless other religious compositions. At one time, full ensembles of musicians virtual orchestras began to entertain the parishioners at Mass with their spectacular concerts. Church-goers marveled in awe at the striking stained glass of the behemoth cathedrals while the walls echoed with performances of musical masterpieces. Bishops became concerned that these distractions (especially the music) were upstaging the celebration of Mass. Eventually a pope and his council of bishops placed strict limits on the number of musicians, the instruments allowed, and even the musical compositions that could be played at Mass and other rites. It was determined that any music played during a liturgical service should serve to enhance the spirituality of the event and not performed for entertainment value. Subsequently, instruments were restricted to pipe organs, (also pianos in later times), chimes, and bells, hence they were dubbed sacred instruments, or in other words sanctioned instruments. No other instruments were allowed. Generally, only one musician performed, but the plethora of stops available on pipe organs still allowed great variety in the music that could be played. Future popes worked with councils of bishops to further define what music was acceptable to be played during services. Rather than specifically ban music by title or composer, they simply published a list of approved sacred music to be used during celebrations of the liturgy. If the composition were not on the approved list, it could not be played. Restrictions on sacred instruments, music, and performers continued through the ages until the early 1960 s with THE PIPERS REVIEW 10 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

13 changes introduced by Vatican II. This event ushered in a new era for the Roman Catholic Church. For the first time in almost two centuries, Mass was no longer required to be celebrated in Latin. Among a myriad of other changes, the choice of music and instruments were now left to the prudent discretion of the local diocese and pastor of each parish. Ever since Vatican II, it is permissible to play any music during a Mass, wedding, funeral, etc., even from the classical composers and on any instruments we desire drums, pipes, guitars, harps, or whatever. It is solely up to the discretion of the diocese and the pastor of the individual parish. So here is the bottom line. If your parish church will not allow the uilleann pipes to be played during a wedding, funeral, or other service, simply find another Catholic church. The Sean Reid Society Journals By Mark Walstrom The Sean Reid Society has published 2 journals in CD-OM format that are now available from NPU in Dublin or online at: The Sean Reid Society is named for Sean Reid ( ), one of the great patrons of the Irish pipes who lived much of his life in Co. Clare. The group formed to research the history, music and pipe-making technology of the older styles of Irish bagpipes. In Volume 1, the first article by McLeod and Garvin is a goldmine of information including the entire working drawing and all measurements for a beautiful c.1780 D pitch Kenna bagpipe. Detailed bore measurements are included as well many photographs of all aspects of the set. In other articles, detailed measurements are given for a Coyne D chanter and a Coyne B chanter. Wooff s paper describing the metal working methods is thorough and important information for historically accurate pipemaking. Fisher offers much chanter-building wisdom as well as old reed designs and measurements. All pipers can benefit from Pat Mitchell s experience and his approach to playing Irish music, jigs in particular, by studying his article. No surprise that Pat is such a popular piping instructor at the Willie Clancy Summer School. His understanding of piping and ability to convey it with written words and music is refreshing. The article is full of tips we can return to again and again. The Sean Reid Society Journal. Volume 1. March Contents : 1.01 An early set of Irish pipes, circa Ken McLeod & Wilbert Garvin Transcriptions of tunes by R.L. O Mealy. Robbie Hannan A list of makers to circa Mark Walstrom Rolling metal ferrules and tubes for Uilleann pipes. Geoff Wooff A brief look at the piping style of Paddy Conneely. Jimmy O Brien-Moran From Hotteterre to the Union pipes. Ken McLeod A piping MP: Joseph Myles McDonnell ( ). Seán Donnelly A Galway gentleman piper. Seán Donnelly A South Australian reed and pipe hoard Craig Fischer Reconstructing chanter reeds / A John Coyne chanter. John Hughes Runaway pipers. Barry O Neill Rhythm & structure in Irish traditional dance music. Part 1. The double jig as played on the Irish pipes. Pat Mitchell Piping contests at the feis, Barry O Neill The M. Dunn set at Morpeth. Anne Moore. In the Second issue more beautifully detailed pipe making plans are presented. Pat Mitchell s article includes sound files for the first time in the journal and we hope in future issues to build on the opportunity this media offers. These present samples are of Willie Clancy s playing. Several new article contributors are included, namely, Peter Laban, Patrick Lyons and David Quinn. The article from Seán Donnelly is arguably the most important paper yet written concerning the union pipe-making masters. Seán has re-written the book as we previously knew it, bringing life to the Kennas and Coynes as we have never seen before, and all in a highly entertaining, informative and scholarly way. The Sean Reid Society Journal, Volume 2, March 2002 Contents: 2.01 Reminiscences of my Father. Sean og Reid 2.02 A Timothy Kenna set in C. Description, measurements and photographs by Ken McLeod THE PIPERS REVIEW 11 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

14 with drawings by Wilbert Garvin Rhythm and Structure in Irish Traditional Dance Music, Part 2. Pat Mitchell Chanter Design and Construction of the Clas sic Makers. Geoff Wooff A Robertson Pastoral set. Description, measurements and photographs by Ken McLeod with Drawings by Wilbert Garvin Geoff Wooff s pipe making: a photographic project. Peter Laban A method of making reamers. John Hughes Museum Collections. Mark Walstrom 2.09 Passionate Industry. David Quinn Lord Rosmore. James O Brien-Moran 2.11 A Harrington set pitched about B. Patrick Lyons and Craig Fischer The National Museum of Ireland Collection. Ken McLeod, Geoff Wooff and James O Brien-Moran 2.13 The Italian Sordellina. Barry O Neill A Century of pipe-making New light on the Kennas and Coynes. Sean Donnelly 2.15 List of pipe-makers to 1940, updated. Mark Walstrom 2.16 Miscellanea i. A Kenna B chanter. Pat Sky. ii. A simple purfling tool. Wilbert Garvin. iii. Some reeds made by R. L. O Mealy. Ken McLeod & Wilbert Garvin. Sight Unseen: Buying a Rowsome Chanter on E-Bay By Gabriel McKeagney My name is Gabriel McKeagney, and I am Co. Fermanagh born; now living in southern California. I am a founding member of the SCPC and have a tremendous interest in uilleann pipes, being a player for over five years. This was my first experience with bidding on E-Bay so the whole thing had me very nervous. I understood the risk of not really knowing what I was ultimately obtaining; yet the risk was outweighed by the possibility of obtaining a great chanter in original condition. I quickly established that the seller was not a piper himself by the manner in which he presented the practice set on E-Bay. If he had known more about them, he would have been more specific on some of the key points of interest to pipers. This was the first promising aspect about the experience, not because I wanted to deceive the seller, but because I realized that this might actually be a genuine article, previously lost to the tradition and now being retrieved. I contacted the seller to inquire more and discovered that he knew little of the history of the instrument. He told me that his father, a GHP player, had purchased the set some 30 years ago, tried to play it and gave up. The set had lain in a box in the basement of his father s home in Canada until his death. Now he was selling his father s small collection of musical instruments, including this Leo Rowsome practice set. This information was the second promising aspect of the sale. If the set had remained untouched for 30 years, it was less likely to have been messed with by amateur pipe and reed makers. The third most promising aspect of the sale was the picture of the reeds I saw on E- Bay. From what I could tell, the reeds looked like genuine Rowsome reeds, which suggested that the set had few owners and little playing time. The seller told me that a GHP player had reeded it and got it working a notion that sent chills up my spine! I was anxious that, if the reeds were genuine Rowsome originals, they remain untouched, especially by a player not familiar with uilleann reeds. I also consulted with two close friends, both whom own and play Leo Rowsome full sets. Both friends concurred independently that this set had great potential, as the chanter had all the key mounts, ivory, popping valve, and C natural key. As I was debating about how much I should bid for the set, in the back of my mind was a story of my friend in Ireland. Some years ago, he bought a box of moulded sticks that were found in a box under someone s bed, and he had them turned back into a full set of Leo Rowsome pipes that play wonderfully today. Risk might mean reward, so I felt confident in placing my bid for this particular practice set. As you can imagine, after I won the practice set, I became very anxious for its arrival. It appeared to be in very origi- THE PIPERS REVIEW 12 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

15 nal condition, even with the original hemp still on all the joints. The bellows are the standard small Rowsome bellows, but are in good condition except for general leakage due to their age and probably the short lifetime of the glue available at the time. The bag is canvas, obviously a practice set bag with boxwood mounts. The boxwood leaks in the burls of the wood, but that too can be restored. The chanter, made of ebony, nickel silver and walrus ivory, was the most important part of the set. It came with two original reeds, both fair at best, and more keepsakes than usable reeds. I had the chanter reeded at the recent San Francisco Tionól by Benedict Koeheler, who was very pleased with the results. He thought the chanter was one of Leo s later ones, dating to the early to mid-50 s. He described the chanter as being very close to concert pitch, fairly unusual for a Rowsome, which are known to be slightly sharp. He described the chanter as having a great, lively tone. Brian McNamara had a chance to play it after Benedict reeded it, and he was impressed with its overall intonation, and noted its strength in the high and low E notes. He commented on its pliability and control, and he thought the second octave was superb. Overall, he agreed, it had that bright Rowsome tone. It goes without saying that I am delighted with my purchase. I have laid the bellows and bag aside for now and am planning to restore them soon to playable condition. I am enjoying playing the chanter with its strong, bright tone, which will undoubtedly thrust me forward in my mad, 21 years pursuit of becoming a piper! In hindsight, the risk was well worth the reward, and I have thousands of hours of pleasurable playing ahead of me. The set is not only a landmark for tonal quality, but also a great piece of Irish history to own. What a tribute to Leo Rowsome, that long after his death, people can still enjoy his tireless efforts and his art. Oh my God, Brian, please don t tell me they were made in Pakistan!?! MINI PROFILE Willie Clancy Uilleann pipes, Flute, Whistle and Song He was born near Miltown Malbay, County Clare. His father, Gilbert, played flute and concertina. His mother, Ellen Killeen, played concertina and sang. Gilbert knew Garret Barry (d.1900), the blind piper from Inagh, and passed on Garret s music to his son. Willie started with whistle at aged 5, and moved on to flute. He was 20 before getting his first bag, bellows and a Leo Rowsome chanter from Felix Doran, later securing a set of 1830 s Kilrush-made Maloney pipes. Willie got a Coyne C set in 1942 and Coyne B set in London in the 1950 s. He took tuition from Leo Rowsome and was also influenced by Seamus Ennis, Bro. Gildas, John Potts and Andy Conroy, and won The Oireachtas in Willie was very influenced by the travelling piper Johnny Doran, who spent long periods in Clare during the 1930 s and 1940 s. Willie was a carpenter and joiner by trade and spent time working in Dublin, and London He returned to Miltown after the death of his father in 1957 and was involved in the setting up of Na Piobairi Uilleann in the late 1960 s. Willie was also very interested in, and studied, sean nos singing and the Irish language. A master reed maker he was just set up to make pipes before his untimely death. A book of tunes, with Willie s settings, was published by Pat Mitchell entitled The Pipering of Willie Clancy. There are three CD s of his music in general release The Minstrel from Clare, and The Pipering of Willie Clancy Volume 1 and Volume 2. He also appears on The Drones and the Chanters and several other compilations. Willie Clancy was known as a kind man of great wit and drollery and had many visitors over the years to his home in Miltown, including Seamus Ennis and Liam O Flynn. The Willie Clancy Summer School has been held in his honour every July since just after his death, and is still the festival for musicians, especially pipers. With over 1000 attending classes in different instruments for the week, and a multiple of that number just attending for sessions and recitals, it is a fitting tribute to Willie Clancy. My thanks to Ciaran Cotter, of the Knotted Chord, a music store in Co. Clare, for permission to reproduce the above profile from his website. Contact Information: The Knotted Chord, Cook s Lane, O Connell Street. Ennis Co. Clare, Ireland Tel/Fax: Int: knottedchord.en nis@eircom.net Website: THE PIPERS REVIEW 13 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

