Tuning Your Pipe Chanter Using the Braw Bagpipe Tuner! - Get Your Chanter Reeds Under Control Part 3
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- Опубліковано 22 жов 2020
- Link to PDF tuning and taping chart: bit.ly/ChanterTuning
In today's video, Matt Willis Bagpiper shows you how to get your pipe chanter in tune using the Braw Bagpipe Tuner app (available for iOS and Android)!
Get Your Chanter Reeds Under Control Part 1: • Get Your Chanter Reeds...
Get Your Chanter Reeds Under Control Part 2: • Scraping & Sanding You...
Infinity B♭ Chanter: • R.G. Hardie Infinity B...
Melvin Reeds: • Melvin Pipe Chanter Re...
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Braw should use this as their training video. I use it and it works well but they don't seem to have an good videos on how to use. Once again Matt makes it clear.
As Lee said, great video.
I agree that the design is what has made this tuner a game changer.
If the good folks at B.B.T. are reading this I'd like to make a suggestion: cut a deal with Matt and have him make a tutorial series on the tuner (sorry Matt, I'm sure you have a lot on your plate, but I'm selfish and such a series could be epic) and if you want it translated to Spanish I volunteer.
Agreed - BBT is brilliant but a deal with Matt would make lots of sense.
Once again a great video! Thank you for explaining in depth on to use this App! But if you will excuse me I have a chanter to tune.
I was actually JUST trying to figure out the tuning process using this app today, so it was perfect that you released this video when you did. Thank youuuuuu!!!!!!! I was just noticing my whole chanter was sharp, and I was thinking, "there's no way I should have to tape so much of it," but seeing you put tape over as many holes as you did makes me feel a whole lot better! Off to tune the chanter! Yippee!
Thanks Matt I've been off the pipes for a couple of years, and I've found your videos fantastic. Tuning, working the reeds. etc Helped me greatly. Cheers from Australia.
Great to hear!
Awesome tutorial! And awesome app too! I’ve been using pano-tuner for all my instruments, but this one is truly ghb specific and precise. Thanks Sir.
Good video review, Matt. I like this app!
£29 for life. Just bought. Made tuning sooooo much easier. Thanks Matt. Loving your lessons and have become a patreon. It's the least i can do.
Awesome! Thank you!
Thanks Matt, very helpful once again.
Good job Matt. I been thinking about purchasing the full app for years just wasn't sure if it was worth it. Now I see it is. Definitely get more accurate results from full app. Thanks
I've been using it for about a year, it's well worth the money. I use it at band practice too, PM loves it.
Excellent video. I finally bought the app, and it's really effective.
Great to hear!
Great video. I already use the Braw Tuner and seeing your methodology reassured me that I am using properly. Interesting that I noted you had the same problem of a note not responding correctly, the High G (?). I find the same problem, the tuner seems to read it as a drone note and I think I saw your app do the same. Maybe a little work needed from the Braw Tuner people. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Thank you Matt for this video! I purchased the app. -Puerto Rico Bagpiper
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you- I learned lots there
Thanks so much, sir.
Great video and advice thanks once again Matt ;}
Glad you enjoyed it
Hear, hear
MOST excellent tuition,,,, thanks
You are welcome!
Great lesson Matt. I got the app some time ago but didn’t know how to use it properly. Now if I could only get a note out of my pipes!
Have you tried this video for getting your pipes working? ua-cam.com/video/lBotVgTWIPs/v-deo.html
@@MattWillisBagpiper Another great video Matt. I recently bought a low strength reed and had to sand it down. Can’t get low A below 480Hz. Maybe it’s the altitude here 8,660 ft!
Thanks!
Many thanks!
I've tried the BBT with two phones, a Samsung and a Redmi, and both showed exactly the same frequencies
This shouldn't surprise anyone, but it's still good news.
Soon we'll be Playing with Carlos Núñéz, and he wants us tuned in 468, so The BBT is really handy.
Also I'm getting each piper to learn how to use the BBT on their own.
And at practice we first use the "normal" chanter.
Then we all go to the "Bb" chanter so all have to learn
how to make the changes.
