Carving the holes on a pipe chanter
by Ian Lyons
Most pipers are horrified at the thought, never mind the suggestion, of carving out a hole on their perfectly new or untouched pipe chanter. But sometimes this is something that needs to be done to correct a note.
For most pipers, carving out a hole, or multiple holes, on their pipe chanter is just not something they'd consider. Once it's done, you can't go back! It's something that needs to be done with precision and it's something that needs to be well thought-out and proven before you take that step to either attack the hole with a knife or a Dremel drill.
Calculated decision
Carving out the hole on a pipe chanter should always be a calculated decision based on several points of proof. Unless you have an endless supply of disposable pipe chanters and reeds and care-not for the consequences. Most of us have limited funds, limited chanters and limited reeds, so we need to embark on a process of elimination before we make that decision. Because, it's permanent!
If you have decided to carve out a hole on your pipe chanter, then the way it is done is very important. It's not just a matter of hacking out the hole on a whim and should almost never be done on the spare of a moment or under pressure unless your are very very experienced and know exactly what you are doing. Many-a-time I've seen a piper or a pipe major take to a pipe chanter like a hatchet-man five minutes before going into competition and causing irrepairable damage to a perfectly good chanter.
Why would you want to carve out a hole on a pipe chanter?
I've discussed in detail how to set up a pipe chanter and the use of sticky tape in one of the previous advice pages. The use of sticky tape allows pipers to tune every individual note on a chanter. But sometimes, depending on the era or brand of pipe chanter, or the desired pitch and the many variables between a pipe chanter and the reed, we are left with no choice but to consider a permanent adjustment to the size and position of a hole.
You may have had the chanter for some time and used several different reeds in it but still find that a particular note, or notes, are flat and need to be adjusted.
Carving out a hole on a pipe chanter simply makes the hole bigger. It's how the carving is done that will determine what effect the process of making the hole bigger will have.
The pitch of a note is determined by the distance between the bottom of the pipe chanter reed and the top of each hole and the hole size. Carving out the top of a hole will bring the hole closer to the reed and therefore sharpen the pitch of that note. For example:- If you have a pipe chanter set up perfectly and every single note is in tune except C which is flat, then you can't do anything about it. The only way C could become in tune is by making the C hole bigger. You can try to adjust the reed but if the note is flat and needs to be carved out a bit then you'll find that the rest of the holes will become over-taped to get that one note in tune.
So, the decision would have to be to carve the hole out a bit to sharpen it.
Carving out the hole
To raise the pitch of a note you need to carve out the top of the hole!
It is very important to do a precise job when you carve out a hole on your chanter. I would always advise to under-cut the hole as best you can first. What does this mean?
The plastic or wood that the chanter is made of has a thickness. So, when looking at the chanter what you see is the outside of the hole. The hole also has an inside. By carving at an angle upwards you can make the inside of the hole bigger whilst leaving the outside of the hole alone and leaving it looking the same. This will raise the pitch of the note, to a point, by making the inside of the hole closer to the reed. Under-cutting the hole should always be the first objective.
Using a very sharp, thin, pointy scalpel blade knife, carve out a very small amount from the top of the hole. Get up into the hole at a sharp angle and only carve out the inside of the hole. Try your absolute best to keep the hole the same width and curvature.
If you need to carve out the hole a bit more than what under-cutting will allow, you may have no choice but to make the hole slightly bigger on the outside too. Again, try to keep the hole nice and neat. You are essentially aiming to make the hole very slightly oval shaped. After using the knife, you may want to use a tiny bit of sandpaper to smooth off the surface to make it comfortable on the fingers. Once completed, blow out any pieces of material or dust.
Once you've finished carving, play the chanter to check if the amount of carving has been enough. Ideally the note should now have a small covering of tape to match the rest of the holes on your chanter.
Beware! Making a hole too big will also affect the steadiness of the note. The position and size of the holes on a pipe chanter are predetermined by the manufacturer to be within a degree of accuracy for the optimal pitch and steadiness of each note. If you make the hole too big then the steadiness of the airflow will also be affected.
If you are experienced with carving out holes on pipe chanters and also experienced with the use of electric tools, then a Dremel Drill with the appropriate drill bit installed can do an excellent job. These tools can be extremely fast and effective but can very easily take out too much. So, if you are a beginner then carefully using a knife is the recommended way to go.
Carving out the bigger holes on the chanter is a lot easier than the small holes. Because the top notes are smaller and closer to the reed, they are a lot more sensitive and require a lesser amount and more careful amount of carving to make a big difference. And don't forget! If you need to sharpen Low G, it's the two sound holes on the side of the chanter that need to be carved.
Always be absolutely sure before carving out a hole on your chanter.
Never carve out a hole to suit a reed. Carve out the hole to suit the chanter!
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