16 Holier than Thou Near Sligo dwells a boring man, Who dreams of boring more; More boring is the stuff of reams, For this boring man of yore. While others seek to plug the holes In their lives threadbare waste, This boring man makes like a mole, And drills fresh holes with haste. A wholesome life our hero lives, Eats, drinks, oftimes does bathe, But mostly through the rain he darts, To the temple of his lathe. Once settled close by its sweet pur, He beavers hard and long, His goal - to make each piece of wood Sing out the chanter s song. A hateful sight to him are blocks Of unhewn, close-grained wood, That are not hollowed through and through, With reamers straight and good. His goal is ever hollowness, In all woods large and small, For big ones he does dream of reams, For small ones there s the awl. There s many punters near and far, Who eke out their sad lives, A shaggin and a drinkin ale, Till their last hour arrives. What care they for hollowness, For boring night and day? It won t be long until, shagged out, They re laid beneath the clay. Blinkered, blind as bats they lurch, To their unholy goals, But deep down, they are ill at ease, For they have bored no holes. They shudder, shake, when they think back, On how they have not bored A single hole or reamed a block, To lay before Our Lord. Yes, when they reach those pearly gates, An unwholesome, reamless crew, They ll find that there is no bolt-hole, For them to wriggle through. They ll gnash their teeth - but it s too late, What use are their bankrolls? Their span in this life barren, bleak, Spent caring nought for holes. While from behind those Holy, holeless, wholly wholesome walls, Will rise the hum of lathe and ream And grunt of sacred awls. The pipes will sound an endless cran, Grace notes, angelic rolls, For which yer boring man bores on - an infinity of holes. By James Donal Faulkner The Débutant Piper I am a useless piper, I play quite out of tune, Sounds like a windscreen wiper, Or the moan of a buffoon. I shave my reeds, I tip my drones I twist and bend the chanter, But all around I hear the groans, And put up with the banter. Can you play that tune Far away? The punters ask and snigger, Just how to play the notes I should, It out I cannot figure. The old ones say that seven years, You must spend aye a learning, And then full seven more you need To spend at mere rehearsing. When fourteen years are up and past, Your first tune you may play, O bother, blow it, damn and blast, How I long for that day. When every note rings smooth and clear, Ear-plugs no more are seen, In great profusion in the hands, Of whom my pipes have seen. But woe is me, alack and damn it, I m only five years playing, I ve nine to go, and they go so slow, Do you know what I m saying? If you are now but starting out Along this rocky track, My sympathies go out to you, As I see you squeeze your sack. And if you are a full-blown piper, Please spare a thought for me, Because for sure you know how hyper, To learn the pipes can be. By James Donal Faulkner A short biography from James Faulkner: I am an Irish citizen who was raised in the UK, where I was educated by the Irish Christian Brothers (which no doubt accounts for my eccentricity!) I have dual British and Irish citizenship. I am a mediocre piper, but a competent trad guitarist and singer. I have played and sung traditional (and other popular) music ever since I can remember. Last year I was prevailed upon to record some of the songs I have learned in a lifetime s wandering the world and a CD should be coming out soon (approximately July 1st) from BedlamHouse in Atlanta, Georgia entitled I Am Tired of This Exile. (Contact bill@bedlamhouse.com for details of exact date.) Although the pipes are only heard in the background, the CD contains some little-known songs in Gaelic, and some in French that I picked up in the course of my wanderings through Canada. They are all good songs, (can t say as much about the singing!). THE PIPERS REVIEW 14 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

17 INTERVIEWS Interview with Dave Williams Uilleann Pipe and Flute Maker By Tommy Fegan Tommy Fegan, from Camloch, South Armagh, met up with Dave Williams at this year s Johnny Doran Week-end in Glendaloch. (Both Dave and Tommy have attended all 4 Doran annual Tionóls) Tommy is a member of the Ceol Camloch organisation, which seeks to promote Traditional Irish music in his native South Armagh, by organising workshops, concerts and session in the area. They have also helped legendary fiddle composer Josephine Keegan to compile and produce her compositions in book format, and on double CD, accompanied by 38 local musicians. Tommy has a full set of pipes on order with Dave. TF: Where do you live and work? DW: I live and work in Waltham, on the East Coast of England south of the Humber estuary. I spent the first six years of my life there, within sight of the Waltham Windmill, and (not having any ambition to be a miller) never dreamed that I would spend much of my working life beside it. TF: How did you get into pipe making and Irish music? DW: To answer your question in reverse order: As a child I heard Irish music on the radio, but not coming from an Irish background I was unable to follow it up. My later musical interests centred around the blues, jazz and rock, and it was not until I was in Australia in the 70 s that I was reacquainted with Irish music. That was at the Polaris Inn in Melbourne listening to a band called the Bushwackers. The band was composed of many second-generation Irish guys who sang lots of Aussy songs interspersed with lots of reels and jigs. I was so taken with them that on returning to England I became a regular listener of Folk on 2 hosted by Jim Lloyd, and was lucky enough to catch a feature on Planxty playing several tracks from their first album. The songs attracted me in the first instance, but it was only after getting the album that I was blown away by the pipes! Little did I realise that I had just experienced the major formative experience of my life and that the course of my life was now determined. At the same time I was looking for an interesting occupation, and had become aware of several courses in musical instrument making and repair at Newark Technical College in Nottinghamshire. The only course dealing with woodwinds at that time was in repairs, but it was enough to get me started, and within 18 months I had made a couple of flutes and a set of pipes. On completion of the course I was awarded a New Craftsman s Grant by the Crafts Council, which helped towards machinery and living expenses for the first year, and its unlikely that I would have got off the ground without it. TF: Which piper has been the greatest influence on you, and why? DW: That s a difficult one. The pipes are capable of expressing such a wide range of music and emotions in a wide variety of styles that I would be unable to single out one individual. As mentioned earlier, had I never heard Liam O Flynn I would not have been drawn to the pipes. I think its true to say that many people had a similar experience as Liam has a great capacity for making the music of the pipes accessible to those unfamiliar with the instrument, and while he was strongly influenced by Seamus Ennis, Leo Rowsome, the Dorans and Willie Clancy it was only after many years listening that I was able to appreciate what was happening in much of their playing. Early on I heard Paddy Keenan, and was amazed by his virtuosity and flair and can now understand how he influenced the majority of young pipers in the latter part of the 20th century up to the present day. TF: How many people out there are playing Williams sets? DW: I do have a record of every set that I ve made, but haven t counted, and don t have the details to hand. It s well over a hundred excluding practice sets. TF: What s the current waiting period? DW: It s over 5 years if I whip myself. THE PIPERS REVIEW 15 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

18 TF: Why so long? DW: I don t like cracking the whip. TF: How are the flutes going? DW: I seem to be better known as a pipe maker, but enjoy making and playing the flute. I make two types of concert flute based on a Rudall Rose and a Boosey Pratten. The Boosey copy is based on an original owned by Niall Keegan of the University of Limerick, Irish World Music Centre, and he now plays a copy that I made. He can be heard playing it on Don t touch the Elk TF: How long before you retire/give up? DW: I have no plans to retire or give up. I recently filled in a health check questionnaire based on my lifestyle and family history etc. and had a predicted age of 87.6 years, which gives me another 30 years (assuming I don t become a teetotaller). piping at Cecil Sharpe House in London many years before it was commercially available. I was awe-struck then by the wild spontaneous celebration of the music expressed by the pipes in a way that no other instrument or musician that I had heard at that time could achieve. Afterwards I heard and admired the playing of Felix Doran. In the late 70 s I met John Rooney, the son in law of Felix and was commissioned to make him a set of pipes. This was my introduction to the real world of Irish piping. No longer could I get away with just getting a chanter to work, John had to have all seven pipes blasting away at a time when the regs were rarely heard. As John would say, It s full duck or no dinner! Since then I ve had the pleasure of meeting many members of the Doran family, the most recent of which is young Mikey, the grandson of Felix, who at only 13 years is already an able piper, and was very well received at the piper s concert in Glendalough this year. TF: Names to watch out for in the future. DW: The piper s concert at the Wicklow Tionól in Glendalough was for me of the highest standard so far, in which all participants excelled. For me, the most notable young pipers to watch out for are Mikey Doran, Jarlath Henderson and Mikie Smyth. Photographs by Tom Lewellen An Interview with Uilleann Piper Mícheál Ó halmhain By Kynch O Kaine TF: Any advice for beginners? DW: Find a good teacher and hang in there. If you are confronted by seeming insurmountable problems have your pipes checked out. Relax and play a little and often. TF: Give us 3 basic tips on good pipes maintenance. DW: Keep all joints well hemped and airtight! Make sure your valves are correctly adjusted, and if a perfectly good reed suddenly decides to misbehave, lock it in its box until the following day. TF: You are a regular attendee at the Johnny Doran Weekend. Why? DW: I first heard an early recording of Johnny Doran s It was on Friday, during my weekly get together with fiddler James Kelly, that he asked me if I would like to go with him to meet a friend of his by the name of Mícheál Ó halmhain. James told me the two of them played in Ceóltoirí Leighann together. I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet Mícheál and spend more time with James. We had quite a few tunes together. I asked Mícheál if he would let me play his flute and he could use my pipes. That was the last I saw of my pipes that night! Mícheál was so enthralled by my (Gallagher) chanter, that at the end of the tune, he would hold the bottom D for seconds while he leaned back laughing and kicking his feet about! Mícheál did order a full set from Gallagher the next morning. Humbly, I will add it was my reed he was playing. Mícheál and James played some brilliant sets together, including some tunes that they had not played since the Ceóltoirí Leighann days. James played some stunning airs in a manner that only he is capable of doing. After hearing many of the sto- THE PIPERS REVIEW 16 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