Hey Matt. I’ve got the Braw and haven’t tried it yet but I’m looking forward.
Have you figured out the istrobo yet? I have it also and can’t figure out where to set the setting in the bottom left and right corners. The transpose etc settings
Hi Matt, great videos. Can you advise what app you use for drone tuning?
I love braw! Makes it so easy. Try using a tuning clip for when you're tuning solo. It's cheap maybe 12 to 15 bucks on Amazon? Clip it onto each drone and it isolates it because it reads vibration not sound. Same for the chanter. If you're tuning multiple pipers you can clip it onto a chanter or drone and don't have to worry about the other pipers noise.
I've never had any luck with those clips. I even bought a rather expensive Peterson one and it very rarely picks up anything on the pipes. I wanted to like it! And glad you've had success. :)
@@MattWillisBagpiper it's very finicky. You have to play around with the positioning on the drones to get it to start reading. There's good info available if you search online but if I had to guess it clips on around where the tongue of the drone reed is. On the chanter it's gotta go in between the low g and the two holes. I like it closer to the two holes so I don't hit the clip when throwing a birl.
Give it another shot you might be surprised. I got the wired grey Peterson one, it wasn't very expensive. It goes right into your headphone jack and acts as a direct mic input. I haven't perfected tuning my drones by ear yet. So this helps me get them tuned perfectly very quickly.
Great video again matt. Are you going to do a video on drone tuning using either the braw app or the other one you mentioned.
There are plans for a drone tuning video with the other tuner. First, I have to figure out a solution for Android users because the iOS version (that I use) has a lot more options on iStroboSoft than the Android one. Android users will likely have to purchase a clip-on pickup mic.
@@MattWillisBagpiper thanks for the reply matt. Will look out for the video. Keep up the good work 👍👍
What song is played in the intro? Would love to start practicing.
And secondly, great video! Thanks Matt. Just started using it.
Thanks again for your help. Since I’ve gotten my first set in April last year, I have learned a lot! Of course, I’m not a pro. But my knowledge is growing:) thanks!
The tune is "All the Blue Bonnets Are Over the Border" and the whole thing can be heard here: bit.ly/BlueBonnets (the version here is from Scots Guard volume 1). And you're always welcome to become a patron if you want to support the channel! www.patreon.com/mattpiper
In any case, glad you found the channel here and there's plenty more coming. Cheers!
Thanks. Could a perfect reed ever be made that did not require any chanter tape
Hi matt, Great helpfull video was wondering if the braw bagpipe tuner would work for uilleann practice chanter? Thank you for posting sir 👍 😊🙋♂️
Yep, though it's weird. Try entering into the "SET MANUALLY" either 293.7 for the bottom octave or 587.3 for the second octave. The weird part however is it'll read Low A as the Bottom D, B for the E, etc.
@@MattWillisBagpiper That's great to hear, thanks alot for your reply Matt really appreciate your fantastic UA-cam channel !!! 😊 🙋♂️ 👍
Ah yes, the best community ever
Matt, I am very new to playing the bagpipe. As a matter of fact, I have just graduated four days ago from only playing my practice chanter for about 7 months to buying a set of McCallum bagpipes. Being that I'm new, I'm hoping that this is not a dumb question...but I didn't see a video in your series on tuning the drones. Would you be able to do that? I want to make sure everything is in tune, chanter and drones, to make it sound its best. I would appreciate your help. Thanks in advance and thank you for all of your helpful videos!!!
I'll eventually do a drone tuning video, but it's a tough one to film and really describe how to do it all... I discuss drone tuning briefly in my most recent video (it's smallpipes, but the principles the same): ua-cam.com/video/DT5jq2LCOCg/v-deo.html
Hi Matt! Great video
I'm analysing the Highland Bagpipes from far away at the moment. Never played them regularly but I have a friend who does. I particularly have been playing the Galician Bagpipes quite a long time (from Northern Spain)
In this video you used a Bb chanter. But normally would it be in A? And in what pitch are they are tradionally tuned? I see you used 466.6Hz but I watched some another mate on ytube using around 479Hz. That means that an A chanter would sound something close to a low Bb in 440Hz?
