Long in development and occasionally derided as "vaporware," this invention seems to have now reached the point of commercial availability. I have no commercial interest in them.
I can see some great potential uses, such as a silent practice set for apartment dwellers or frequent travelers that stay in hotels, and they would probably be welcome in a Trad/Rock band (not that I necessarily want to encourage that sort of thing...).
But how would you and your friends react if a visitor (or even a regular participant) showed up at your ongoing session and offered to play them in your circle?
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
If you shut your eyes and couldn't tell the difference between the emulator and the real thing, how much would it matter? I'm assuming of course that the emulator is actually being played.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Regardless of how good it is, it's limited by the speakers it is playing through. Either you use headphones or connect it to a speaker.
So is it welcome at a session? I guess so because no one will hear you with your headphones on and nobody's gonna let you drag in an amp to hook it up to!
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I have visions of an electric session in a pub in the future, with an electric fiddle , concertina/iphone, vpiper and an electric chair for the guitarist
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I use the Fagerstrom Technopipes quite a bit, but I go from them to a pre-amp/floor effects, then to the PA system.
You could get a small battery powered amp (check out the Roland Cubes) which would be the smallest, decent sound. I can understand a group not wanting amplified instruments, however. It can create problems when the guitar player's girlfriend can't hear him anymore so he decides to bring an amp too...
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I don't know... I might be willing to overlook the amplifier in return for a piper who is always in tune, doesn't spend endless time between sets fiddling with reeds, can turn down the volume when asked, and can play in different keys more easily...
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Our local piper has an electronic chanter--electrodes where your fingers go. It sounds remarkably similar to real pipes. He rarely plays it at sessions, but when he has, it blended right in. His amp was small and he put it under his chair. Some people who came in later thought he had faery pipes--no bellows, no bag, yet all that sound!
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Would not be welcome at our session. Great for practise, I have a GHB one for traveling but the only way I would play them or welcome them at a session would be if there was a physical disability that prevented playing the real thing.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Just listening to the clips, I am not convinced by the vpipes bottom notes, and I don't like the drones - they sound too "automatic", for want of a better word.
I have had a go a vpipes and concertina, but the piper went back to his pipes - it didn't work.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Yes, I think they are great for practise. I got a basic chanter earlier this year, the battery life is 50 hours and I went through two batteries just playing while traveling so that's 100 hours playing rather than just sitting there.
I'm sure electronic pipes will get better and better but I don't imagine them every taking the place of the real thing. As most pipers know playing in extreme temperatures can sometimes create great problems so maybe vpipes etc could be a handy back up if things become too difficult, but for me they are not for performance/sessions yet
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I brought the technopipes to sessions a bit a while ago, but now that I am better at getting my smallpipes to 440Hz I don't bring the electronic ones anymore. They're only for a few sets anyway - most of the time I'm on the flute.
The technopipes have completely replaced the conventional practice chanter for me though. And you can't beat them for filling in idle moments while travelling, while baby is sleeping, etc.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Amplification in the session was the main problem - I ran them through a keyboard being played by another musician, but that had the disadvantage that he had control of volume and "effects"...
And one of the guitar players really did take it as an invitation to bring an amp of his own! Thankfully, we have dragged the session back from this abyss...
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
HMM They sound better than some pipes I've heard played in sessions. There could be an advantage here. The volume of these pipe simulators can be turned down also. Real pipes often dominate a session and drown out the quieter instruments. I have nothing against pipes by the way, to be honest I love 'em if they are well played. "Folk music" moves with the times so modern instruments will eventually take over. I guess we just have to live with it.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Not as a permanent set up, no form of amplified instrument would be welcome. But if someone was reavelling with a set ratehr than packjing their pipes than we probably wouldn't mind.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Agree that they can sound quite sterile out of the box. I use a slow phased chorus and a good bit of EQ to make them sound like more natural. I'm currently using the Zoom g7.1ut, which has a nice tube preamp that smooths the tone nicely.
No, they won't fool anyone on the GHB sound, but the border pipe and shuttle pipe sounds are very impressive. Being able to adjust tuning, play in different keys, and sharps/flats is really nice too.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Pretty impressive. It does seem to depend on acoustics though, to soften the edge; one of the samples, Breton Air (the only one recorded completely dry) sounds decidedly electronic.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I would tolerate it, but would encourage the piper to bring a real set if he/she had one, even though my session is an informal ballad/tune session rather than a proper trad tune session.
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I haven't heard these before but have heard GHB simulators. As an accompanist (lowest of the lows) I have to say that I find the drones of the simulators that I have heard to be overbearing and thus struggle to follow the underlying structure of the tune being played (Ok - i play the wrong fecking chords).
Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
An electronic uilleann pipes emulator:
http://www.vpipes.com
Long in development and occasionally derided as "vaporware," this invention seems to have now reached the point of commercial availability. I have no commercial interest in them.
I can see some great potential uses, such as a silent practice set for apartment dwellers or frequent travelers that stay in hotels, and they would probably be welcome in a Trad/Rock band (not that I necessarily want to encourage that sort of thing...).
But how would you and your friends react if a visitor (or even a regular participant) showed up at your ongoing session and offered to play them in your circle?
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by Jumper
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
If you shut your eyes and couldn't tell the difference between the emulator and the real thing, how much would it matter? I'm assuming of course that the emulator is actually being played.
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Regardless of how good it is, it's limited by the speakers it is playing through. Either you use headphones or connect it to a speaker.