19 ries about John Kelly Sr., John Doherty, tune origins, and many other topics, I got the idea of doing an interview with Mícheál scheduled for the following night. I had no idea of the amount of history I was tapping into. All of this will be obvious in this offering. Mícheál, who is retired science teacher living in the Aran Islands, generously gave much of his life story, opinions, anecdotes, and good humour throughout the interview. It is with great pleasure I present to you Mícheál Ó halmhain. KO: When and where were you born? MO: I was born in Upper Mount Street...in Dublin on the 25th of June, in KO: Do you remember at what age you first became aware of music? MO: I was probably about 9 or 10 and I started on the piano, but our household was a very musical household. My father was a Jazz musician...a pianist... KO: Really? MO: [He was] excellent, and my 2 sisters and brother played classical piano...so we had a teacher coming to the house, and I tried the piano for a few years, but never really took to it...but...i was in the scouts then..from the age of 11. The troop that I joined had a band, a pipe band. There was a teacher there on a Wednesday night, and his name was Colman O Carroll. He put my hands down on the table and looked at them... You ll be good he says! Ya know, so after 2 years, I ended up as the pipe major in the pipe band. We used to do the parades every month and the Patrick s Day parade and stuff like that. I still love the bagpipes, and I listen to the World Championships. KO: About your Dad; when you say he was a Jazz pianist was he playing the old standards (i.e. pop tunes of the 30 s-50 s like Satin Doll or Beautiful Love ), or was he an improvising pianist? MO: He was improvising as well, but rhythm was his thing. He had a terrific sense of rhythm. My sister bought him a record of Fats Waller, and this transformed him ya know. Fats Waller playing Honeysuckle Rose and Tea for Two... The track Tea for Two, I must ve heard it 100 times...at least! He used to sit up until 3 in the morning playing that one track ya know. A Magnificent bit of work...fats Waller. So, I was reared on Fats Waller and Classical music ya know. KO: Did you develop perfect pitch? MO: No I don t have perfect pitch. No. KO: And how about your Dad? MO: I can t tell ya that. I don t know. He was a magnificent singer as well like... you see he did a lot of choral work. He used to sing a lot in the Church...he could ve had? My son now, has perfect pitch. So, it s quite possible [he had it]. KO: So your first exposure to traditional music was..? MO: Well then, the next thing that happened was... I used to go down to Ring College in the summer to learn Irish...[I d] stay in Waterford. As part of the course, they had a tin whistle class...which I didn t want to attend, because I knew that if I started playing the whistle that it would affect my bagpiping..you know..because of the fingering and that. However, I did attend. That was at the age of 14...a relatively late start really. In that college there was a famous, well I didn t know he was famous, but, he was like a grandfather type figure. He wasn t actually teaching in the course, but he was obviously involved in the College, he was very friendly and he used to talk to us. His name was Labhrá Ó Cadhlaigh. He was the first man that I ever heard playing the uilleann pipes. He played them for us one night at the ceili there, and recently they brought out a record of his singing. He was a magnificent singer. After he died and I tried to track down his pipes in Waterford. I tracked them down ok, but I couldn t get my hands on them. It was a Henebry set. A boxwood Henebry set. Henebry was a music professor in Cork University who wrote a book... The Handbook of Irish Music. There was also a Crowley set in the house that I subsequently visited...a nephew of his, but I don t know. That was in Kilmeadon, in Co. Waterford. That man [Henebry] was a teacher there. KO: What pitch were they in? MO: They were concert pitch. (pausing) My father was a solicitor and he worked in a place called Clare Street, and just across the street from him was a shop called Green s Book Shop...it s still there. That was run by a fellow called Pembry who was a great pal of my father s. Outside the shop they had these stalls of 2nd hand books, and they had this man employed to look after the books, to make sure that nobody stole them ya know. His name THE PIPERS REVIEW 17 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

20 was Tommy Breen. Tommy Breen, in his younger days, was a famous piccolo player. He s recorded and Nicholas Carolan would be able to tell you all about him. He lived down the road from me in Blackrock. So, I think my father talked to him, or something...anyway..he gave me a present of a boxwood flute. He was known as The Spitfire because he was so brilliant on the piccolo. He played tunes for me. I remember visiting him in bed...he wasn t that well...a lovely man. So, he gave me my first flute and I started on the flute. That s when I was about 15 or 16. I then started to compete and won 3 All-Ireland medals on the flute. Two for the ordinary flute competition and one for the slow air. I was lucky in as much, as, I heard there was a branch of Comhaltas Ceóltoirí Eireann in Blackrock, just down the road from where I lived. I used to go down and Mary Bergin used to be there with her sisters. Sean Dwyer, the fiddle player from Cork, and a fellow called Joe Liddy, who we brought out a couple of books of his tunes...a great old character..a fellow called Terry Ging.. I used to sit in and play a bit of drum on the chair. I don t know how they put up with me, but they liked it anyways. I wrote to the papers, the evening Herald, I was trying to form a group. I heard Ceóltoirí Cualann one day on the radio, and I said, This is IT! This is what I want to do!!! I got 10 people from around Dublin to join up in this group. We called it Ceóltoirí Naobh Eoin because Naobh Eoin was the patron saint of the Church in Blackrock. I was just 17 when we started that. Mary [Bergin] was also in the group. We did quite a bit of traveling and had a great deal of fun. KO: At that time what was your repertoire of tunes like? MO: I ll tell you how my repertoire increased immensely. There was another scout troop inside on the Keys and they had a bagpipe band. They were the competition for our band. The leader of that band was Mick O Connor who was the flute player. He was also the head of the Castle Ceili Band. We did a parade together and I got to know him. In 1962 (or 66 I m not sure..i m not great with James Kelly, Mícheál Ó halmhain and Kynch O Kaine dates...), Mick O Connor, of the Castle Ceili Band, asked me to join the band. There was James Keane, Sean Keane, Liam Rowsome, Paddy O Brien, myself, Mick O Connor, Benny Carey and a piano player..i ll remember her name after a while. Ah..Bridie Lafferty! James Keane didn t give a fiddler s like whether anybody in the band knew any of the tunes. He just played em. So, we just had to learn them as we went ya know? You learnt it as it went. When we played a ceili, there d be 3 hours of music without a repeat of a tune. After a couple of weeks I had the whole repertoire pat. In September of 62 it was a toss up between the oboe and the pipes. We priced oboes and they were quite expensive so we decided to go for pipes. So, I signed up with Leo Rowsome in the school of music. He taught in Chattam Row...Wednesday nights. I d cycle in on my bike. The lesson was at 9 o clock I think...and sometimes..the guy who was after me...his name was Browne...Iver Browne. He d be a relation of the Browne piper. He was a psychiatrist and sometimes he wouldn t appear for his lesson, so I d get a longer lesson. KO: Browne...would that be a relation of Ronan Browne? MO: Ya..he d be an Uncle of his...some relation..i think he d be an Uncle. KO: The pipes that you had at the time? MO: Now Leo gave me a practice set. I dunno know who made the chanter, but I d be struggling away. I think it was the following year then, I heard there was a set of pipes for sale down in Aughrim in Co. Wicklow...a fellow called Denis Crowley. So, we went down and bought the set for 30 pounds...a Crowley set, which, Davy Spillane set his eyes and heart upon. He nagged me and nagged me until I gave them to him, and that s the set you see on cover of his first record ya know. He loved the shape of the regulator keys... KO: What was your connection with Davy Spillane? MO: Davy Spillane was one of my pupils. THE PIPERS REVIEW 18 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

21 (pause) Leo used to write out...he had a very fast hand...he could write out a reel in a couple of minutes. KO: On a regular music staff? MO: Yes, and he d teach me a tune and I d learn it and be able to play it for him the next week. I found, subsequently, that I couldn t remember those tunes! I couldn t remember them because they hadn t got into my head properly. It was only when I used to go to the Church Street Club, that was after the class...john Egan, a famous flute player from Clare, and he was in charge and used to call the tunes and regulate the whole thing. Once I heard the tunes in the sessiun and they got into my head, I was able to remember them then. I m a firm believer of learning tunes by ear. KO: How much time did you put in at home practicing? MO: I used to practice mostly on the whistle, because I was in college and I used to be studying. I used to study for a half-hour and then do 10 minutes of practice. At the end of the night I d have over an hours worth of practice. KO: Did you have a difficult time going from bag pipes to uilleann pipes? MO: Ya see, the fingering on the uilleann pipes is not half as complicated as it is on the bagpipes. My fingers wouldn t have found it difficult at all. Bag pipe fingering is hellishly complex ya know. Well that s till you get into the finer details of the [uilleann] piping...with closed fingering and all that ya know. I didn t have much problem adjusting. KO: Speaking of closed fingering; A good deal of your piping is tight style piping... MO: Absolutely.. KO: And some might even say that there are parallels between... Wait, let me preface that with; when you were studying with Leo was Paddy Maloney a peer of yours? MO: Paddy used to attend the class at the Piper s Club up at Thomas Street. Paddy would probably be a few years older than me. KO: So, back to the question at hand you are a tight style player. Someone who might ve walked into the room hearing us play last night, might draw parallel s between the way you played and the older recordings of Paddy Maloney (ref. Drones and Chanter s Vol. I & Chieftain s 1-4). So, how did you come to that style of tight playing when taking into consideration Leo Rowsome didn t really play that way? Was the tight style a popular way of playing? MO: There were two schools of piping ya know. There were the fans of Leo Rowsome and all this loose piping...and...then the purists of course...the Ennis School and all that...patsy Touhy...they thought they had the real thing. There were certain tensions there to put it mildly. (pauses) I have no idea how I developed my tight style. It certainly wasn t from listening to Paddy Maloney or anyone else! I don t know. I don t even think about it. I never sat down and thought about making myself into a tight piper...it s just the way it came out. It s the way I like it. KO: When one considers the proliferation of historical recordings that lay virtually at our feet via the internet, it is astonishing how you came about in your music as others from your generation did, without the multitude of references we have! MO: We regarded every new tune as a gift from the Gods! It was so hard to get a tune. Any records we could get our hands on, or even O Neill s book...that was like Gold Dust! This was before the big revival of the music. KO: Who were some of the great pipers you ve known who might ve missed, but certainly deserved, the proverbial spotlight? MO: Well I was very lucky really. I knew Willie Clancy, I knew Leo Rowsome personally, and I knew Seamus Ennis very well as I spent so much time interviewing him. Then, there was a piper who used to live with John Kelly, he was a huge fan of Patsy Touhy...I can t remember his name... KO: Was it Andy Conroy? MO: It was Andy Conroy! Andy was mad into closed piping. He was such a closed piper he used to say, It s a pity there was any holes in the chanter at all!!! (Laughing) I was there when Na Piobairi Uilleann started. I was there at the first tionól ceol and all. I remember Leo threw in 5 pounds, which at the time like, was a lot of money. He wasn t a rich man by any standards. Na Piobairi Uilleann virtually ignored him. They took the THE PIPERS REVIEW 19 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