I ask this because I would fancy mixing both Highland and Galician one day in the future. Galician is most normally played in C chanters but actually you find a lot of D, Bb and A as well. And they are all tuned at 440Hz (438-442Hz sometimes depending on the weather). But I guess I would be able to tune a chanter in Bb all in - or +25cent in the tuner for 440Hz (don't know how much it would translate in Hz pitch) making it very low or very high.
In this case I'm not too sure if I would need a Bb or an A chanter to adpat it. Would you have any ideas on it?
Here is a video references of a Galician in Bb:
ua-cam.com/video/flADq_pXlLY/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/kaUhyXQEiUo/v-deo.html
*another difference is that Galician would play the 7th note of scale as G# instead of G in Highland (but fingering can be adapted with different fingering and tapes on the bottom holes)
Cheers
The modern highland pipe chanter tunes Low A at around 480, so it's actually like half way between concert B♭ and concert B. That said, concert B♭ 466Hz chanters are readily available, as are drone extenders to bring those in too. A=440 chanters are also available, but in my opinion tend to sound a bit off (just too far from the standard modern tuning for my ear, though I've played in concert A=440 for nearly 20 years now). I do not attempt to get the drones going when that low pitched.
@@MattWillisBagpiper good stuff! Thank you
Very interesting
I would modify a chanter if needed but I wouldn’t call what I do “Carving”. If you have a chanter that has consistent problems staying balanced on particular notes no matter what reeds you try a mod might be in order. Don’t use a Dremel if you’re inexperienced just a curved or round long file the correct size. Often you just need to smooth the angle from the top side of the hole inside the chanter to remove any inclusions from the casting process. If the regular difference is consistently over 8 cents flat however you will struggle to bring it up any more than that with this method. If it’s a solo chanter that you aren’t worried about elongating the hole it may be worth it, if it’s a band owned chanter then number one it should never be touched either way without permission of the bands tuner. (Maybe I should have mentioned that earlier) Number two if it’s consistently out and the mods needed are too wild look around for a new brand of chanter. Many are very exact these days with reeds to match and need zero or only mild mods to correct them.
Hi Matt, this may be a daft question but if I've learned anything in life it is that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. As others have said below, great video and makes the whole process a bit clearer. I nearly said easier... Hah! One thing though that you alluded to in the video, the environment, you didn't expand, and that's the point of my question. I suspect that your environment is the inverse of mine, here in Norfolk in the UK. I imagine you have warm/hot outside and cool inside. How can you allow for the changes in temperature? I tuned up almost perfectly inside in my house then went outside to play yesterday evening and within about ten minutes it was all over the place, even after warming up for about 15 minutes. So I tried using the app where I was playing but there's too much extraneous noise which confuses the app. The temperature difference was about 15c. Grateful for your thoughts on this. Or am I missing something obvious? Wouldn't be the first time...
I try to always tune my pipes in the same environment they'll be getting played in. For outside events, even if I need to tune offsite, I'll find a nearby park and get in tune there. And the colder it is, the less you want to warm up (unless you are going to be playing for a long time at the event). 15ºC swing is a big one and no set of pipes would be able to stay in tune with that temperature change.
did you do a review for the use of iStroboSoft tuning the drones?
Not yet...
Pipe chanter in tune and drones aswell... after I kick in drones if I half cover the bush on my base and manipulate the air it goes from tuned to double tone , a gurgle if you will and it sounds amazing, cant get that in my tennors after hours of playing with the bridals and tongues ? Dose this even make sense? lol
What brand drones and drone reeds?
Matt, great video and guidance... I have a new practice chanter and wondered... is the BBT sensitive enough to use with a PC? Thanks for all you do to help the unlearned! :)
Hello! Yes, you can use this to tune your practice chanter, you just have to set the low A to either around 220Hz (for a lower pitched chanter) or 233Hz (for a higher pitched chanter).
