G1 chanter review

Great Highland Bagpipe Solo, Reviews

This is a review of the G1 chanter. This chanter is not the higher pitched version, but the regular version. The chanter is plastic and was ordered with the accompanying reed protector and G1 platinum reed. I believe John Elliott (the maker) told me the spacing between the bottom of the D hole and the top of the low A hole is 75 mm, and on a Kyo it is 74 mm as measured by me. Granted the holes are slightly larger on the G1 chanter but my fingers don’t lie, it is a comfortable chanter to play. John has made a great pair of products. The G1 platinum chanter reed has great projection for it’s strength (I’m going with medium, I usually play at 32″ H2O and this is just slightly stouter than my solo reed strength preference). The reed also tunes very easily in the chanter. I have the tiniest bits of tape on a couple notes and a little tape on high G. That’s it; the internal tuning of the chanter is VERY good. His products match perfectly to each other. His reed and chanter combination provides a strong scale throughout with a strong high A. My only quibble is it tunes at 486.3 Hz in my 75F home. It’ll hit 490 Hz in nothing flat outside in the dry West Texas heat. I’m thinking about picking up a Bb version with the expectation that it would end up somewhere in the low 470s but I’d really like something in the high 470s. John was kind enough to provide a picture of the regular and Bb versions next to each other and they really aren’t all that different. He states the holes are slightly smaller and farther apart on the Bb to attain the alternate pitch, along with internal modifications. The spread isn’t that much greater but the desire to play that flat doesn’t exist so I’m not sure I’ll spring for it just yet. So he’s got a 466 and a 486 chanter, I’d love to see a 476 chanter. The proof is in the pudding so take a listen to the audio down below. This chanter is louder than any other I’ve recorded, so pay attention to your speaker/headphone volume.

Scales and Scotland the Brave – Beware!!! First scale is facing the mic, second scale facing away, first STB facing away, second STB facing the mic again. Big volume changes!!! This reed and chanter combo is loud.

Mark Sheridan and Angus MacKenzie of Dumbarton – facing the mic

My Band’s New Medley – facing the mic

My Band’s Old Medley – facing away from the mic

My Band’s 4/4 March Medley – facing away from the mic

My Band’s 6/8 March Set – walking back and forth perpendicular to the mic.

The pipes played are my Colin Kyo bagpipe with Ezee tenors and short inverted Ezee bass. Maybe I need to get my another set of Evolution Kinnairds to match the chanter/reed volume better (this is a solo setup). I find it no coincidence that John sells “Evo’ Kinnairds” from his online shop along side his G1 chanter and platinum reeds.

Jeffers bagpipes with Omega drone reeds

Great Highland Bagpipe Solo

Omega drone reeds are carbon fiber tongued synthetic drone reeds that utilize grub screws in various parts of the body to allow you to modify the tone to your liking. The bridle position and tightness is controlled by a grub screw in addition to a row of 3 threaded holes along the length of the reed on the bottom which allow you to adjust for air consumption by bending the body of the reed. That coupled with the usual Ross/Crozier rubber plug and there’s lots of room for adjustment. You have to spend quite a bit of time really dialing them in and I think I got really close! This set is on loan to me from David (he loans me lots of things, like Robertson bagpipes). Hopefully he doesn’t kill me for changing the reeds as he had them set, haha. David also owns a set of Jeffers bagpipes and so I figured I’d play them in my Jeffers bagpipes. Colin Kyo poly chanter and Husk reed, no surprises there for regular readers. I’m directly facing the mic for all but the last and I think that finally gives me a good volume balance between drones and chanter with the mic located up above bass drone level in front of me. Much like the Selbie bass in these Jeffers, the Omega bass (as setup) also gives a very powerful E overtone from the BASS. See if you can hear it because it’s right in my ear when I’m playing. May be easiest to hear in the one set with a slow air.

Since I mislabeled a tune the other day, I figured I’d play the tune whose name I used instead of the correct one, the Tourist!

The Tourist, Mark Sheridan, and the B-52

The next set starts off with two great tunes by the greatest of Scottish fiddlers, James Scott Skinner. Strathspeys are my worst tunes. Notice in Balmoral how my doubling tachums are very square: ha-da-dum instead of hada-dum. E grace notes are still a bit of a struggle so in trying to get in, everything slows down and tightens up. You can hear the same thing in my GDEs when I tighten up for the E grace note so much so, my D finger doesn’t even play the D grace note and then you don’t hear the E grace note either. Agh!

Hector the Hero, Iron Man, and Balmoral Castle

For some fun, I played this set for International Bagpipe Day on the 10th of this month.

Captain Calum Campbell’s Caprice, the Big Yin, Kitty Lie Over, Rory Gallagher, and the 1st Hype Cowboy Division

Lastly, I turn around and point the drones right at the microphone for some 4 part reels. In no particular order…..

Miss Proud, Lochiel’s awa to France, Bessie McIntyre, Lachlan MacPhail of Tiree, and the Rejected Suitor