Hello Peter and others.
I agree absolutely with your suggestion and would advocate the use of
standard pitches only, whether D, F, F# or G.
The course of instrumental pitch is a complex and controversial one.
Unfortunately, the history of woodwind and brasswind making is plagued
by examples of instruments whose pitch differed from the prevailing
one because individual makers or groups of makers thought it was a
good idea at the time. These instruments are not representative of
their period and are now curiosities.
The difference between F and F +20 cents is sufficiently wide to
sound musically unpleasant without providing any pleasing tonal
advantage. Many people like the tone of chanters raised by the full
semitone to F# and I am one of them. This is of course equivalent to
the old G and is very close to the pitch of original chanters made by
the Reids whose design forms the basis of all subsequent NSP making.
This traditional pitch is heard to great effect in the wonderful
playing of Adrian Schofield.
I would be very surprised if NSP makers did not eventually move to the
standard F that you suggest. Chanters in other standard pitches are
perfectly acceptable and seem to provoke no controversy.
Francis
On 12 Nov 2008, at 20:17, P DUNN wrote:
Regarding the question of pitch, it is all a matter of whether one
is
playing on one's own or playing with others. If playing solo, it
doesn't really matter what the pitch is. The problem comes when
trying
to play with others. Then, it's just a nuisance that the pipes
aren't
in true F. Personally, I think that pipe makers should grasp the
nettle
and start to make pipes consistently in F, then they could be a true
transposing instrument.
Peter
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