Matt thanks for the quick response… I did try to “set” the tuner but it requires the “premium” edition… Should I take your recommendation as support that you would purchase the upgrade for this Braw tuner? (You’re always on the cutting edge and a recommendation is meaningful... thanks Sir). 👍
Yes, you do need the premium mode to set the Low A frequency, and it is a bit pricey, but I feel it's worth it. You will continue to use this tuner on the pipes, and I use it all the time (especially when setting up a new pipe chanter/reed). Best of luck!
@@MattWillisBagpiper great... I purchased the upgrade, running my small pipes now... your the best! PS...Would you ever consider are you doing a review of a piece of equipment called “blowpro” it’s an electronic dongle that you insert in the bag that electronically measures bag pressure coupled with the tuner gives you an opportunity to value steady blowing have you ever heard of it?
Hi I play the classic 480 chanter. And just got the Braw tuner . What the best manual frequency to put in can anyone help I’ve tried 480 and not having no luck . Tia guysx
I'd play Amazing Grace slowly and without drones and see what the "use current average" says...
hey matt i was wondering if you can do a video with the intune mic that goes with the braw tuner when and if you get one that is?
I tried a few weeks ago while having that tuner on loan from a student, and it didn't go well. I need to get my hands on another mic and try again.
ok that would be great because i’ve been wondering how good it is and the pros and cons because i do love the braw tuner
Hello, have you managed to do a vid on the use of iStroboSoft for tuning the drones?
Not yet... Drone tuning will be a series I'll be filming later this fall. Probably 3-5 videos (since there's a lot to it!). Stay tuned! ;-)
Very Nice Video, as usual :)
But how come you manage to have at the very beginning a low A at about 466 Hz ??? I've got Mac Callum and G1 chanter, and tried any kind of reeds and always have hight frequency on low A like 485-490 Hz despire lowering the reed from its seat. I do guess it's because you use a Bflat chanter. only by taping a lot the low A, i can manage to have lower frequency, but as you said, it really affects the power of the sound coming from the chanter.
Cheers Matt, keep going with theses pretty nice videos
I'm on a B♭ chanter getting ready for a gig where I needed to play with an organ, so I was aiming for 466Hz.
Hi Matt, I just got a Bflat chanter to play with brass bands. Do I need to use equal temperament or is GHB Standard okay? Thanks
I would think standard pipe tuning should work, especially if you plan to play with the drones. But it also depends on the music being played. If there are a lot of Gs in particulars (high or low), you may need to sharpen them as the standard GHB G is 31 cents flat of equal temperament...
@@MattWillisBagpiper ah okay, thank you))
I was chatting with a friend about tuning. Our thoughts were, if you had a chanter and reed that you did not know anything about how the chanter and reed tuned, what would be the process to bring everything into tune. Would it be the same as the process you showed ?
Yes, I would think it should be the same has shown in the video here.
A question, Matt: I used a Korg tuner but I bought the braw tuner being more comfortable. It works quite well! But the frequency it detects is always higher than the Korg one. Ex. Korg @ 454Hz , Braw tuner 478Hz. Which one is true?
The Korg is reading the A as a B-flat (look at the note shown in the top corner), which is approx 26(ish) hertz different than the A (440 vs 466.16), so a 478 low A should be about a B-flat at around 452. Used a Korg for years before the modern phone apps. Hope that made sense!
@@MattWillisBagpiper crystal clear , as usual. Thank you Matt, you're an idol.
Matt, very well done. Have you considered using a pickup clip-on for those hard to tune (hear) notes?
You could buy a Lighting port to mini jack convertor if you've a new iPad. See Amazon for "Peterson Tuners Pitch Grabber Mobile Active Clip-On Pickup for Use with Mobile Instrument Tuning Apps"
I have not used a pick mic yet, but need to look into it for situations where others are playing. I will take a look at the one you sugggested!
There is now a clip on wireless mic specially for this app, see Bagpipe Lessons by Joni Chisholm who produced the app.
Is there a setting for tuning your practice chanter?
Try putting Low A = 220 or 233 and see if it works.
