This table has been designed to give as many fingerings as possible for the Howard Uilleann Pipe Chanter. Some of these fingerings are the standard fingerings found in many tutors and web sites, others are ones that you may have never seen before. They are illustrated picture, chart and by shortfinger©.

The fingerings come from many sources. Published source, the standard fingerings. Experiments. "I wonder what happens when I only open these fingers."Technical. This should happen when I do this and this. Copied from the many fine players who have visited my workshop in the last thirty years. Beginners mistakes that sound great.

I hope players will use it to get away from the "standard staccato scale" and experiment with the wonderful tone qualities present in the uilleann pipe chanter. The chanter is capable of many of the tone colours of the human voice and I think that this is why we find it so attractive. These qualities are what attracted many players in the first place and below you will find out how to produce them.

Good luck.

Brian Howard.

Hard D

Soft D

X | XXX | XXX0 | X

Can be used in a run between E and D, quite a nice effect in slow tunes.

Don't forget that pipes are being used in music other than traditional dace music. I have used this in a coupe of non dance tunes.

Number 10

F natural

Half holed off the knee

needs

correcting

X | XXX | XDOO | X

Again the note can be swelled by lifting off the knee and indeed it is improved by the additional venting the bell of the chanter gives off the knee playing..

Tuning dependant on players skill.

Note - On Howard sets an F natural can also be played on the baritone regulator by opening BOTH the F# and D keys together.

X | XXX | OXXX | O

The normal on the knee note. It is an important note in that it is the key note when playing in G major or G minor.

It can be rolled both open and closed without opening any other holes.

Trill. A semitone trill, G Ab, can be played by rapidly opening and closing the Ab key.

Tuning 0 cents flat.

X | XXX | 0XXX | O

Normal off the knee note. Can be used in off the knee passages and to swell the note and change tone colour.

Tuning 0 cents flat

X | XXX | 0XXX | X

This is handy when playing tight triplets or backstitching. Care must be taken as a slight increase in pressure will take it up to a second octave G. This can be exploited to give a clean octave jump by playing a two fingered G at a reasonably high pressure an then closing the bottom of the two fingers. Beginner who are in the early stages of playing in the second octave take note.

Vibrato - Naa..

Tuning 15 cents flat

Number 17

G# / Ab

keyed

or X | XXX |K 0OXX | O off the knee

This note is obtained playing a normal on the knee G plus opening the G#/AB key at the back of the chanter. As with the F natural key when coming down the scale have the key ready opened so that when you close the A finger hole you get a good clean note. You can also of course slide down to a G# by slowly closing the A hole. A slide up from G can be obtained by gradually opening the key from a G note start.

This note can be played off the knee. It is the same fingering with the chanter raised.

Vibrato - Try the f hole finger.

Tuning 5 cents sharp

Number 18

G# / AB

fingered

X | XXD | 0OXX | X

or X | XXD | 0OXX |O off the knee

If you do not have keys the note can be fingered by Half holing the A hole. A little awkward but OK for accidentals, maybe not so good for playing in the key of A. I suppose it could be played off the knee with the same fingers.

Vibrato - Try the F hole finger.

Tuning dependant on players skill.

Number 19

A

on the knee

X | XXO | XXXX | X

This is the note that musicians tune to in sessions.

Being played tight the portion of the bore underneath the single open note hole gives a distinctive tone to this note.

Trill. A semitone trill, A-Bb, can be played by rapidly opening and closing the Bb key.

Tuning 0 cents flat.( By definition)

Number 20

A

open

on the knee

X | XXO | OOOO | X

This is the fingering used when playing the regulators with the chanter bottom hand. The tuning has to be good enough to harmonise with the regulator notes.

The A note can be played with many of the bottom fingers off the chanter, either singly or in combination. This makes many different tone colours available to the player. Also by moving these fingers rapidly on and off the chanter different vibrato effects are created.

This is the refinance note for tuning the drones, (you can't move the sliding section with your bottom hand on the chanter) so it has to be in good tune.

