Shephard SSP in "D" Chanter and adding "A" Chanter- what needs to change?

[THamm]

Shephard SSP in "D" Chanter and adding "A" Chanter- what needs to change?

Yesterday, 07:18 AM
I have a set of Shepherd SSP with a D chanter- reeded with D ez drones. I am interested in playing an "A" chanter purchased separately. What do I need to change with the drone set up to accommodate the A chanter? -thanks in advance.

[pancelticpiper]

The short answer, and the one in keeping with Scottish piping tradition and practice, is to acquire a set of "A" drones to play with the "A" chanter.

As you may well know they make drone setups intended for switching back and forth between "D" and "A" chanters especiallly drones made according to the Northumbrian piping tradition.

This setup has four drones, going from longest to shortest:

"A" bass
"D" bass
"A" tenor
"D" tenor

There would be little piston things fitted in the ends of the drones so you can switch them off and on.

Or, little plugs to stick in the ends.

For a strictly Scottish sound you'd use just the 2 "A" drones for the "A" chanter and just the 2 "D" drones for the "D" chanter.

In Northumbrian piping the "D" bass drone would have a little tone-hole on the side so that the drone could play either D or E.

Thus when playing tunes in "A" you have 3 drones Bass/Baritone/Tenor playing A/E/a and when playing tunes in "D" you have 3 drones Bass/Baritone/Tenor playing D/A/d.

This system has been borrowed into the Scottish Smallpipe world for switching between "A" and "D" chanters.

[pancelticpiper]

I know it's not how Scottish piping works, but you could just play an "A" chanter with "D" drones.

Tons of tunes from Airs to Hymns to 4/4 marches and Strathspeys and Reels and Jigs and especially Hornpipes are in the key of D, and pipers are used to having A drones sounding under these tunes.

But with "D" drones, the drones would actually be in the correct key for the tunes.

And there are piping traditions where the drones are always placed at that location on the chanter.

For example a Bulgarian chanter equivalent to an "A" Scottish chanter would be played with "D" drones as a matter of course. They wouldn't dream of using "A" drones with that chanter.

In other words in Scottish piping the drones play this note

x|xxx|xxxo

while in Bulgarian piping the drones play this note

x|xxx|ooox

which is exactly what "D" drones with an "A" chanter is doing.