How would you raise a lowG ? Only tape I'm using is on f and high g
Other than grinding tone holes I'm gonna have to drop everything else instead I'm thinking
You called it. Short of removing material from the lower parallel tone holes to sharpen low G, you’ll have to flatten everything else.
I try many, many more reeds before altering the chanter
Is Braw still the go to tuner? or is there a newer better app you prefer for the chanter?
Braw is still my go-to for the chanter. 👍👍
I have a question. I know this is an older video and you may not respond but I need to ask this.
Why would one consider a chanter that needs tape to be a good chanter? As someone who makes flutes, if one of my flutes required tape to be in tune, it would be a bad flute. The same goes for saxophone, clarinet, tin whistle etc. I don't know alot about double reed instruments, but my father in law, who plays the bassoon, says the same thing.
Thank you for your videos, I appreciate them.
My apologies if this came off as argumentative, that was not my intention. I'm just confused.
The main reason is the lack of control on the reed. With a saxophone or clarinet, you can alter the pressure of your embouchure as well change the shape of the throat and soft palate to alter the pitch of the reed. You can also change the velocity of air as you play. None of that is possible with a pipe chanter. The air is constant (or should be!), and the reed is in a chamber that is set and unchangeable (the stock), and you have no embouchure/lip control to alter the pitch or tone. The reeds justs sitting there. So you have to alter the chanter, as it's the only variable left.
I know on my sax, with some reeds my second octave E is very sharp, and with other reeds no nearly so bad. And with a different mouthpiece, that same note can even be a bit flat and I have to "lip it up" to pitch. It's a great horn, but like all saxophones, it won't ever be perfectly in tune without the player controlling the pitch with their embouchure, breath control, and voicing...
Hope that helps answer the question!
@@MattWillisBagpiper Thank you. That makes a lot of sense, I appreciate the answer and the time you took to give it.
What kind of tape do you youse tune the chanter?
It's a type of gaff/stage tape. I bought mine through Henderson Imports. Works great!
This video might wind up costing me $30….
But it looks like it will be money well spent
So if a professional.. (or an idiot lol...) carves a chanter into tune... and once taped into tune ...??? When the chanter reed needs to be changed do we need to start over again? Or is it tuned and scraped to perfection for good ?
Cause tape is nothing but even professional scraping cant be replaced .. last question , is a chromatic chanter a totally different story or is it just extra notations?
Depends on the amount of carving. a bit of carving and some tape will make everything better. Too much carving and it can affect all of the note below that one on the chanter.
Any thoughts on using this tuner for a pipeband?
Use it all the time! But only works one piper at a time (can’t have the whole band playing).
And I only use it for the chanter, not drones.
Hi Matt,
Been 3yrs since this vid was posted. When do you think you might cover tuning drones, using TBBT?
There is a drone setup and tuning series coming, but I will not be using the Braw Tuner app. Absolutely brilliant for the chanter, but doesn’t do it for me with the drones. We’ll be using iStroboSoft for drones.
@@MattWillisBagpiper is it free to download, or similar in price to TBBT?
It's $10, but you really need an iOS device for iStroboSoft to work its best (for some reason, the Android version lacks some features/settings). I have some student pick up an old iPhone or iPod Touch just to use this app.
hi Matt, Got the iStroboSoft onto my ipad. Works a treat. But, looking forwrd to your critique of it, to fully understand it. Any idea when that might be? Jack
@@MattWillisBagpiper
Sometime next year will be my drone series... The problem is there isn't one right place to start. To tune drones ALL of the following have to be in order:
1. Chanter PERFECTLY tuned, or the drones will be out of tune on the notes the chanter is out of tune on.
2. Blow/squeezing must be nearly PERFECT or you'll be aiming to tune a moving target, which is nearly impossible.
3. The drone reeds have to set up to take EXACTLY the same amount of air or the tiniest variance in blowing will cause the drones to drift out of tune with each other.
4. The drone reeds also have to have their tuning screws/placement in the reed seat correct so the tune at (around) the same place/position on the pin. If one tenor is in tune showing a bit of hemp and the other is in tune much further down on the pin, each drone may be in tune, but the tone/timbre coming out won't be the same and may still sound "out" do to the differences in tone color...