Tuning 5 cents sharp

Number 21

A

off the knee

X | XXO | xxxx | O

Used in off the knee passages and for changing tone colour. It lends itself to vibrato as in the on the knee above,

Tuning 10 cents sharp

Number 22

Bb

keyed

X | XXKO | XXXX | X

This note is obtained by playing a A note plus the G# and Bb keys on the back of the chanter.

It is one of the important keyed notes on the chanter as it is used, together with the F sharp key, when playing in the key of G minor.

You will note that the design of the keys allows you to slide between G# and Bb at the same time opening or closing the G note holes.

You can swell the note by lifting off the knee.

Vibrato can be obtained by use of the lower fingers.

Tuning 0 cents flat

Number 23

Bb

half holed

X | XXDO | XXXX | X

Not very clear on diagram but the B finger hole is only half covered. I achieve this by rolling my finger towards the top of the chanter and stopping when I hit the pitch.

Tuning dependant on players skill.

Number 24

Bb /A#

Fingered

X | XXOX | XXXX | X

This is a handy approximation to a Bb when coming down from notes above especially in quicker music. Try B Bb B instead of a b roll.

Tuning 40 cents sharp

X | XOO | XXXX | O

The off the knee fingering. This can be used to swell the on knee method of playing.

Tuning 10 cents flat.

Number 27

B

One finger

X | XOX | XXXX | X

I know this is the same fingering for the fingered Bb above but its use as a b note is quite special. When played as a tight b there is not enough time to hear its pitch accurately. It adds crispness to the B C D tight triplet that is frequently used in dance music.

See below, No.???, one fingered 2nd octave G for a discussion on combining these two notes.

Tuning 60 cents flats. (I said it was flat)

Number 28

C natural

on the knee

X | OXX | XOXX | X

This is one of the most evocative notes on the chanter. It is played quite flat to give a wonderful blend with the drones and shows up the chanters untempered tuning characteristics.

There are a few distinct pitches of C natural that blend with the drones, it is an acoustical oddity. Anyone interested look it up.

On some old chanters you would have to shade the top note of the chanter to get this tuning. This was made like this so that the next note above C# was sharp enough. On your Howard both these notes have been made in tune.

Tuning 15 cents flat

Number 29

C natural

tempered pitch

If you are unfortunate enough to have to play with a piano you will need this note. By removing the G finger the C Natural will be sharpened enough to play in tempered tuning.

There are some tunes that seem to like to be played with this tuning of the c note. If you are playing by ear and don't seem to be able to decide whether the note should be a C# or C natural it might be one of those tunes that need a tempered C natural.

Tuning 18 cents sharp

X | OXX | XXXX | O

No, I have not got the finger chart wrong. The off the knee fingering is the same as C# but the chanter is off the knee. (See below what happens to the C# fingering).

It has different tonal qualities and can be played in conjunction with other off the Knee notes.

Tuning 18 cents sharp

X | XKOO | XXXX | O

This is useful when playing quick passages or when you need to move from another keyed note say Bb. you can of course open only the top (red) key.

It was when I realised that I could open more than one key and not affect the pitch could nest the keywork in the Howard System of keys. This enables tunes with intervals that were nearly impossible to play with the old system to be played with relative ease.

The same finger positions will do for playing off the knee.

Tuning 15 cents flat

X | DOO | XXXX | O

This note is obtained by placing a normal on the knee B note and half holing the top note hole on the front of the chanter.

Tuning dependant on players skill.

X | XKOO | OOOO | X

This is one for the contortionists!

When the chanter bottom hand is involved in playing regulators you could use a half-holed C natural. A more accurate way of playing is to hook your little finger round the back of the chanter and press the key with the back of the finger just below the nail.

You can get used to it, honest.

Tuning 18 cents flat

X | OXXX | XXXX | X

The standard on the knee C# note. This note used to be quite flat and on some of my earlier chanters there was a C# key. It extended down the left side of a righthanded chanter and was played with the lower index finger. Later bore developments made this unnecessary.

