My day didn’t at all turn out the way I thought it would. First of all, I’m working on a couple of stories that are going to rock the bagpipe world. I have to hold off for the time being as things are yet developing. However, at this morning’s lesson, Ryan asked “How do you learn to blow tone? What does it even mean?” I was cornered! There was nowhere to hide.
To be truthful, it is very difficult to articulate. First and foremost, blowing tone means producing a steady sound, without peaks and valleys in the pitch of your instrument. The transition between blowing and squeezing is seamless with absolutely no change in the pitch that your instrument is producing. We could stop here however there are so many nuances to blowing tone that this explanation is hardly satisfactory.
Blowing tone is difficult to understand unless you’re playing with another piper or you’re mechanically or electronically measuring steadiness. Let’s break this down in reverse order.
There are electronic devices that will display the pitch of your instrument. If you play a note, the frequency is measured and digitally displayed. These are readily available for download onto your cell phone, tablet, or PC. A bagpipe manometer will do likewise by measuring the pressure within your instrument and providing a read-out on a pressure gauge. Although both will let you know whether or not your blowing is steady, neither will “teach” you how to blow steady. This you must do for yourself.
Playing bagpipes with someone who is a steady “tone blower” is perhaps the best way to understand and improve your blowing. If you’re not blowing at the proper pitch or otherwise not blowing steady, the results will be obvious. Aside from the nasty looks and the scolding you’ll receive, the sounds of your instruments will collide and be quite unpleasant.
The best way to learn how to blow tone is to listen to the sounds your bagpipe is producing. I find very slow tunes quite revealing. The best exercise is to blow one note only and to listen to your chanter against your drones. I prefer “D”. If you can play the note “D” and hold the pitch for several breaths, you’re on your way to being a steady tone blower. But of course, it’s not that easy. I’ll have another installment on blowing tone tomorrow. By the way, the picture today is that of a “Christie’s – Sydney, Australia” chanter that just arrived. Check out Christie’s story in the Museum.