22 other side. They said piping is closed piping and that s it. Virtually...they absolutely ignored him, and it s only Comhaltas that has given recognition to Leo. They run this Tionól Leo Rowsome every year. For a good 30 years, they never gave him his due. They never gave him the spotlight he deserved. Without Leo...ya know, piping was dead in the water like. He was the man who made the pipes, provided the reeds, did the teaching the whole thing...and it was an uphill battle in the 50 s and 60 s. He was there at the very start. At the annual meeting...i remember. I think they had Leo one year, but it was mostly Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy. I don t know if it was positive discrimination or preference, but they went the way of the tight piping. They probably won t like me saying that, but as far as I was concerned, I never thought he got his due. KO: Were Rowsome s instruments as coveted then as they are now? MO: Oh.. Absolutely. It wasn t like people had a choice [back then] he was the only game in town. Flat sets were virtually unknown. I don t think anyone was playing a flat set besides Ennis. KO: So back to pipers who may have missed the spotlight. KO: Have there been any other players besides pipers who have had a significant influence on your musicianship? MO: Besides the records that my Dad used to listen to, my sister got loan of this record from her boyfriend of the fiddle player named Sean McGuire. I nearly wore the track of the Mason s Apron out. The way he played that..that was the switch...no doubt. It just takes one track that gets to you, and that got to me. KO: Did he influence the way you played the pipes? MO: I wouldn t go that far at all. It s just that was the track that got me on to traditional music. I ve listened to an awful lot of stuff and I just play and that s the way it comes out. (pause) I sometimes think music is analyzed to death. You don t mind me saying that do you (laughs)? The things that you can t analyze are the most important elements in the music. James [Kelly] last night... the soul, the pressure of the bow...it doesn t need to be analyzed! KO: Tell me about your time with Seamus Ennis MO: I decided to write a series of articles on Seamus. Seamus was living with Liam O Flynn out in Rathfarnhan. I used to go up to him on a Saturday afternoon with my tape recorder. MO: I mean there were many good pipers around. You had the Seary s, you had Jim Dowling, but they were all clones of Leo. So was Willie to a certain extent. Willie took lessons from Leo. There was a guy called McNulty in Glasgow...he was a Leo fan. It wasn t that people had a choice ya know. Leo was the man and they wanted to do what he was doing...that was the thing to do. KO: Tell me about your dealings with Willie Clancy MO: Oh, he was a magnificent character, both very witty and personably. I used to love playing with him. I remember one time at the Na Piobairi Uilleann Tionól, it was up in Bettystown. Ennis was playing and they where swapping between two of them... After Ennis plays Willie says, Declare to God...you re a credit to me! Ennis answers, Willie Clancy, one of my best pupils!!! It was terrific, great fun! Kynch O Kaine Seamus was a very difficult man at the best of times, and would be in very bad humour some of the times. I tried to make light conversation and get him in a bit of a mood. He d walk very slowly...he d be suffering from hangovers or something... One day I knew that he d done a television program the day before. Just as an ice breaker, I asked him how the television show went. He didn t say anything. He went into his room and pulled a script out from under the bed. He went through it line by line. After a 1/2 hour I was thinking Oh God! why did I ask him that question? I later saw the program and it was the greatest bunch of crap...just diabolical, but you had to humour him ya know. I talked with him about his collecting days and his time in the UK and Scotland. We talked about his music and THE PIPERS REVIEW 20 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

23 I analyzed all his fingerings and made charts. He played tunes and showed that he could play to a high G. That s when he mentioned the small intrusion of the bottom D when he was doing the roll on the F. He explained the ghost D and all. It was 6 articles and we published them. I gave all the tapes and stuff to the archives. Apparently, Some people have been making use of it now. (Pauses) That was Seamus...ya...poor Seamus. He lived in a caravan. He always drove a big car. He had notions of respectability, which were slightly hindered by poverty. An awful shame. The man was a genius. If he were in Japan he would ve been a national treasure, but he wasted his life in a caravan. He had a serious drink problem. He spent much of his life alone and not appreciated. I remember one famous incident. He was in bad bad form. There was this big festival at Trinity College and they had invited him to play. I was there. The audience was getting restless cause there was no sign of Seamus. He was down stairs. They persuaded him to come up. Somebody was carrying his pipes. He had a big long coat and a hat. He walks right down the middle of the audience and waves his hat and gets up on the stage. Everything he did was in slow motion. He started to chat with the audience. He then started to slowly put his pipes together. 10 or 15 minutes later they were finally put together and he couldn t get them to work!!! After the audience had waited 45 minute he got away with singing a few songs and playing the whistle! Unbelievable! When he was putting the pipes together it was like a strip-tease...in reverse!! Sooo funny! KO: Do you have any involvement with the Willie Clancy Summer School? MO: I have never had any involvement in the teaching end of it, but I just go there and enjoy it. KO: What kind of pipes are you playing now? MO: A Matt Kirnan chanter that was made on an old foot driven lathe. I got it second hand, and I m guessing it s years old. I also have a Coyne set. A concert pitch Coyne set with one regulator. I got if from Peter Phelan when he got his new Kennedy set. I don t do much regulator playing with one regulator ya know. After playing your pipes [Gallagher concert full set] I don t fancy going back to my own chanter. KO: Are you making your own reeds? MO: There are guys who know how to make these things. I haven t the time, the patience, or the ability to do it. So, if I need a reed I go to the people who do it. KO: You don t make any adjustments? MO: Not a thing. The reed that I have I ve been playing for years and haven t had one problem. I remember Paddy Maloney told me at the time, he had a reed that was 14 years of age...and he never goes near it. I actually played his pipes one time...he let me play them! KO: How did they play? Did he have a hard reed in there? MO: It was a Rowsome chanter I think...not too hard... KO: Tell me about Ceóltoirí Leigheann MO: When Sean O Riorda died, I think that was around 1970, Eamonn DeBuitléir, who played in Ceóltorí Cualann, decided to form a group, kind of in memory of Sean, and he called it Ceóltorí Leigheann and he invited myself, Mary Bergin, Peter Phelan, John Kelly, Paddy Glackin, Paddy O Brien, and Aileen McCran. Mick Gavin used to play the flute and Mick (Michael) Crehan used to play pipes at some stage as well. The first year we played, we used to rehearse twice a week. Every month we had to make 4 radio programs, so there was a huge pressure on the group from the very start like. We got up a huge repertoire of airs and all sorts of music. We used to do a lot of concerts, traveled around the country and went abroad. It was a great group. It was mighty to be playing with John Kelly, James father... (Pauses) When we d be coming back from some down the country, I d get in [the car] on one side of John, Paddy Glackin would get in the other side, and we d talk to him ya know... When he d had a few pints like, he d wax lyrical about everything under the sun. It was such a...such a gift. We were so blessed to experience the man at such close quarters. I used to play with himself and Joe Ryan. They used to play inside Donohue s Bar on Friday and Saturday inside Merrion Row. Joe and myself became good pals, and we still are! Joe was very interested in competition back then. We entered the duet competition and we won the All-Ireland. Then we had a trio with Paddy O Brien, the box player and we won the All-Ireland too. KO: Paddy Ofaly O Brien? MO: Ya. John Kelly then...poor old John had a terrible THE PIPERS REVIEW 21 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

24 death...terrible...it was very hard. KO: How much older was John than yourself? MO: About 20 years older. I m 57 KO: So you re 57 and you started in the music around 14. Ever wonder how many tunes you think you know? MO: Well over a thousand anyway. I find that whenever I go to fleadh ceol, no matter who I meet up with, I m able to hold my own with the repertoire. KO: And the pipers of today..what do you know about them? MO: I m totally out of touch. There was some youngster from America that I was adjudicating... Simply outstanding. KO: Was it Isaac Alderson? MO: No, it wasn t Isaac? I didn t see that guy, but I want to meet Isaac. He won 3 All-Irelands this year...flute, whistle, pipes. If he can win 3 All-Ireland s in Senior serious competition... What s the story? KO: Not bad for a guy from Chicago? MO: No! What does it say about the Irish people and their music? Dedication! Lack of it! I mean, people like yourself and people who are isolated... They re 100% more dedicated than other people [in Ireland]! We have it too easy like. KO: Are you the only piper from your area? MO: I used to live on Marion Avenue. Except for another piper who lived at the end of the road. He was known as Lord Edward Fitzgerald. He played in the 1790 s! There is a magnificent set of his pipes in the museum. So I m the second piper from Marion Avenue. (Laughs) KO: Where are you living now? MO: I ve been living on the Aran Islands for 13 1/2 years now. KO: The people here in the States are mad about piping. In fact many nations besides Ireland have pockets of players that are obsessed about piping. Peter Laban, who now lives in Miltown Malbay, related to me that he learned a great deal of his repertoire in Holland. Patrick D arcy, a Dubliner (God help him) who is now living in California, told me learned most of his repertoire there... MO: Breandan Breathnach used to live down the road from me. I used to go down to his house when I was a youngster and he d invite me in. He was also the chairman of NPU. At one of the annual meetings I stood up and said, I think piping should become more mainstream. In other words, I think we should aim at playing with other musicians. There was a huge bias against pipers cause none of them played in tune. My feeling was that there was huge isolation with pipers, and that the most important element of the traditional music world was the social element. So, Brendan Breathnach, who was very sardonic and sarcastic said, We are mainstream. Sat down...end of argument ya know! That was the view. I think piping has lost out in a huge sense. They ve missed out because of their introvertedness. They became very ghettoized. They didn t make any effort to go into a sessiun and play with other musicians...very rarely. I mean pipers now do it, but when Na Piobairi Uilleann started, they never had sessiuns with other musicians. It was all bout solo piping. There was one tionól where Robbie and myself had a great sessiun. I had a Colgan set, in the same key as his own. You re missing out on the social aspect. It s chronic. I still feel, even though piping has come a long way, pipers are still isolated from the mainstream of sessiun music. You very rarely see a piper playing at a sessiun in a fleadh ceol in the street. I think part of it is brought on themselves. In the initial stages of NPU, people were trying to get to a stage where they could play. They were isolated at home trying to learn and all that. Also, getting an instrument...keeping it in tune. Then some pipers started making a living out of it. Liam Og, Paddy Maloney, Davey Spillane. To a large extent it s still isolated from the mainstream. The heart and soul and essence of traditional music is the social aspect. Pipers tend to be insular and totally taken over with pipes. There s far too much seriousness in the piping world...everything is stressed to death. Pipes have a much better acceptance now. Riverdance has done so much for piping, and the numbers are increasing all the time. If we could find some way to reduce the isolation and insularism I think it would benefit everybody. I think pipes are the ultimate instrument. KO: What would you like to hear from pipers of today? THE PIPERS REVIEW 22 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

25 Oliver Seeler MO: I d like to hear them not imitating anyone. There are many young pipers today who are clones of Robbie Hannan and Paddy Keenan. While adjudicating, I ve heard many young pipers with a lot of Robbie Hannan in their playing. There s one piper who is grossly underestimated. He s in the league of James Kelly when it comes to variations. His name is...mick...he s from Liverpool. Mick...he s a barber. Mick Coyne! Variations are a colossal part of the music. When I m adjudicating, I hear many players that are on the same technical level. At that point it comes to who can put a bit of themselves in, not who can put a bit of someone else in. KO: Mícheál, thanks for your time and the tunes last night. MO: You re quite welcome! TECHNIQUE Playing in Tune By Patrick Sky Let s assume that you have a new chanter and it comes with a reed that, according to the maker, is a good reed. You strap the chanter on and some of the notes are sharp or flat. You then take the chanter to a good piper that you know and he plays the chanter, and it is in perfect pitch. He says that it is a very good chanter and reed. What is wrong? Most likely the problem is your inability to control the chanter. A new reed, in most cases, is not going to help you. I have been playing the pipes for over 30 years and I have never found the perfect chanter/reed combination; that is, a chanter that plays in perfect tune in both octaves with only the slightest change in pressure. When I play my chanter it is in great tune and pitch. When Todd Denman plays my chanter at first it is not in good tune, but after a few minutes it comes in. Why is that? It is because some of the notes have to be forced to play in tune either by using a different fingering or by increasing or decreasing the pressure. Getting these wild notes in tune is what I mean by control. All master pipers know this. Then there is the problem of the first octave E being sharp, and then flat in the 2nd octave. On most chanters one has to place a small piece of tape across the E hole to flatten the first octave and then lift the chanter off of the knee when ever the 2nd octave E is played. This produces an E note with a whooping sound; which adds color to the music; listen to Liam O Flynn almost all of his 2nd octave E s have a whoop sound as he lifts the chanter. That is because Liam s Rowsome chanter is flat in the 2nd octave E. Next we have the 2nd octave A. If the hole for the A is large enough to produce an on pitch note by lifting the G and F# fingers, then the B will be sharp. Most pipemakers make the 2nd A note slightly flat so that the B will be in pitch. To bring in, and sharpen the A, simply play the A with the G finger down or sometimes with the F# finger down. You just have to practice this fingering until it feels natural. The problem of the C natural being sharp has to be mastered by keeping your finger in contact with the chanter and pointing so that you half hole the C# note. This will produce a nice sliding effect and bring the C note into tune. Finally, remember that the thumb hole D must be adjusted so that it will play with the same amount of pressure as the 2nd octave E. As I said in the first paragraph, you must learn to control your playing or you will never play in tune. Every chanter is different so try moving your fingering around to locate the proper fingering and pressure of each individual note. By using different fingerings on my Kenna B chanter I can get 3 distinct A notes in the 1st octave (one being on pitch and 2 not on pitch) and the same for the F# in the 1st octave. This will seem like piping hell at first, but after a while you will get used to it and not even think about it. For example, on most chanters the 2nd octave G is flat. I almost always force the note by lifting the chanter and applying more pressure. THE PIPERS REVIEW 23 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

