My 'D' whistle will play G, Eminor and Aminor tunes, but is this an equivalent for the Northumbrian pipes? The Uilleann Pipes, sometimes known in English as the Union Pipes, is a traditional Irish form of bagpipes. Re: Border Pipes vs Small Pipes? and the smallpipes, being a historically broken line can be played in a different style, borrowing tricks from the whistle, flute, uilleann and northumbrian pipes and how those instruments approach playing trad tunes. I have developed a tricky bit of arthritis affecting my UP playing but I do not want to give up on piping altogether.I have both G and D NSP chanters and I would agree with all of what Rob Say stated. I'd recommend going off and learning to play the penny whistle first and getting a bit of an ear for the music that's out there before throwing money at what may be an expensive distraction.A couple of other options for listening are the Pipers' Gathering concert recordings These will let you hear both Uilleann and Northumbrian pipes in one sitting (with some fabulous border and Scottish smallpiping thrown in for good measure.michael, are you saying he made a version of scottish small pipes in D capable of two octaves with overblowing?.. Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests.I'm a whistle and accordion player who wants to move into Northumbrian piping. Which is the musical landscape you are burning to explore? With the small pipes you can squeeze harder and the whole chanter will go up in pitch slightly but the tuning between each note stays pretty stable. it sounds very interesting because ive always wondered if it would be possibly to make a strictly scottish pipe capable of full concert music since none of my ancestors are irish,i wasnt able to hear any samples of the unique pipe you mentioned.. i did listen to some northumbrian pipes... and well, i must say i liked the sound of the uillean MUCH better... but.. that was mostly due to the uilleans being tuned in D, and i love the D tuning sounds a lot more.. id consider a northumbrian pipe set if it was capable of the same notes and sounds, even if in a different way, but all the music i hear of the uilleans make me love how they sound.Each instrument comes not only with a sound, but a repertoire. I've heard rumor of a G chanter that has wider finger holes (mine is made by Colin Ross and sounds lovely), but I haven't played on yet.http://milecastle27.co.uk/rob/2016/08/c ... -f-g-or-d/,It is currently Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:06 am. I'd recommend going off and learning to play the penny whistle first and getting a bit of an ear for the music that's out there before throwing money at what may be an expensive distraction. hey everyone.. im looking to learn a different style of bagpipes, on top of GHB which ive been playing for about a year now... but id like something with more range, something with a couple octaves that could play sheet music, and not be restricted specifically to pipe music...You can't stand up while playing uillean pipes!Uilleann pipes will take you more places - Northumbrian pipes are something of a speciality interest! In short, what notes will a D pipe and a G pipe produce with a standard 7 key set?I don't know anything about the English repertoire, other than the traditional NSP repertoire. I play a lot of sessions, mostly English with some Irish tunes, and the tunes are mostly in G or D with the occasional foray into A or E minor. I just love this and somehow, the sentiments of the words are pretty-well spot on at the moment! I can't work out which Northumbrian Pipe tuning to buy - G or D? I think the borders lend themselves more to martial ghb music and that style. The challenge with the G chanter is with the reed and the small finger holes. I would agree that border pipes are more difficult to play well than small pipes, but I don't think it's bellows technique as such, it's more bag control. It wasn't the Northumbrian pipes, it was the Uilleann pipes... We were talking about the pipes a day or so go, so here's the one I was thinking about, one and all! For the suitability you'd have to look at the tunes you intend to play, and their range.Morning Richard - it's a common question with no exact answer.is the technique easier on the thumb joint with the NSP than with the UPs? Which is the musical landscape you are burning to explore?For all types of (non GH) Bagpiping discussions.http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/spam/,http://lbps.net/lbps/competitions/22...n-results.html,The Master Piper, Reloaded - the roots of Border piping,Reivers of the Heart CD - the evolving stem of Border piping,William Dixon facebook page - sound, video, news. Uilleann pipes information request... (12) bestuileann piper (27) Tech: Good repairers of uilleann pipes (13) Learning uilleann pipes (8) Uilleann pipe theft - Southern California (7) Uilleann pipe history/teaching (10) Northumbrian Pipes (47) Uilleann Pipes song conundrum (4) Help: Uillean Pipe Question (22) uilleann pipes, pickups or mikes (4)