On 29 May 2007, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > <continued use of the left thumb from one note to another (c# and d#) > > Does anyone know why the C# is usually next to the D on the right of > the chanter, and the D# next to the E on the left? I know of one maker > who reverses them, so you can play C#-D left pinky right thumb and > D#-E right thumb left pinky. I'm surprised this arrangement is not > more popular.
My understanding is that the 14 key chromatic chanter (D -> b) preceded any extension of the chanter to lower notes. Thus, it would obviously be more convenient to put the D# with the D, leaving only 3 keys for the less agile little finger. If one pairs the C# with the E this means that the length of the key from the pivot to the tone hole would be much longer for the C# than the E and the two arms of the lever would be unbalanced. It can be Thidone but it is not the best. Interestingly, Andy May showed me me a chanter he has made which is a copy of a G G Armstrong chanter in his possession This in turn appears to be a copy of a Reid chanter in the bagpipe museum. The low E key is not paired with any other, and rather than the tone hole being exactly on the side of the chanter, it is moved slightly to the front. This allows the low G# and the Bb in the middle of the chanter to be moved closer to the little finger side, being at an angle of thirty degrees, rather than the more usual 45 degrees. This means that the pivot block for the Bb is further from the centre back of the chanter, allowing a flat area on the back of the chanter for the thumb. When I transferred from a 7 key to a 17 key chanter, the intrusion of the Bb block into the area where the the right thumb rested on the back of the chanter was the greatest difficulty I faced. Barry Say To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