26 IT WORKED FOR ME Regulator Tuning Pins By Kevin L. Rietmann This article will illustrate a method of utilizing wires to hold rushes in regulator bores. It allows the placement of the rushes to be adjusted easily and quickly, adds a minimum of obstruction to the bore of the regulator itself, is less fragile than the traditional peeled rush, and is non-destructive to the regulators. You do not have to solder wires to the pins, or drill 5- holes-in-the-reg-cap, which was recently illustrated in this publication. The wire I use is.047 musical wire, available from hobby supply shops, which, as my first instructor on the pipes pointed out, is where pipers seem to live. This.047 material is good and stiff, and will not lose its shape easily. To form the loops that will hold the wire onto the regulator tuning pin, I use a good pair of German round nosed jeweler s pliers, illustrated at figure A. These pliers are useful for many reedmaking tasks, and purchasing a professional pair will be a long term investment. I haven t illustrated the forming of the wire loops that hold the wire onto the pin. You can get the hang of it yourself. With the pliers form a right angle bend and then form a complete loop. Grab the loop with the middle of the pliers (below where the loops terminate) and form a right angle bend. Then, a bit below this, form another loop, and then another bend in the same direction. Of course, the loops must fit snugly onto the pin. I cut the wire off so it is slightly past the top note of the reg when the pin is pushed in all the way. Figure B shows a completed wire, and figure C a wire attached to its reg pin with a rush tied to the wire. By rotating the pin the rush can be placed against the back of the bore farthest from the tonehole, or into the middle of the bore placing it closer to the hole and muting it more, or even against the hole, muting it further. The rushes I use are scrap strips of cane, which I keep handy in various lengths and sizes. I like cheap cotton string, which can be snapped to length in your hands, another reason for the slightly stiffer wire. Thinner wire will bend with the strain when the string is pulled on. I also use different colors of string I m always adding a little here or there and if it s the same color as the string that is underneath it, it can be difficult to find where it ends when you want to remove some of the material. I cut the string and simply loop it under the rush itself, which of course should be tied very tightly to the wire. The pin will act as a rush and sometimes it will tune the D of the baritone and the G of the bass reg all on its own. It is my hope that these simple instructions will enable the reader to be that much closer to keeping their pipes in perfect tune, the sound, which is for me, practically addictive. I will gladly adjust things for a half hour to get that glorious chanter, drones, and regulator combination to sound just right. At Tea, With Píobaireacht The tea on the table, And the smiles all around, Steam quietly mixed with The wonderful sweet sound; The drones played out the past, Chords kept minds on changes, Flying fingers flapped Revealing sorrow s ranges. Their pipes down for luncheon, But music still on air, We ate cake and legend, The joy of the píobaire; The pipes breathed once again, The chanter s charm was cast, Smiling sorrow swelled Filling us to the last. The pipes rested in case, And we set out for home, But the music lingered-- The melody and drone; These pipes we ll hear again, When old friends we will meet, Peeling pipes pounding And with smiles in the street. Written by Jim Emmons on February 18, 2003 in commemoration of Feburary 17 th luncheon with pipers Larry Dunn and Patrick D Arcy at the home of Larry, Lisa McKenzie and Steven Woodham, a pleasant grey afternoon in Santa Cruz THE PIPERS REVIEW 24 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

27 HEALTH TIPS FOR PIPERS Dr. Murphy, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who makes his home in Plattsburgh, NY., answers your questions: Questions? Problems? Contact Dr. Murphy at: RobertMurphyC@aol.com Question for the good Doctor from MW: My thumbs have a lot of joint pain in the second knuckle the right hand worse than the left. I do not think I hold the chanter too tightly, so this may be a genetic predisposition for me. I have made a block that I rest the arc of my right thumb on when holding the chanter in other words, I no longer push the chanter against the thumb tip as if pushing against the button to open an old fashioned car door, but now rest the entire inner surface of the thumb against the block, much like when holding a beer can. Any other hints to help ease this problem, and do you think that using the block may put a different kind of stress on my hand, perhaps on the tendons of the palm or the top of the hand itself? Thanks! Dr. Murphy s Response: You describe thumb metacarpophalangeal pain which you have already ingeniously addressed with your grip block. A great idea, but probably not the prettiest and most certainly looked at askance by you pure drop traditionalists. If so, they are not you and have not experienced osteoarthritis. Give them time. Prolonged, sustained pinch puts a lot of stress on the joints at the base of the thumb. Over time with osteoarthritis the basal thumb joint capsule slowly stretches, becoming unstable and kicking upward or subluxing at the base. To compensate, the second or metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint will start to stretch and hyperextend, rather than stay in its usual flexed position. This slow stretching into extension with the prolonged pinch on the chanter may give you the pain you describe. The goal to relieve your pain would be to unload this joint. You have already had the familiar drill good technique! Relax! Do not have a death grip! If you are not squeezing too hard, then one must either lessen the strain on the joint, as with your block, which forces you to flex and unload the MP joint, or one must support the joint. In this vein, one can wrap it, using 3M COBAN wrap, a flexible compression wrap which supports, but is very flexible, better than taping. Finally one could see a hand therapist who could fit you with a thumb keeper CMC joint splint. It would support your thumb without hindering finger movement, and would not hinder your piping. The take home message is that gripping the chanter does put an unavoidable strain on thumb joints which evolution has made prone to degeneration. There are things to do to slow the progression of the degeneration. Dupuytren s and the Piper: A recent question on David Daye s discussion group has brought up Dupuytren s Disease, and I am surprised it has not surfaced before. Dupuytren s Disease is a slowly progressive thickening of the palmar fascia which causes thick nodules or bowstring like cords involving most often the fourth and fifth digits, resulting in contracture and difficulty extending these digits and flattening the hand. The end result in some is the papal benediction sign with the ring and fifth finger contracted into the palm. Such a condition would certainly limit one s piping to a great degree. The cause for the condition is unknown but usually genetic and dominant in inheritance. It has been said to be quite common in those of Irish ancestry. The disease usually becomes manifest in middle age, and is bilateral in 65%. The first signs are firm nodules in the palm at the distal palmar crease. Slowly cords develop, extend across the joint, then begin to draw the fingers down limiting extension. Treatment is surgical, but is usually reserved for bothersome contractures, usually greater than 35 degrees of extension loss. At that point, the patient has a positive table top test and is unable to place his hand flat on a table. Surgery consists of resection of the cords and release of involved joints, which is a technically tedious procedure with approximately six weeks of recovery. However, a piper needs fairly limber, unencumbered MP joint mobility; thus a surgeon would tend to operate sooner. A lesser degree of contracture would be more bothersome to a piper than an office worker. Thus if one has Dupuytren s, be sure to let your MD know of your piping and difficulties therein. Prevention is nil, unless one can change his or her parents. THE PIPERS REVIEW 25 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

28 SUMMER SCHOOLS June 15-21, 2003 Boston College Gaelic Roots Summer School Contact: Séamus Connolly Irish Studies Program Connolly House 300 Hammond Newton, MA Tel: Cillian Vallely and Tommy Keane, will be teaching Irish pipes. July 5-13, 2003 Willie Clancy Summer School Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Ireland Contact: NPU Office, Dublin Tel: FAX: Many well known pipers will be teaching. July 6-12, 2003 Swannanoa Celtic Gathering Contact: Warren Wilson College P.O. Box 9000 Ashville, N.C Phone: Website: Kieran O Hare will be teaching Irish pipes. July 13-19, 2003 South Sligo Summer School Contact: Rita Flannery Tubbercurry Co Sligo, Ireland Phone: southsligosummerschool@eircom.net Website: Brian Ó Gallachoir and Matty Joe O Falharta will be teaching the Irish pipes July 13-19, 2003 Catskills Irish Arts Week East Durham, NY Contact: Tel: Website: Kieran O Hare, Brian McNamara and Tommy Keane will be teaching Irish pipes, and Benedict Koehler will be working with reeds. July 20-25, 2003 Pacific Institute of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts Contact: Shawigan Lake School, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada Website: Tom Creegan, from Seattle, and Simon McKerrell, from Scotland, will be teaching the Irish Pipes. July 19-26, 2003 Joe Mooney Summer School Drum shanbo, Co. Leitrim, Ireland Contact: Nancy Woods Tel: For updates: Neillidh Mulligan, Mikie Smyth will be teaching Irish pipes. July 20-25, 2003 Augusta Heritage Celtic Week Contact: Davis and Elkins College Elkins, WV, Phone: augusta@augustaheritage.com Website: Jerry O Sullivan will be teaching Irish pipes assisted by Elliot Grasso July 28-Aug 10, 2003 Scoil Acla Contact: Achill Island Co. Mayo, Ireland info@scoilacla.com Website: Week #1: Ciarán Ó Máille, Brian Gallagher and Soracha Ní Mhuinin will be teaching Irish pipes. Week #2: Robbie Hannan, John Butler, and Tommy Keane will be teaching Irish pipes. August 23-25, 2003 The Pipers Gathering Contact: North Hero, Vermont, USA Benedict Koehler, Debbie Quigley, Jimmy O Brien-Moran and Jerry O Sullivan will be teaching Irish Pipes. Website information: THE PIPERS REVIEW 26 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

29 CLUB NEWS The Arizona Uilleann Piper s Society By Caven Clark The Arizona Uilleann Piper s Society held their second tionól on March 7 th and 8 th featuring a concert by Colorado piper Eric Olson at the Irish Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix, and a full day of instruction at Fiddler s Dream. Although attendance was predictably light, we reaped the benefits of having Eric spread thickly among us. His approach was highly philo- sophical and, as it turned out, beneficial to us as we l e a r n e d m a n y of the s i m p l e mysteries of the pipes. There wasn t any of the: here s the tune we ll learn today. Here s a cran, here s a roll. It was about relaxing, subtle nuances of ornaments, and, thank God, reed lore. Everyone was hugely satisfied and we can t wait to get Eric back to Arizona for another session soon. By the way, daytime humidity is now at less than 10% Seattle Irish Pipers Club T-SHIRTS FOR SALE Irish Pipers Club T-shirts are available. They come in one color: ash. The sizes are: M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL. The design is in four colors: black, blue, red, and gold. The price is $ Please add $2.00 mailing cost within the U.S. If you are due to re-new your membership why not write a check for $35.00 instead of $18.00 and get this great T-shirt by return mail. Also available are Tionól 2000 and 2002 T-shirts. The 2002 shirt comes in one color: white. The sizes are: S XXXL. The price is $ Please add $2.00 mailing cost within the U.S The 2000 shirt comes in one color: ash. The sizes are M, L, XL and XXL. The Price is $10.00 plus $2.00 for shipping. These T-Shirts and other merchandise can be ordered via our website at: or via mail: The Irish Pipers Club P.O. Box Seattle, WA The second Sunday meeting of the month was held March 9, 2003 at the home of Jim Arrowsmith. Ten pipers, or piper wanabees, showed up, and after a short business meeting it was decided that our practice sets will now be loaned out for 3 months. If the person with the set is still interested in keeping it he should contact Dick McMonagle (keeper of the sets) to arrange for another 3 months. Two of our younger members were given lessons while the rest of the gang played tunes, talked about pipes and had a go on Jim Arrowsmith s beautiful Rogge cocobolo and silver small bore D set. There will be two more meetings before the big annual Folklife bash so get your pipes in order. Door Handle to the Koehler & Quinn shop, E. Montpelier, VT Check our website ( for the place, date and time of the next series of meeting. THE PIPERS REVIEW 27 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

