CHANTERS & REEDS

EthnicSounds           John Walsh                Gibson                      Duncan Soutar

The practice chanter consists basically of the blowpipe and chanter from the pipes stuck together to make a wind instrument (i.e., it's a set of pipes without the bag and without the drones). It comes apart in the center at the band; the double plastic reed is inside. Most practice chanters are made of wood and have a plastic mouthpiece. Some, however, are made entirely of high-grade plastic (these latter are not necessarily the cheapest ones). Wood is traditional, and is a favorite material with many pipers; however, it should be noted that the plastic has certain advantages: it gives a constant tone whatever the weather, with no expanding, contracting or splitting.

Practice chanters come mostly in two sizes: standard and long (smaller chanters for children also exist). The standard practice chanter's blowpipe and chanter pieces are somewhat shorter than those on a full-size set of bagpipes, and the distance between the holes is slightly less; however, this is a convenient size to manage, and the standard practice chanter is the one played by the majority of people. It's usually about 18-19 inches long overall.

The long practice chanter's blowpipe and chanter are the same size as these pieces on a full-size set of bagpipes, and the hole spacings are the same as well; a long chanter is 21-23 inches long overall, depending on the brand. People who play the long chanters like the fact that they feel the same as the pipes. Which size of practice chanter you will play is entirely up to you; if you have short arms, you will probably find that a standard chanter works better for you. If you are tall with long arms, you would be comfortable with a long chanter.

The woods used in both practice chanters and bagpipes are dense, hard woods. The best are African blackwood and ebony; cocus (a figured light beige wood) and rosewood are also used. Note that rosewood comes in different grades; our cheapest chanters and pipes are made of an inexpensive type of rosewood, obviously a wood that is in plentiful supply.

Prices of practice chanters vary a great deal, and here, again, you must make a choice. Some people feel that they are better to buy an inexpensive one until they see where they are going on this, and then get a good one later on. Others figure that if they are going to play this for the rest of their lives, they might as well get a good one right up front. As with everything else, you pretty well get what you pay for in quality, tone, intonation, ability to stand up to moisture from your breath, long-term durability and climate changes.