I made my first successful chanter this last weekend. What a feeling of accomplishment, and it took a long time to get here. It is based on David Daye’s C Penny Chanter design, for which I am eternally grateful to Mr. Daye for making available to the public, and to all his patient help. I can say all parts of this are self-made: chanter, reed, bag, and bellows.
I have no pictures yet (it’s not much to look at), but here is a quick recording:
…and I am very pleased with how it sounds, and amazed at how in tune it is without tweaking. The only adjustment I made was taping the e hole a bit as it is playing fairly sharp. What’ s out of tune in the recording is my playing, not the chanter.
Also, I’m brand new to playing a C instrument (normally playing D Concert) and it is a challenge– a little akin to jumping from Violin to Viola, though probably somewhat easier.
I plan to post a description of the build process and some pictures later.