So is it welcome at a session? I guess so because no one will hear you with your headphones on and nobody's gonna let you drag in an amp to hook it up to!
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I don't think that they fit in at a session at all, but I know a fella who plays them in a trad / rock band.... they certainly add flavor there.
I think it's briliant. just not for everyone, everywhere.
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by tradmanpicks
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I have visions of an electric session in a pub in the future, with an electric fiddle , concertina/iphone, vpiper and an electric chair for the guitarist
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I use the Fagerstrom Technopipes quite a bit, but I go from them to a pre-amp/floor effects, then to the PA system.
You could get a small battery powered amp (check out the Roland Cubes) which would be the smallest, decent sound. I can understand a group not wanting amplified instruments, however. It can create problems when the guitar player's girlfriend can't hear him anymore so he decides to bring an amp too...
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by PuckingFiper
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I don't know... I might be willing to overlook the amplifier in return for a piper who is always in tune, doesn't spend endless time between sets fiddling with reeds, can turn down the volume when asked, and can play in different keys more easily...
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by Reverend
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Our local piper has an electronic chanter--electrodes where your fingers go. It sounds remarkably similar to real pipes. He rarely plays it at sessions, but when he has, it blended right in. His amp was small and he put it under his chair. Some people who came in later thought he had faery pipes--no bellows, no bag, yet all that sound!
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by Will Harmon
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Would not be welcome at our session. Great for practise, I have a GHB one for traveling but the only way I would play them or welcome them at a session would be if there was a physical disability that prevented playing the real thing.
# Posted on December 22nd 2009 by bogman
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Just listening to the clips, I am not convinced by the vpipes bottom notes, and I don't like the drones - they sound too "automatic", for want of a better word.
I have had a go a vpipes and concertina, but the piper went back to his pipes - it didn't work.
They are fine as practise pipes. That is all.
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by geoffwright
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Yes, I think they are great for practise. I got a basic chanter earlier this year, the battery life is 50 hours and I went through two batteries just playing while traveling so that's 100 hours playing rather than just sitting there.
I'm sure electronic pipes will get better and better but I don't imagine them every taking the place of the real thing. As most pipers know playing in extreme temperatures can sometimes create great problems so maybe vpipes etc could be a handy back up if things become too difficult, but for me they are not for performance/sessions yet
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by bogman
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I brought the technopipes to sessions a bit a while ago, but now that I am better at getting my smallpipes to 440Hz I don't bring the electronic ones anymore. They're only for a few sets anyway - most of the time I'm on the flute.
The technopipes have completely replaced the conventional practice chanter for me though. And you can't beat them for filling in idle moments while travelling, while baby is sleeping, etc.
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by Crackpot
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Amplification in the session was the main problem - I ran them through a keyboard being played by another musician, but that had the disadvantage that he had control of volume and "effects"...
And one of the guitar players really did take it as an invitation to bring an amp of his own! Thankfully, we have dragged the session back from this abyss...
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by Crackpot
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I wanna put those v-pipes through a distortion box and wah-pedal. Mmmm....
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by Joe CSS
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
HMM They sound better than some pipes I've heard played in sessions. There could be an advantage here. The volume of these pipe simulators can be turned down also. Real pipes often dominate a session and drown out the quieter instruments. I have nothing against pipes by the way, to be honest I love 'em if they are well played. "Folk music" moves with the times so modern instruments will eventually take over. I guess we just have to live with it.
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by Bernie
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
To actually answer the question (IMHO):
My aesthetic senses would boggle a bit, I suppose, but no more than the first African drum I saw sit in at a session. (Or five string banjo. Or bass.)
No one died, the sound sorta worked, and the guy playing was wicked cool. Fun, at least as a novelty, and a good time had by all.
FWIW,
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by Piece
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Not as a permanent set up, no form of amplified instrument would be welcome. But if someone was reavelling with a set ratehr than packjing their pipes than we probably wouldn't mind.
- chris
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Agree that they can sound quite sterile out of the box. I use a slow phased chorus and a good bit of EQ to make them sound like more natural. I'm currently using the Zoom g7.1ut, which has a nice tube preamp that smooths the tone nicely.
No, they won't fool anyone on the GHB sound, but the border pipe and shuttle pipe sounds are very impressive. Being able to adjust tuning, play in different keys, and sharps/flats is really nice too.
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by PuckingFiper
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
Pretty impressive. It does seem to depend on acoustics though, to soften the edge; one of the samples, Breton Air (the only one recorded completely dry) sounds decidedly electronic.
# Posted on December 23rd 2009 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I would tolerate it, but would encourage the piper to bring a real set if he/she had one, even though my session is an informal ballad/tune session rather than a proper trad tune session.
# Posted on December 24th 2009 by buddhuu
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I haven't heard these before but have heard GHB simulators. As an accompanist (lowest of the lows) I have to say that I find the drones of the simulators that I have heard to be overbearing and thus struggle to follow the underlying structure of the tune being played (Ok - i play the wrong fecking chords).
# Posted on December 24th 2009 by DonaldK
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
They'd be cool for learnin' to play pipes without actually learning to play pipes! LOL
# Posted on December 24th 2009 by Fishmonger
Re: Would this instrument be welcome at your session?
I raise you this one:
http://oddstruments.com/electronically-modified-blue-tooth-didgeridoo/
# Posted on January 2nd 2010 by Jack Campin