What is and is not GHB

[Ian Lawther]

I was just after a concensus as to what people in this part of the forum consider to be GHB and what is not.

The recent thread which has been about reeding 3/4 sets of highland pipes is behind this. I am happy that this is going on on this part of the site, and suspect that those looking to maintain such sets are going to find a more sumpathetic audience amongst those who have similar problems maintaining bellows pipes and the like. So its more a a general question as to what pipes should be classified as GHB and what are not.

Are 3/4 sets just small GHB or are they a seperate instrument. What about half sets, reel pipes, chamber pipes, and even electronic chanters.

So how would this group be defined.

Ian

(And this is not in order to have a dig at any one or to give some sort of ammunition to back up telling people to go elsewhere- I am very happy having these pipes on this forum - I'm just curious about peoples definitions.)

[Holly Taylor]

Help... I don't know the difference between half/ three quarter/ reel/ parlour pipes... I thought they were all much the same thing e.g. smaller (quieter?) version of GHB.

:confused:

[erracht]

Okay:

-3/4 size pipes are a slightly (more like 6/7 or 7/8 sized) smaller version of the GHB. They are
a bit quieter. I think they're sometimes called half-size pipes. Christopher Bayley and MacLellean are the only non-Pakistani makers of this I know about today, but there may be
others.

-reel pipes are again the same aparatus, but even smaller, maybe half-sized. They and the
3/4 size pipes have apparently been confused in the past. Some reel pipes had bellows and
(as in the 18th century model made by Hamish Moore), some even had a common drone stock
like the Border pipes (basically the same instrument - a smaller quieter GHB type pipe, but
played in Southern Scotland, Northern England and possibly other regions including likely Wales). Hamish Moore makes this old model but improved with an alto drone instead of a tenor. Bayley makes (an)other model(s).

-Parlor pipes are like in appearance, but are smaller with a practice chanter-type chanter and
weak drones. There are modern variants like 2-droned kitchen and pub pipes and fancier
variants.

[J.R.]

I like the term hybrid pipe. Maybe that's too vague, but kitchen pipe sounds kind of deameaning and small-pipes for the lot is misleading. I'm up way too late though. Cheers.

JR

[Johnny]

To me the word GREAT in Great Highland Pipes is the key.

The word GREAT conutates Large, big, overwhelming, stupendous, all encompansing.

To me 3/4 just doesnt get there.

So as the Great Highlander MacLeod said. "There Can Be Only One" :thumb:

[John Dally]

There would have to be three key elements in defining the GHB: sound, technique and musical style. If a pipes sounds like a GHB but is quieter, as with the 3/4 size pipes, then it is to my mind a quieter GHB. If the sound is like that of a practice chanter, but it's still mouth blown with individual stocks for the drones, and you're playing pipe band music on it, then it is a very elaborate practice instrument for the GHB in my mind (still a HB, but not G). If your electronic pipe sounds like a GHB, but you obviously don't blow into it or have drone stocks of any sort, then it would be an electronic GHB as long as you play pipe band or competition or Scottish ceilidh type music on it. If you play Lowland tunes on your electronic bagpipe, however, I suppose it becomes an electronic Lowland pipe.
Whenever we start defining types of pipes or pipe music I think of Michel Foucault's book, THIS IS NOT A PIPE. Of course, Foucault was not referring to a bagpipe...or was he?

[The Lady Piper]

To me the word GREAT in Great Highland Pipes is the key. I agree..and with that in mind, I would like to prohibit any internet company selling rosewood pipes for $200 from calling them Great Highland Bagpipes and misleading new pipers...like the poor chap I tried helping this weekend who bought a set.

The Lady Piper

[Ian Lawther]

Originally posted by The Lady Piper:
[QUOTE]I would like to prohibit any internet company selling rosewood pipes for $200 from calling them Great Highland Bagpipes and misleading new pipers
The Lady PiperHere you are referring to a GHF*, not a GHB.

Ian

*Great Heap of Firewood

[Kenton Smith]

It sounds to me like this thread is turning into a GHB variant of a previous that attempted (unsuccessfully, as I recall) to define what is and what is not a SSP. Does anyone else agree?

To put things into perspective, and just for grins, we might want to use This (http://www.wordfocus.com/word-act-blindmen.html) as a starting-off point. Or maybe not. ;-)

Maybe we need first to explore the perspective from which we're going to draw the lines, sort of like redrawing legislative districts in the US, but probably more volatile. ;-) I thought of proposing a few, but thought better of it; earlier bruises haven't fully healed.

Anyway, whaddya'll think?

FWIW,
Ken *thinking it may be easier to get consensus on the nature of the Universe than on anything related to bagpipes*

(Edited to point to a more accurate version of The Blind Men and the Elephant.)

[Ian Lawther]

I liked the elephant analogy and for some reason it put a joke in my mind which is totally off topic but I shall share with you anyway.

An English guy is sitting behind two Indian gentlemen on a London bus and cannot help overhearing their conversation. The first says "Its 'wom' - W O M" to which the second responds "No, No, No. Its woomb - W O O M B".

After listening to the arguement go back and forth a few times the Englishman decides to be helpful and leans forword. "Excuse me", he says, "I think you will find it is womb - W O M B".
Immediately the two Indians round on him with "We doubt if you have ever heard an elephant fart, let alone know how to spell it!"

Ian

[Royce]

Originally posted by Ian Lawther:

"...Immediately the two Indians round on him with "We doubt if you have ever heard an elephant fart, let alone know how to spell it!"

Ian[/QB]It's "WOOOMPH!" Followed by, "Ploomphsplattersplatter."

Royce

(And anything not made by CE Kron isn't a "Great" Highland Bagpipe anyway so I think that pretty much defines it for us.....3-2-1......)