5. Only after ALL of those points above are taken care of is one in a position to break out a tuner and use it successfully... And if you can do all of those things, it's very likely you could just use your ear to tune the drones.
First of thanks,, half hour play to warm up not looking then taped seemed easier (im guessing the tape held hz instead of it changing as it warmed up....
Now?Not sure if I'm imagining this or if it makes sense... but ... after I had the chanter tuned and sounding amazing the drones seemed diferent?
Best way I can describe this is prior to tuned chanter i had over half a centameter forgiveness on the sliders .... after it was like I only had 2mm and above or below was out of tune ... my Imagination thinks the variation in low and high A along with E allowed the drones more "freedom" due to more hz to blend with ... where as now the As and E in tune with each other theres more precession??? Might be all in my head
I even had to move my bridal on my base to match low A ... after bass in tune my tennors are stupidly short lmao (bridals moved eventually)
But the harmony now is mind blowing ..and I started with my bridal open and closed it until it was (good in my opinion ) it started shutting down on me so I kept opening it.. turned out that too open could even shut down the base drone ... picky instrument but well worth the efforts
This video gave me a new set of pipes in the long run with a deep gurgle base... as a gentleman thankyou ..... as a oil rig hand, I got half a hard on going here lol
Glad to have given you a a "new" set of pipes!
🎼I've been chasing the dragon🎵 lol, watching the tuner I bet I've been squeezing more or less to stay close (a 60$ tuner vs a few dollar app)
and so stupid of me ,🤦♂️ tape tuning immediately instead of allowing a warm up first ...then unhappy afterwards (2 more mistakes you've helped me with ) 🍻thanks once again ⚒
, tuning tape seems to migrate, too loose it gives me wrinkles cause of the slope and too tight it rides the slope of the chanter , I use a gorilla tape ,even duct tape would move on me slightly
And after reading my comment,,,, I was referring too I should have got the app and never bought the tuner
Once I'm going good on the brawl and happy by ear I'm interested to see if theres a few cents/hz off (f# or D etc.)that brawl has accounted for vs true tuned .... or I put both side by side and gutar challenge them lol... bloddy curiosity...
I'd be cautious of something as permanent as Gorilla Tape!
@Matt Willis Bagpiper now you got me worried... it's the camo one that I also aply to my rifle and change for winter without taking off the tru oil finish ... no stronger than duct tape
There are permanent, water proof, extra adhesive and a patch tape that I'd never use
I'm thinking that being careful your thinking I might crack the ebony upon removal? The adhesive is rubber based similar to electrical tape .. is it a chemical issue your thinking?
How did the G change? I don't think you played any Hi G's.
Editing! Or at least, I assume so... I likely played more off camera.
Can this be used for kitchen pipes in b flat?
Yep! Just put the Low A frequency at 233 (half of 466)
Perfect thank you, will that also stop my drones from tuning off the pins?
How helpful is this app when in a room of Pipers?
You'd need a contact mic hooked into your phone if more than one piper is playing....
does this work for practice chanters?
Yep! Set the frequency at around 230hz. That said, practice chanters aren’t easy to tune as they don’t respond well to taping.
Thank you!
Just bought it but when playing a tune can’t get the notes to show. I push the note button to tune one note. How do I see all notes showing
Make sure it’s not locked to a note. If you see a lock icon on the top of the screen click on it to turn it off.
@@MattWillisBagpiper I see it. I see it thanks
I notice with the Braw tuner it doesn't pick up High G very well and when it does say the High G is in tune it's often too flat
Interesting. It could be that your ear has gotten used to a higher-itched high G than bagpipe tuning (as our G is 31 cents flat of equal temperament), or could be the microphone on your device isn't picking up the pitch well...
@@MattWillisBagpiper It may just be the microphone. I will try tuning in a different space and see if it helps. Otherwise the other notes tune very easily!
So I’m guessing most people aren’t going to hear the tone of the chanters?
BZ
Why 466 not 440?
Wow that’s hot and humid this explaining 466
440 would require a different chanter.