Have you ever wondered what the world's top solo pipers are playing to get such a great sound? Is the trend toward an all-natural sheepskin and cane setup? Do they use moisture control systems? What about modern versus vintage drones?
We wondered, too, so we decided to go straight to the sources themselves. We researched the solo pipers ranked either "Premier" (those who have already won some of the major prizes) or A-Grade (those deemed good enough to compete for those major prizes) from the entries at the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting.
Forty-four pipers in all were contacted with our request to reveal – with anonymity assured – their chanter, drones, chanter reed, drone reeds, bag and, if any, moisture control system. Since pipers can be somewhat guarded with their setup, we hoped for, at best, a 50 per cent response-rate. We were please, though, that of the 44 contacted only nine pipers didn't get back to us, and none of those declined; they just didn't respond (and we gave up asking). So, the results come from 35 responses.
The results are in no way an endorsement by pipes|drums of any products. They are what they are, as the saying goes, and are intended only to be of informational interest to subscribers.
The chanter
Perhaps the most important part of the setup, the pipe chanter produces the most prominent variation of a piper's sound-style. If you're wondering if any of these top pipers play a plastic chanter, the answer is no. They're all blackwood.
|
Chanter - Overall |
|
Naill |
12 |
|
Strathmore |
8 |
|
McC2 |
5 |
|
McCallum |
4 |
|
Henderson |
3 |
|
Sinclair |
3 |
|
Shepherd |
3 |
Three pipers played a different chanter for different events, so we listed both, counting them equally.
Overall, Naill is the most popular, with 32 per cent. Strathmore is next, with 21 per cent. The Willie-McCallum designed McC2 chanter comes in next with a 13 percent share, and McCallum, Shepherd, Sinclair and the recently released Henderson chanter each with seven per cent popularity, each played by three pipers.
Breaking things down, the pipers in the Premier ranks like their Naills, with 40 per cent going with the tried and tested product. McC2 and McCallum each have 20 per cent share, and Henderson and Shepherd carry 13 per cent, while Sinclair was played by only one Premier piper.
The A-Grade is a different story. Here Strathmore leads the way with 37 per cent share. Naill is second-most played at 26 per cent, and Henderson, McC2, McCallum, Shepherd and Sinclair each having less than 10 per cent of the market.
