Poly McC2 with a Poly Kron Band (older model)

Great Highland Bagpipe Solo

So, I traded Tripp up in CO a Colin Kyo for his McC2. The first thing I noticed is that the McC2 is pretty loud, but that was with a new unbroken in reed as I ‘ve got chanters laying all over the place using my broken in reeds. So, I figured, let’s use the reed in my poly Kron chanter, but for comparison I played it first here:

Kron not normalized

Then I switched the chanter to the McC2 keeping everything the same and got this recording here:

McC2 not normalized

The D is a bit flat, but most of the scale was not too far out as this was recorded in a rather truncated session.

Pipes are Gellaitry on a Gannaway zipper bag, Gilmour reed, and Henderson Harmonic Deluxe drone reeds that need to be eased up just a bit, :o) The recordings above are un-normalized so a relative sense of the volume can be achieved. Their normalized versions are below. Tunes are Calista Anne McLaurin and a hornpipe I got off Colin MacLellan’s album that I don’t know the name of, or play very well.

Kron normalized

McC2 normalized

Piobaireachd high G tunings

Bagpipe Sound Research

Hugh MacCallum – World’s Greatest Pipers Vol. 2 1987 – Lament for Mary MacLeod – A=472 Hz G=439 Hz -> Spot on 16/9(A)

Jack Lee – Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Challenge 2001 – Lament for Mary MacLeod – A=480.5 Hz G=844.5 Hz -> ~3 Hz sharp of 7/4(A)

Alasdair Gillies – World’s Greatest Pipers Vol.12 1994 – King’s Taxes – A=476 Hz G=834,832,833 Hz -> Spot on 7/4(A) – funny he actually starts a tad sharp at 834, he underblows it a bit on the next one at 832 and you can hear the slight discord with the drones, and then on the third pass you hear him blow harder as he’s still underblowing it a bit at first to come in right at 833 Hz by the end of the note.

John Wilson – World’s Greatest Pipers Vol. 5 1996 – Glengarry’s March – A=481 Hz G=845 Hz -> 3 Hz sharp of 7/4(A)

Michael Cusack – Glenfiddich Piping Championship – Park Piobaireachd (No. 2) – A=472 Hz G=824 Hz -> 2 Hz flat of 7/4(A)

Stuart Liddell – 1997 Recital Series Vol. 2 – Battle of Auldearn – A=474 Hz G=838,835,836 Hz -> 4,7,6 Hz flat of 16/9(A) or 8,5,6 Hz sharp of 7/4(A)

John MacLellan – Classical Music of the Highland Bagpipe – Lament for MacSwan of Roaig – A=476 Hz G=839 Hz -> 7 Hz flat of 16/9(A) or 6 Hz sharp of 7/4(A)

Murray Henderson – Glenfiddich Piping Championship – MacDougall’s Gathering – A=476 Hz G=839,836 Hz -> 7,10 Hz flat of 16/9(A) or 6,3 Hz sharp of 7/4(A)

Robert U Brown – Vol. 1 Masters of Piobaireachd – Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon – A=476 Hz G=389 Hz -> 7 Hz flat of 16/9(A) or 6 Hz sharp of 7/4(A)