Big Sound, Smallpipes

Making a set of Smallpipes for Timothy Cummings may have been one of the best business decisions I've made so far. Tim has agreed to supply elbowmusic.com with a series of recordings made on his Plum and Antler A/D set. The focus of the recordings will be drone tuning possibilities. Since each of the drones on an A/D set of Smallpipes can play at least two different pitches, the possibilities for what drones to play are many. Tim must be excited about these possibilities because he's already sent me nine tracks and he's only had the set for three weeks.

For example, try "Breton Air". Here Tim plays a tune on the A chanter in Em with two E drones (alto and baritone drones) and on the repeat he kicks in the bass drone tuned to B. Not your Mother's drone tunings!

Or "Ebenezer" in B minor with just the Bass tuned to B.

Or "Passion Chorale" which uses the alto tuned to D and the tenor tuned G.

The first batch of tunes are up here. Keep checking in, Tim hasn't even gotten to the D chanter yet.