30 REPORTS 12 th Annual Chris Langan Traditional Irish Music Weekend. By Robert Gardiner This year s weekend, held 17th to 19th January 2003, was the most successful yet in attendance, the number of registrations, and the high quality of performers. There were over 800 registrations for the two concerts, 23 workshops, Ceili and Sunday piping recital. The weekend started in various informal venues on Thursday night as the musicians trickled into town. Harry Bradley, the Belfast born flute player and one of our overseas invited guests gave some early classes on Thursday and Friday to appreciative students. The Friday concert at The Tranzac Club on Brunswick Street, which was opened by Denis Lyon s Wednesday slow session musicians, starred many local musicians, friends and pupils of Chris Langan and was closed by memorable performances by Harry Bradley and Tommy Peoples, the Donegal fiddler. Sessions in every nook and corner of The Tranzac lasted until closing time. Classes on Saturday were held at local venues close to the Tranzac Club. These covered tin whistle, fiddle, uilleann pipes, flute, set dancing, sean nos singing and uilleann pipe reed making. Piping teachers were Cillian Vallely, Pat Hutchinson, Debbie Quigley, Ray Caldwell and Brian Kavanagh. We had visitors from as far a field as Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, Montreal, Michigan, Cillian Vallely New York and Virginia. The winner of the longest distance traveled was Jim Ediger the fiddle player who arrived from Tokyo. Harry Bradley had 43 students in four classes while Tommy Peoples was a close second with 32 students in his fiddle master class. A total of 18 pipers attended the piping classes and 12 erstwhile reedmakers sat in on Joe Kennedy s reed making class. Brian Kavanagh The Saturday evening concert saw a change of venue to Trinity Saint Paul s Church for the first time, and it was a huge success. The seating limitations of the Tranzac venue were overcome and approximately 380 attended the concert in the beautiful sanctuary with its fantastic acoustics. Early evening performances by friends of Chris and 90 year old Marty O Keefe, the fiddle, concertina player, story teller, lilter and singer were followed by a virtuoso uilleann pipe performance by Cillian Vallely from Armagh. Harry Bradley kept the flow going, accompanied by local musician Julie Schryer on keyboards and had the audience in stitches with his between the tunes commentary. Aine Meenaghan from Connemara linked the instrumental performances with singing, the quality of which is rarely heard here in Toronto. Her rendition of The Lambs on the Green Hills was a high point of the evening. Tommy Peoples accompanied by local musician Pat Simmonds gave a polished performance. The master of ceremonies for the evening was Kevin Mallon of Belfast. Kevin, violinist, conductor and musical director of Aradia Ensemble ably handled his duties and effortlessly tied the whole evening together. The evening finished with a not to be forgotten set which saw Cillian, Harry and Tommy take the stage together. Most of the people repaired to the Tranzac for a Ceili called by Maureen Mulvey with music supplied by an assortment of musicians including Kevin Finnegan, Jim McGee, Dave Papazian (Papper) and others too numerous to mention. Sessions again lasted to the wee hours of the morning. Sunday dawned too early, but breakfast served at the Tranzac for the first time at a Chris Langan weekend helped start the day and the piping recital, again attended by a record number of people finished off the weekend. A total of 10 pipers performed in the piping recital. Harry and Cillian closed the performances with a flawless version of Colonel Frazer. You can check out photos of 2003 at langan/ and keep up to date with progress for the 2004 weekend at THE PIPERS REVIEW 28 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

31 The San Francisco Pipers Club West Coast Tionól February 14-16, 2003 By Wally Charm The two years since the last San Francisco Tionól passed quickly and here we were loading up the van for a run down the beautiful coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. Route 101 is always fun to travel on and soon we were registering at our Geary Boulevard hot pillow motel just a few blocks from St. Monica s church, which was the new venue for the tionól. The prerequisite house party at Peter Heelan s Oakland home was packed to the rafters and it didn t take Rod Margason and John Pedersen long to start off the tunes. There was plenty of talking and it was nice to see old friends. Fiddler Don Cherry was seen in a group that kept the music going in the kitchen. Like all good parties, there was ample food and drink. Like all good party poopers, Linda and I were ready to head back to our motel when Tom Quinn, our designated driver, said it was time to leave. In the morning we drove the few blocks to St. Monica s and found that there was plenty of parking in the church lot. The traditional Irish breakfast was not served this year, which is understandable since there is no fee for the tionól; something that is unheard of today. It is the one hold-over from those earlier days when tionóls were free, and it is a credit to the planners that this is still the case. Tradition dies hard especially when you are Ted Anderson who with his wife Janica and a few others, put this year s tionól together. The luminaries gracing the tionól were: pipemakers David Quinn and Benedict Koehler, pipemaker and reed maker John Pedersen, pipemaker Patrick Murray from Boston, Massachusetts who showed off his new plastic chanters, Brian McNamarra who is on a sabbatical leave and will be seen at most tionóls on both sides of the pond this summer, and Todd John Pedersen playing Denman. The pipers wanting instruction were assigned their respective instructors, his Joe McKenna set and those wanting help with their pipes and reeds could sit next to Benedict and watch the magic. Benedict and Ted also gave a lecture on fixing up problematic pipes. You just told them your problem, handed them the set, and the two would go at it along with keeping up a running commentary. Soon you would get back a wellworking set. Brian McNamarra gave a general lecture on piping styles, which he aptly demonstrated. St. Monica s is situated between Geary Boulevard and Clement Street, which offered a wonderful choice of ethnic restaurants. One of the highlights for a number of us was the dim sum meal that was presided over by David Quinn (who among his other talents is a Chinese speaker). Thanks to David s ordering everyone had plenty of esoteric dim sum dishes. The Saturday night concert was at St. Monica s and there was a very good turnout. Performers were Todd Denman, Patrick Murray, Brian McNamarra, Benedict Koehler, singer Lillis O Laoire and a band made up of Los Angeles musicians, which included, among others, Kate Reid and Barry Fischer. Brian McNamarra and Benedict Koehler played a number of duets, which were pretty amazing in their synchronicity. Sean Folsom kept the audience laughing with his master of ceremonies ability and his wonderful collection of pipes all of which he can play. Just to make sure that the tionól participants wouldn t get bored, there was another house party after the concert. The tionól was interrupted a few times by unannounced funeral masses, which caused the piping to cease for a while. It isn t often that you can hear yourself think at a tionól and the pause was welcomed, but it did cause the Sunday recitals to be held in another building on the premises. The building was an unused convent and the climate caused all the pipes to go into shock. Excellent players sounded like they were playing for the first time. According to Dr. Lewis Blevins, it was his fondest hope that the pipers in attendance weren t subjected to the plague due to the numerous rodent droppings. That evening there was the requisite tionól session at the Plough and the Stars, which was reported to be a great finish to a week end of piping. Next year, (2004) if the good Lord s willing and the creeks don t rise, it will be in Seattle, Washington. THE PIPERS REVIEW 29 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

32 South Florida Tionól February 14 16, 2003 By John Maze Well, we can call this the good, the bad, and the ugly... taught in a completely different manner, but focused on individual attention so that everyone left more than satisfront row: Gary Livesay, Mike Hay, Kathleen Cavanagh, Robbie Zukauskas, John Maio, Dutch Kopp, John Maze back row: James Clark, Eamonn Dillon, Geordie Ord, Nick Vaccaro, Kieran O Hare, Roddie Nicholson, Bruce Steinfeldt, Pat Sky, and Fernando Acosta not pictured: Stacia Lewis The good included a surprise appearance by Skip Healy, and the stellar performances by Kieran O Hare, Eamonn Dillon, Pat Sky, Liz Knowles, as well as Coyne and Reeves and Eamonn Dillon s friends Peter and Bob. The bad included my Saturday hangover, Pat coming down with a flu that crippled Liz one night and Pat the other (as well as being passed to me afterwards), my bodhran mic level not being audible (this may be in the wrong category), and the ugly being the resulting bar tabs and my headache Saturday morning. Seriously though, the 2003 Florida Tionól seemed to be a smash thanks to the efforts of John Maze and Kathleen Cavanagh (shameless self-promotion there, sorry). The teaching staff could not have been any better, and their stalwart efforts held my nerves together all weekend (particular thanks to Kieran who continually reminded me how much fun everyone was having). The event started off with a piping demonstration at Maitland Middle School in exchange for their facilities. James Clark of Jackson, Mississippi and I did the honors. I must admit though, the elementary school band students seemed far more interested in the pipes than in resuming their normal class... curious. Many pub-hours later, the first night s concert started off with John Coyne (Limerick) and Larre Reeves (Gainesville) on flute, vocals, guitar, and bouzouki. These two were the core of the performances with the other performers plugging in for sets here and there. Kieran later did a fantastic solo set of piping including jigs, hornpipes, and some reels from his CD. The standout piece was the air Gentle Phillip Fahy demonstrating his mastery of the regulators. Kieran s Lynch set purred all weekend, and his perfectly articulated tight playing amazed pipers and non-musicians alike. Personally, I play like that in my dreams... but then I wake up. Pat Sky followed playing his Willie Rowsome flat C set, a heavenly set of pipes. His impeccably tight playing was a real joy to hear and see, and sounded so smooth on that set of pipes. I was fortunate enough to get a private lesson from Pat on the way to the airport Sunday while sitting in a park. Kieran joined Pat on stage for a few sets in D. Pat stated when pipers get paranoid, they gang up on you, which is precisely what they did. Later that evening Eamonn joined Coyne and Reeves, as well as his friends Bob and Peter, for highly energetic sets of reels and jigs that set the crowd literally screaming for more. Eamonn s Koehler and Quinn chanter is one of the most fun sticks I have ever tried. It has such a smooth buzzy feel to it, really chiffy. A session of enormous magnitude (s.o.e.m.) followed the concert into the wee hours. If I remember correctly, the closing waitress had to literally Eamonn Dillon brush us out the door with a broom. Classes began early the next day at 9 AM. Liz made her first appearance for the fiddle classes still suffering from the flu. Kieran took the morning beginner-intermediate class, while Eamonn took the i n t e r m e d i a t e - advanced students. Kieran focused on technique and people s playing issues Kieran O Hare while Eamonn dissected a couple of reels including the Old Bush. Each THE PIPERS REVIEW 30 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

