Dynamics in Piping

 

By Eliot Grasso

Published in An Píobaire Vol. 4, No. 38 December 2006, pp. 14-16

 

It is commonly misconstrued that the uilleann pipes are not capable of dynamics and that they are either “on” or “off.” Although the dynamic range of the pipes seems extremely limited when compared to other traditional instruments, the dynamic capabilities of the pipes should not be dismissed. Intonation and the coloring of tones are both nuances rarely discussed in the execution of music on the instrument. In the following paragraphs, I will ruminate on these ideas and explain their importance to performing the dance music of Ireland.

 

Each note on the chanter has its own volume accompanied by a distinct characteristic timbre. You have probably noticed that the bottom D, lifted clearly from the knee, is quite loud compared to the other notes in the bottom hand. Louder still is the hard bottom D which exports a striking level of harmonic output from the chanter. The first octave E is, by comparison to bottom D, much quieter when fingered with the chanter on the knee with the bottom two fingers up. To achieve a louder, grittier hard E, lift only the bottom ring finger up and raise the chanter from your leg. This will sharply contrast with the other E, but when playing frequent passages involving the alternation of bottom D and E, this alternate fingering will facilitate a smoother transition between the two notes as their timbres will be more consistent.

 

The first octave F-sharp is, like the E, relatively quiet if only the middle finger of the bottom hand is lifted. But, alternate fingerings including the lifting of the bottom ring finger along with the middle finger will increase the volume of the note. For passages involving runs of F-E-D or D-E-F, try keeping the chanter off the knee lifting only the bottom ring finger for E and lifting the bottom middle and ring fingers for F-sharp. You’ll be able to achieve a smoother, more consistent phrase than if you were to lift and replace the chanter rapidly.

 

G is a fairly stable tone on the chanter as is A. A, however, is a note which, with great adjustment to fingering, can produce a variety of timbres. Try using different combinations of fingers up when playing the note A. Start with one finger, then try one finger plus the two fingers you would have up for G. Then, try the one finger plus the one or two fingers you would have up for F-sharp. Notice the subtle differences in the sound produced by alternative these fingerings. These subtleties can be used to great effect when employed mindfully.

 

The C natural is, without question, the most dynamic (and by this I mean a combination of volume and coloring) note on the chanter. With several alternate fingerings, plan to sit on this note when possible to inflect various effects. C-sharp is, by virtue of the bore, a fairly set tone. Attempts to raise the chanter from the knee can often result in a half-step drop in pitch.

 

Back D can be a rather dynamic note especially when played with vibrato. Virtually any finger(s) below the back D can be lifted and lowered at varying speeds to produce a wide spectrum of colorful vibrato. Try out a variety of combinations on your particular chanter to see which best suits your ear. The vibrato of each piper in the professional world is quite distinct, so distinct in fact that from this maneuver alone can many pipers be identified.

 

You can apply to the second octave E the same ring-finger-up-with-chanter-off-the-knee technique that works so well in the first octave except you should not use it in alternation with back D. In the second octave, try this fingering while alternating between the E and F-sharp. Lift the chanter off the knee with the bottom ring finger raised. As you replace the chanter on the knee, begin to raise the middle finger while replacing the ring. The resulting sound will be a very effective slide into the F-sharp.

 

When playing in the second octave, the fingering for F-sharp, should in most cases be left unaltered as simply the middle finger up. When sliding between notes, a fair degree of coloration can be employed (i.e. sliding between second octave E and F-sharp), but leaving more than one finger up for this note can result in poor intonation. The second octave G can be fingered similarly as it would be in the first octave, with the index and middle fingers up. However, to allow for greater variety of sound later on, try fingering G regularly with only the index finger up. When you come to a second octave G roll or wish to highlight that note in a particular way, you can now opt to lift two fingers (index and middle). By this method, you will engage yourself and the listener with the drastically different sound now produced when compared to the more reserved sound one-holed fingering.

 

The notes A and B can likewise be treated. Try having open as few fingers as necessary to keep the note in tune, but when you really wish to highlight those pitches, open up a few more holes to export some volume.

 

Be sure to be mindful of conventional—and I use the term loosely—fingerings because you will likely want the majority of your playing to be consistent timbrally and in tune with itself. Do, by all means, employ alternate fingerings when you wish to express a musical idea or event. The bent intonation and gritty dissonance achievable on the chanter by virtue of alternative fingerings] is a mainstay of expression on the uilleann pipes. Just be sure to decide in advance where you would like to implement such variants if you are not yet comfortable with the spontaneous use of alternate fingerings.

 

The Importance of Practice Space Acoustics

 

It is absolutely essential that you practice in a space where you can hear yourself. I know that probably sounds a bit odd, but since the resonating body on the uilleann pipes is extremely limited, the more reverberation your practice space will afford you, the better. This is important for several reasons. First, if your playing is amplified by the space you’re playing in, you will ultimately work less to produce the sound. You may not notice it, but when you are playing in a noisy pub or session, you are actually pushing slightly harder on the bag in a subconscious attempt to hear yourself over everything else. Flute players will blow a little harder, fiddlers will apply more pressure to the strings with the bow, and accordion players will push and draw the bellows further with each note, but for pipers, comparable efforts are futile. While the paragraphs outlined above describe how to apply dynamic nuance to each note, these techniques will be no means make it easier for you to hear yourself in a din.

 

Second, by playing in a space that amplifies your chanter, you will not only work less, but you will also subconsciously begin to adjust your intonation. My heart always goes out to pipers who have nearly every hole on their chanter taped up. The pipemaker, having spent hours building your chanter and further time making a playable reed for it, hopefully devoted at least a few minutes to tuning the thing! I am convinced that in most cases, these chanters are taped up because the piper expects that “one for all and all for one” is the way of pressure application with the bag. Not so. Play in a space where you can hear well enough to adjust your bag pressure so that you are playing the chanter in tune.

 

When you play in this space (I recommend a bathroom), be conscious of two things. First, feel the vibrations of the notes through your bag. This will take some getting used to since your arm will be very tense from squeezing the bag, but trying to feel these vibrations will heighten your awareness and ultimately improve intonation and tone. Second, listen closely to your drones (provided they are in tune with the chanter and each other). The drones are foundational in the sound of the instrument and the way each note played reacts against the sound waves put out by the drones will lead to further adjust your intonation. Listening to the intervals between the drones and each note of the chanter is essential.

 

Try also turning your head to different sides while you practice. First, turn your head to the left and listen with your right ear. Then, turn your head to the right and listen with your left ear. When you turn your head to the left, you’ll hear a lot of drones and chanter, but when you turn your head to the right, you’ll hear mostly chanter. By the way, your left and right ears hear sounds differently. Your right ear is better at picking up the rhythm of speech while your left ear is better at discerning sustained musical frequencies. By consciously using both ears in this way, you can isolate the way you’re hearing these sounds while giving yourself an opportunity to listen critically to your tone and intonation. If you see a musician up on stage who looks like they’re staring off into space, they’re probably just listening very closely to the sounds coming out of their instrument.

 

I would not be surprised that if, in attempt to quiet the uilleann pipes for indoor use, the neck of the chanter evolved. The reed goes from having the entire space of the bag in which to resonate, as it would in a set of highland bagpipes, to having the miniscule space of the wind cap. Since the resonating body of the chanter is so small, it is imperative to practice in a space with good acoustics so that you can listen closely and carefully to the sounds you are producing. This, in conjunction with the observations rendered in the first section of this article, will hopefully make for more musical and precise playing.