Tuning 3 cents flat

X | 0XX | OOOO | X

Used when chanter bottom hand is playing regulators.

Tuning 20 cents sharp

Number 37

Back D

on the knee

This is the normal on the knee tight back D.

A great lead in note is the C#, especially when you unpeel the thumb from the back D hole. There is a good tight triplet that can be played on this note. In one movement you unpin the thumb from the hole from bottom to top, at the same time you are commencing the movement of the thumb in a down ward direction. This doubles the note. To complete the triplet you move the thumb up crossing the hole. The secret of playing this triplet is to make the movements slowly so that the time that the hole is closed is the same as the time it is open. This gives the illusion of very fast playing as the mind times the silences as a beat.

It is also the fingering used when you backstitch the back D.

Someone once write that the back D is never ever decorated. This is the kind of rule based piping akin to the Scot's Pipbroch. If there was an Irish equivalent then I would agree. Perhaps someone should start one.

The tuning of this note on Howard pipes can be achieved Bu moving the bridle up towards the lips of the reed to sharpen the note and then squeezing the bridle closed to give you the playing volume/pressure you require. The opposite is true when you want to flatten the D.

There is great vibrato to be had on this note. Experiment with both top and bottom hands.

Tuning 0 cents flat

Number 38

Back D

off the knee

O | OXX | XXXX | O

The back d not is composed of two component standing waves when you lift the chanter off the knee the lower standing wave extends beyond the chanter bottom. If we remove the top hand index finger we break up the lower standing wave. The remaining single standing wave will be in tune.

Used in passages when playing off the knee

Tuning 0 cents flat

Number 39

Back D

regulator

O | OXX | OOOO | X

When playing regulators the bottom standing wave is already broken up but the top hand fingers produce a tone hole lattice that flattens the D note. The cure is to use the fingering shown. This give extra venting that sharpens the note.

Tuning 0 cents flat

Number 40

Ghost D

X | XXX | XXXO | X

A real piping note. It approximates to an Eb. In fact It can be used as an Eb. Learn to recognise it in other pipers playing and you will find where to use it.

Tuning 10 cents flat on Eb

Number 41

Eb second octave.

X | XXX | XXXO | X

The same as a ghost D but if it is used as an Eb it will sound like an Eb.

This used as a run between E and D and D and E in slow

Tuning 10 cents flat on Eb

Number 42

E second octave on knee.

X | XXX | XXOO | X

The on your Howard chanter does not suffer from the common fault of when the bottom E is in tune the second octave E is flat. This is due to bore and reed design.

Trill. A semitone trill, E- F natural, can be played by rapidly opening and closing the F natural key.

Tuning 3 cents flat

Number 43

E second octave off knee.

X | XXX | XXOX | O |

The off the Knee E note. Used to change tone of the E note or to play off the knee passages.

Tuning 5 cents sharp

Number 44

F natural keyed second octave on knee.

X | XXX | XXKOO | X

Used in inflection in Irish music. Again see Tomás ÓCanainn's Traditional Music in Ireland.

The keyed F natural can be rolled by cutting with the A note and tipping with the uppermost E note.

Tuning 0 cents flat

Number 45

F Nat second octave half holed.

X | XXX | XDOO | X

If you don't have keys you can sill use this very useful note in your music. You c The keyed F natural can be rolled by cutting with the A note and tipping with the uppermost E note. Keep the key open throughout the roll.

Tuning Depends onplayers skill

Number 46

F Nat keyed second octave off knee.

X | XXX | XXKOO | O

Used for tonal effects and swelling notes.

You can also roll this note as F natural on the knee above.

Tuning 0 cents flat

X | XXX | XDOO | O

Again used for tonal effects and swelling the note.

Tuning Depends onplayers skill

Number 47

F# second octave on knee.

X | XXX | XOXX | X