33 fied. Liz had fewer students, but they seemed to be more consistently advanced than the pipers in each class, so she held court with the same crew all day in a classroom far removed from the squeals of reeds. Pat tirelessly took charge of pipe maintenance and reed making all day, with the help of Fernando Acosta, Florida s own novice pipemaker and reedmaker. According to Pat, Fernando is turning out lovely reeds so between the two of them, many folks walked away with chanters singing after Pat Sky & Fernando Acosta long silences. Pat kept everyone entertained all weekend with his stories of hanging out with the royalty of Irish Traditional music. After a catered lunch of sandwiches and such, Kieran and Eamonn switched groups so every student had access to a completely different pedagogy and playing style. After the afternoon classes, Kieran and Eamonn both recorded tunes for students to work on over the ensuing year. I expect to have those recordings available to attendees very shortly. The second night s concert was similar to the first, but with the lovely addition of Liz Knowles, still recovering from her flu. She and Kieran played a few sets of tunes in perfect synchronicity as though they had played a time or two together. She concluded her time on stage with a set of reels. The last set of the night saw Eamonn and myself (thankfully on bodhran I think) joining Skip Healy, Coyne and Reeves and others for some wild reel combinations and a Daniel Day Lewis from Gangs of New York look alike, dancing a drunken jig. Like Friday night, a session followed, this time being joined by even more musicians from around the area with the exception of everyone s favorite triangle player. Reels echoed the halls of the An Tobar Pub until way past last call, and once again, the broom made its ugly appearance. I am not sure if we will be allowed back at An John Maze Playing Dutch Kopp s Froment Set Tobar, but there are plenty of other pubs around Orlando that will more than suffice next time around. This year s Tionól saw 17 pipers and 7 fiddlers from all over the southeast and abroad. Next year we plan to include other instruments such as flute, fiddle, stringed accompaniment, and pipes of course. We have begun seeking grants and teachers as of the day after this year s hangover ended, so stay tuned. We also wish to schedule it so that it does not coincide with the West Coast Tionól that alternates between San Francisco and Seattle with Seattle hosting the 2004 tionól as a few of us would like to attend that one. Thanks to everyone who came and helped with this years Florida Tionól. We came, we saw, we cranned! Belfast Tionól 8 th -9 th March 2003 By George Eggleston. The annual Belfast Tionól organized by Tom Clarke took place over the weekend of the 8 th and 9 th March in The Stella Maris Seaman s Mission at the docks in Belfast. A small gathering of pipers met on Friday night and played a few tunes and there was much conversation about piping and pipers. On Saturday morning pipers arrived from all over the north of Ireland, Dublin, Scotland and Canada. Classes were given to a total of 12 students by Robbie Hannan, Nollaig MacCarthaigh and Gay McKeon, who all provided excellent tuition, advice and encouragement. Sorcha Mellon Several pipers were disappointed at the unavoidable last minute cancellation by Andreas Rogge due to illness. Andreas was to take a reed making class but was ably replaced by visiting Ontario pipemaker, Joe Kennedy. Joe was in Ireland to visit some piping and pipemaking friends and to deliver a brand new 3 4 set in B to Harry Bradley, the well known Belfast flute player and piper. Joe intrigued the reed making class with his unusual reed making method and during the course of the afternoon made excellent reeds for chanters owned by John Hughes. After the obligatory visit to the local fish and chip shop for supper, the evening ended with the usual piper s chair being placed in the middle of the floor and a series of local THE PIPERS REVIEW 31 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

34 Gay McKeon playing John Hughes Coyne C sharp set and overseas pipers played to an appreciative audience. There was an extremely brilliant set by John Hughes of Belfast on his Coyne C sharp set. John in addition to allowing many of the pipers to try out this beautiful mellow sounding set again took the piper s chair later in the evening and played another set, this time with the accompaniment of Martin Dowling on a tuned down fiddle. The music produced by these two musicians and played on that very fine old instrument had to be heard to be believed. Great stuff lads!! Worthy of a CD? The Great Northern Irish Pipers Club Tionól March 8 & 9, 2003 St. Paul, Minnesota By Chad P. Giblin The Great Northern Irish Piper s Club Tionól got off to a cold start this year, the first day of the event started with a snowstorm and a fresh blanket of snow. For both days we had sub-zero temperatures. Blowing snow, and bitter winds challenged attending pipers; pretty much business as usual in Minnesota. Our guest piper and tutor, Billy McCormick, had just arrived from Clare the night before and thought that we had lovely weather, he had been looking forward to seeing some snow! Humidity indoors dropped down to a pipecracking 10%, however, efficient use of several humidifiers brought it back up to a range at least tolerable by uilleann pipers. We were also given a fine performance by Jim Daly of Glasgow, who played a fine set of pipes of his own design which were the subject of much conversation by many that night and over breakfast on Sunday morning. The set, comprising of bellows, bag and chanter, utilizes the drones to double as single note regulators! Jim Daly and Liam Hackett also presented Tom Clarke with a new practice set to be used by his students. Well done to the lads from Scotland. As to be expected, this was another well organized and well run Tionól and congratulations must be given to Tom Clarke and as one of Tom s pupils I would like to say congratulations on behalf of the large number of Tom s pupils who attended. We all look forward to gathering again next year. Slan go foill. The photos for this article have been kindly provided by Bob Gardiner, the Ontario piper who originally came from the Stella Maris, dockland area of Belfast. Pictured left to right: Scott Bartell, Adam Modares, Royce Lerwick, Chad Giblin, Billy McCormick, Brad Kampf, Wally Swentko, Tom Dahill, Edmund Tunney, Dave Boisvert (not pictured) Billy was born in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim in 1959 and started on the uilleann pipes at age 19 under the tutelage of Sean McAloon of Belfast. He found great inspiration in the playing of Liam O Flynn and other great pipers of the revitalized traditional music scene in the late 1970s, and he took to playing on the streets of Dublin, often near the famous St. Stephen s Green. Billy now plays week-ends at O Connor s Pub in Doolin. Billy s style in both his playing and teaching of the pipes is bold and intricate yet very relaxed. He rips out the tunes almost effortlessly and is still very able to break things down to a beginner s level. He is very focused on his chanter work and passes that on to his students. Without a good foundation here there is little need for drones, regulators, or anything else. This philosophy is very apparent is his playing which is both very fluid and crisp with just the right amount of ornament and extras to THE PIPERS REVIEW 32 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

35 make it a real piping tune. Billy makes great use of a back D grace note, which he calls nipping; the effect is simply marvelous and really helps fill out passages of certain tunes. Billy was inspired to this effect by the piping of Paddy Moloney, and eventually incorporated it into his own unique style. I found also that he has a very good grasp of vibrato and was able to pass on some really helpful tips on when, where, and how to include this effect in both tunes and songs/airs. Billy had his famous Taylor set with him; the history behind this set is phenomenal. While playing his old set of pipes one day in Dublin, an American nun approached Billy and asked him his name. As it turns out, her grandfather, who was also Chad Giblin, Billy McCormick, Edmund Tunney named Billy McCormick, had played the pipes in Chicago during the early 1900s. She asked Billy if he would like to have the pipes her grandfather played; he did, of course, and soon received the set from America. After examining the pipes Billy found out that this set was none other than a William Taylor set made for Kid Eddie Joyce. After Joyce died in 1897, the other Billy McCormick had bought them and the rest is history. Francis O Neill wrote an in-depth biography of Kid Eddie Joyce in his book Irish Minstrels and Musicians. Billy is currently playing his set with a Taylor-style chanter crafted by pipemaker Cillian Ó Briain based in Dingle, Co. Kerry. Billy also had on hand a flat pitch chanter made by Geoff Woof. I had a chance to try out both and thought they both played with amazing ease. The attention to detail and tuning was without parallel. We had several new pipers this year. In addition to getting them started on practice sets we spent a good portion of time performing basic maintenance on both their pipes and reeds. With our massive fluctuations in temperature and humidity it isn t long before things start falling apart. Everyone who was able chipped in to get reeds and practice sets up to snuff. After the instruction on Sunday Billy was joined by local musician and piper Tom Dahill and Edmund Tunney at the College of St. Catherine to play music for the Irish dancers at their annual concert. The club was fortunate enough to work with The St. Paul Irish Dancers in bringing Billy over for both the tionól and this very special concert. Sunday night continued with a rollicking session at Keegan s Pub in Minneapolis. Despite the dry weather Billy was still quite able to rip out a good couple hours of great tunes. After that the action moved down to the famous Dubliner Pub in St. Paul where Billy joined the local group The Gaels onstage for another set of great tunes. Well, we had another great year for our tionól, and we were very happy to have Billy in town; he s a great piper and an excellent teacher. Overall we had ten pipers attending, sporting sets of pipes from all over the world. Thanks to the attending pipers and to Billy McCormick for visiting with us and especially for his generosity in sharing his love for the pipes and Irish traditional music. Special thanks to Tom and Eileen Dahill for helping to organize Billy s trip to the States and hosting him while here. See you in 2004! The Spring Gathering of the British Columbia Uilleann Pipers Society By Rob Moore In February of this year I had a phone call from Rick Bockner, a musician, now living on Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada. Rick told me all about this great uilleann piper from Ireland he would be touring BC with in March. It all sounded very interesting, especially because the BC Uilleann Pipers Society were planning on having our 5th annual spring gathering about the same time. Rick sent me all the information about their tour. The piper was Eoin Duignan. I didn t know of Eoin, however after reading the press release and listening to the included CD I was sold and excited. We could combine the two events. Eoin Duignan lives in Dingle on the West coast of Ireland s County Kerry. He learned from master pipers Seamus Ennis and Leo Rowesome. Over the years Eoin has written a body of pipe and whistle tunes. Eoin has also composed soundtracks for numerous films, television, and radio programs. He has two CDs to his credit: Ancient Rite, and Coumineal. Both Rick and Eoin are very experienced in giving work- THE PIPERS REVIEW 33 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

