Quick Picks: How to Tune the Bagpipe Chanter
 
Sign In Sign Up — It's Free!

How to Tune the Bagpipe Chanter

Viewing videos requires the latest version of Adobe's Flash Player.
Get the latest Flash player.
Showing 1-5

Part of the video series: Prepare a Bagpipe Before Playing it

left_arrow right_arrow
Add to My Playlist What is a playlist?

Summary: Learn how to tune your chanter in this free video series that will show you everything you need to know about playing the bagpipe.

Views: 637 | Tags: instrument, tuning, wind, reeds, pitch, scottish, highland, drone, volume, bagpipe, bagpipes, Scotland

Get the latest Flash player.
Email Video Add to Favorites
About the Expert

Neil Hubbard Neil Hubbard has taught the Scottish Highland bagpipes to individuals and groups since the early 1990's. In addition to coaching the Seattle Firefighters Pipe... read more

Hide Comments

Conversations About This Video

  • Comments
    (0 comments)
  • Questions & Answers
    (0 questions) (0 answers)
Be the first to comment on this video.
Have a question about this video topic? Ask our community members and let them share their knowledge with you!
Ask A Question

Video Transcript

How to Tune the Bagpipe Chanter

MAN: I'm going to talk about how to tune the chanter. Basically, it's a fixed tuning in sort of an A sharp at about 475 cycles per second. That's sharper than the concert pitch A of 440. It's almost a B flat. The chanter reed sets into the throat of the chanter and it's a very small adjustment that allows you to tune in to a low A, which in this case is. You can make slight adjustments, flattening the pitch on each of these holes by putting a little black tape over the top of the holes. Right now, I've got tape on G, A, B, C, F, and G, and the high A. You can also adjust the pitch by moving the chanter reed slightly out to flatten it a bit, or slightly in. You might be able to see also, I've got a little rubber band around this reed. It makes it a little easier to blow and by pushing the rubber band up, it will sharpen the pitch slightly. So, there are a couple ways to change the pitch, but you can't really change this chanter to play in C or D. It plays in the key of basically A Sharp.

Watch these related videos

Wind Instruments Ads

Community Members who...

  • Favorited this Video
  • Rated This Video

Top Tags

accordion accordions american bagpipes beginner blues box care chords clarinet embouchure flute flute lessons flutes harmonica instructional instrument instruments ireland Irish Irish flute japanese jazz key mouth musical musical instruments native nativeamericanflute notes orchestra play player playing polka reed reeds repair scale scales Shakuhachi sheet squeeze symphony techniques theory traditional tuning wind wooden
Check out what people are watching now
left_arrow right_arrow