36 shops. Their credits are too numerous to mention in this short report, but I do feel compelled to mention that in the 60s Rick played in the rock band Mad River and has performed with Janis Joplin, The Doors, Country Joe and the Fish, etc. etc. Country Joe was a voice of reason in a time of need, not unlike what s going on now. Rick met Eoin in Ireland, and by Rick s forth visit to the enchanted Isle, he was determined to bring Eoin out to British Columbia. That is how the BCUPS came to connect with two fantastic musicians. Because of Rick and Eoin s hectic schedule it was necessary for us to schedule our workshops for Saturday, and the concert on Sunday evening. A few other factors further added to chaos: St. Paddy s Day with some pipers having gigs to go to, some pipers could not make it for both days, and some had to miss the concert in order to get back to the mainland. Things started happening by about 10:30 am Saturday with the arrival of pipers from various parts of the province. By lunch time most had arrived: we greeted new pipers, renewed friendships, and got our pipes a piping. Rick and Eoin arrived from Cortes Island, had a quick lunch and started right in on workshops. Rick had just two people for his guitar workshop. However it was very well received and both Lynda and Jamie came away with lots of ideas and inspiration to help them play in a strong Celtic mode. Eoin s workshop was well attended. Eoin s approach was very laid back with a strong leaning towards the oral tradition. Eoin told us of the lessons he had with Leo Rowesome. Leo insisted on students learning with a practice set, and having to be able to play well with the practice set before even thinking about a set of pipes, even if you had the money to buy a set from him. Once again, pipers came away with lots of ideas and inspiration. We were fortunate again to have had David Daye, The Reed Guru. David gave an excellent workshop on reed making, taking us through all the steps, from determining good cane from not so good cane, right through to fitting the reed to the chanter. David explained various things that help make a more stable reed. Every uilleann piper soon finds out just how cantankerous reeds can be and how so many people have come up with so many solutions and methods to deal with The Problem. David s method uses a minimal amount of tools yet produces a maximum amount of successful reeds. Myself, being a tool freak, have managed to come up with three or four tools to replace David s one sided razor blade, but that s my hang-up. After a fine supper put on by Cynara and augmented with the fine offerings people had brought, we slipped into session mode. It is gratifying to hear the quality of the piping that has improved so much over the relatively short time we have been getting together. On Sunday the first thing on the agenda was to have our society meeting and discussion. Greg Schnider, our chairman, took the chair and led the meeting. It didn t take long to find out that we were soon to be an official society and that we had a modest amount money in the bank. We all agreed to carry on carrying on. Greg then moved from the chairman s chair to the piper s chair and gave a very worthwhile piping workshop. Greg s approach was more structured than Eoin s and it was interesting to compare the two. In all, both workshops made a good balance, and all levels of piping were served. The day continued with a Piper s Chair with each piper having his chance to play, and moved on to sessions springing up in various rooms of the house. Besides all the great piping that was filling the house we had the pleasure of listening to some marvelous singing that was happening in the kitchen. Derek Darling with his rich baritone voice and Terry Boyle an Irish tenor with a gifted voice, had the listeners spell bound. As Concert time a p p r o a c h e d Eoin and Rick made their a p p e a r a n c e, having driven down from Mt. W a s h i n g t o n where they had just finished a concert at the ski resort. They had time for a Rick Bockner & Eoin Duignan quick meal and a few moments to relax before getting ready for the Concert. We had 31 people for the concert and a grand time was had by all. It was a fine blend of music they had composed along with traditional tunes that they played with virtuosity and panache. After we all had time to reflect, I hope the others enjoyed the weekend as much as Cynara and I. THE PIPERS REVIEW 34 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

37 St. Louis Tionól (Mississippi River Celtic Music Festival) March 28, 29, 30, St. Louis, MO By Mike Mullins The sixth annual St. Louis Tionól actually started Thursday night with the release party for Michael Piper Cooney s first CD titled A Stone s Throw. There was a great bit of music as Cooney invited several local musicians to join him along with Brian McNamara who had arrived in St. Louis earlier that day. This CD was long overdue. The sessions started in earnest on Friday night as Michael Cooney and Ged Foley got things off to a flying start along with a good showing of pipers and other festival attendees. A ceili had started in another room to keep the dancers happy while two serious piping sessions started in other areas. Isaac Alderson and Brian McNamara were holding their own for a good part of the evening and were joined by various other musicians at one time or another. On the third floor another session was underway with George Gerules and Jack Buckley, among others, holding forth. After the ceili, a fourth session started up with some folks who were late arrivals and others who drifted from session to session. On Saturday, everyone met at a local high school where the workshops were held. This is our third year in this location and it seems to work well. By 9:30 everyone was hard at work. Kevin Henry was supposed to come down and do the reed class, but unfortunately was not able to make it due to medical tests. We wish Kevin all the best. Tim Britton graciously filled in and although small, the reed class covered the basics and gave Tim a chance to elaborate on the method that works for him. Kevin had sent down some of his latest creations including some miniature plastic drone reeds. The pipers split into three groups. Isaac took the basic class and judging by the comments of those who were there did his usual great job. It has been very exciting to watch Isaac since he first came to St. Louis six years ago. He s become a great musician as his achievements last summer attest. He has a great style and plays the regulators as well as anyone. Michael Cooney took the intermediate class and did a great job as usual. He has a very low key style, but is well able to work with everyone at whatever point they are. The real delight was seeing Maggie Smith with full set sitting next to her dad, Jim Smith. Maggie s been playing about 18 months and is coming along famously. With a piper for a father and a fiddler for a mother how can she go wrong? The advanced class was well attended with Brian McNamara leading the instruction. In the morning Brian worked through the hornpipe, Kilkenny Woods. He spent some time on the variations he uses, which work so well in keeping his music fresh. The weather was a little warm, but the building seemed to be dry and many of the pipers were having a few reed problems by the end of the day. Kevin Popejoy brought the chanter he made. What a nice piece of work, and it sounds good too! If it s any indication, the rest of the set should be very nice. Kynch O Kaine had his B set from Seth Gallagher with him and I was hoping to get a chance to try them and maybe have a few tunes with Kynch and Brian a little B session as it were, but time wasn t on our side. Another treat was getting to meet Tom Kennedy s son Matthew. It s really great to see two generations showing up together and playing music. A group piper s picture was attempted by yours truly. Unfortunately trying to round everyone up was a bit of a challenge, and the resulting picture in no way represents all the pipers in attendance. We needed Edmund Tunney back to organize us all for this picture. The other classes for whistle, fiddle, flute, bodhrán, bal- THE PIPERS REVIEW 35 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

38 lads, keyboards, session playing, and harp were all well attended. It was a busy day for the volunteers getting everyone checked in and moved onto their classes. Mike Burke came up again and had his whistles for sale. The concert that evening was outstanding. Bernie McDonald, who is the host of the local radio show, Ireland in America, started things off with his wife Barbara who plays flute. Andrew O Brien (Mick s brother) then joined him for a few tunes. They were followed by John Skelton and Mark Stone and then by Tim Britton who did a great job. Bohola (Jimmy Keane, Sean Cleland, and Pat Broaders) finished the first set. The second half started with Grey Larsen. Brian McNamara came out with his new B set from Koehler & Quinn. The chanter is Benedict s and is made of apple wood. It s a lovely looking set and has a sound to match. Unfortunately the St. Louis weather had done in his concert D set, but listening to the B set was hardly a loss. Isaac Alderson was next with a few of the St. Louis contingent: 2 fiddle players, a harpist, and a bodhrán player. They did a great set, albeit way too short due to time constraints. (Our goal next year will be to give everyone more time at the concert maybe two concerts). Michael Cooney, Ged Foley, and Bernie Nau came out for the final set of the evening, and a great set it was with several tunes from Michael s new CD. Following the concert everyone retired to the St. Louis Brewery Taproom for more sessions. Jim and Kate Smith, George Gerules, Jon Cooper, Greg McRobbie and a number of others had a great session going upstairs while Cooney, Foley and another crew were playing downstairs. Tim and Grey Larsen had a great session going in the hall, and there were a couple of more sessions I didn t even get around to. The music and craíc went on till 3 am by which time most of us couldn t stay awake any longer. Sunday morning dawned all too early and the staff at John D. McGurks were waiting for us with a great breakfast buffet and lots of coffee. The boys from Bohola were in place and playing music bright and early with a good group joining in. Once everyone was awake there were never fewer than 3 sessions going the rest of the day, or at least till I finally left around 4:30. REVIEWS Seán Potts 001 Hare s Ear Publication Reviewed By Todd Denman Seán Potts is one of the leading pipers in Ireland. His style has changed over the years from a very musical, mixed combination of crisp open and closed playing mostly in concert pitch, (a good example of which can be heard in the live recording with Donal Lunny years back), to more recently a Robbie Hannan influenced, highly technical, fast paced style of playing mostly on flat pipes. Indeed, he and Robbie are apparently both influencing each other while pushing the technical limits at the forefront of traditional piping. His CD entitled simply Seán Potts illustrates this point as it features mostly solo, flat piping, often very similar to Robbie s playing. This is most apparent on tunes such as the version of the Jolly Tinker in D, which I first heard Joe McLoughlin playing in 1982, and the two part D version of Farewell to Erin, which Robbie has been playing for years. Most other tunes are classic piping gems like Dinny Delaney s Jig, the Silver Spear, the Seamus Ennis settings of the Rainy Day, the Merry Blacksmith and so on. And there s a lovely slow air composed by his father, called Cuimhne an Phiobaire. Seán is most exciting live and in person, where one can fully appreciate his technical mastery, quick fingers and ferocious playing. The CD lacks just some of the organic character and musical feeling of his live playing. Regulators are very tasteful and in tune. The chanter goes out of tune occasionally like on the Rainy Day, sharp in the second octave. Nevertheless, the playing is brilliant. For anyone who is a fan of the technical and fast, Robbie Hannan-like style or curious to see what one of Ireland s underrepresented and brilliant players has been up to, now have a listen. We hope this is just the beginning. Based on the comments received so far, it appears that everyone had a good time. We missed some old friends, but had a chance to make some new one. Plans are underway for next year; the date is the weekend of April 3, 2004 so mark your calendars. THE PIPERS REVIEW 36 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003

39 CUTS & PATS Welcome To New Members Richard Twomey Rory M. O Halloran Phil White Raymond Eickhoff William Fitzpatrick Tom Keenan Tom Jaenicke Jeff Bogart Anthony Santoro Roger Sherron Steven Tucker Matt Schibler Carlo Furlan Mark Ward Jim Reilly Chris O Reilly Robert McLean Nick Noble Brian Kinkade Mark Castoriano Louise Achey Theo Spoor Rebecca Kendrick Vincent Sondej Seattle, WA The Dalles, OR Seattle, WA Bothel, WA Plainfield, VT Mosheim, TN Olympia, WA Milwaukee, WI Charlotte, VT Sebastopol, CA Sacramento, CA Santa Monica, CA Seattle, WA Strongsville, OH South Salem, NY Riverton, NJ Kyoto, Japan Puyallup, WA N. Ogden, UT Puyallup, WA Naches, WA Papendrecht, Netherlands West Liberty, OH Montpelier, VT Pipemaker Pat sky has brought 2 websites to my attention. It is to help those pipers who are interested in making their own reeds, or those who would like to document their reed measurements to help others. It is also open for documenting reeds of the old makers. Pat would like to get at least 10 postings in order to keep the website open. Reed Measurements: ~ejhart/reed/reed.html How to make a reed: Leo Rowsome Collection of Irish Music has been published by Waltons, the Dublin based Music Company. It consists of 428 tunes (reels and jigs) taken from Leo s own transcriptions. It is available from Waltons (24.95 Euros), NPU, and Philippe Varlet. See Philippe s ad in this issue. Israeli member Efrain Eytan has come across a pipe recording that he feels should be heard. Jean Yves le Pape s recording The Uilleann Pipes of Ireland. The information on this recording can be found on the website Paddy Keenan s famous set of pipes will be going up for sale in the near future. Keep informed by checking out his website, which will have photos and information: Stolen in Ireland. Practice set. Willie Rowsome chanter, 4 brass keys. Set was in a new NPU case. Contact: Paul McNally, PIPES FOR SALE The above photo of a full set of uilleann pipes pitched in B was built by pipemaker Brad Angus. They were completed a few months ago and are now being played by a very happy owner. Brad is now producing a duplicate of this set in ebony, with brass fittings and English boxwood contrasting mounts. It will have a hand stitched bag, and cherry wood bellows. The chanter will be fully keyed. A case is included. This set will sell for $6, US when completed. Please contact Brad Angus if you are interested. Brad Angus 1015 West 17 th St. Vancouver, WA Tele: Des Serry half set in blackwood and brass. The chanter has a C natural key. The bag is made by MacHarg. The drone reeds are by O Grady and the chanter reed is from Quinn. Asking $ US, firm. Contact Chris O Melvin at: piobmor.aol.com Phone: (610) (EST) THE PIPERS REVIEW 37 VOL XXII NO 2 - Spring 2003