Chiff and Fipple Forums

On the Japanese uilleann pipe forum, Innerhand was asking about a German pipemaker, Jens Güntzel.

http://www.dudelsackwerkstatt.de/engl.htm

Does anyone have information about him or his pipes?

Mukade

Ps I vote we import the German word for pipes into English. Dudelsack is a much more appealing word than bagpipe to my ears.

"I play the Uilleann Dudelsack."
"Dudel away..."

I visited Jens during this summer in his home and workshop close to the Czech border in the state of Saxonia, Germany. He's a metal worker / tool maker by profession and also built church organs with his brother in the past. Since several years he's into pipemaking and has a quite good reputation in the sector of Medieval pipes (e.g. "In Extremo" play pipes from him). This summer he got the title of master craftsman for woodwinds.
His uilleann pipes are also quite nice looking. The full set I played had a really nice set of drones (extremely stable) and also the regulators were fine in tune. The chanter is wide bore and good quality as well. Drone reeds are non-cane construction with tuning screw ... really fancy!
But I must admit that he has some other way of constructing certain parts (not that this is bad ... it's just different!): e.g. the chanter inlet to the bag (how ever this is called in real UP English) is made differently to the other sets I had seen so far. But I'm sure that Jens is open to all suggestions etc.
For more questions, just ask him ?!?

mukade wrote:Ps I vote we import the German word for pipes into English. Dudelsack is a much more appealing word than bagpipe to my ears.
"I play the Uilleann Dudelsack." "Dudel away..."

Actually there are two words in German: one is 'Dudelsack' and the other is 'Sackpfeife'. The latter one is nothing else than 'bagpipe' as we find it also in other laguages around ('säckpipa' in Swedish or 'säkkipilli' here in Finland). The 'Dudelsack' is something more rare and the only other language with a similar word would be the Dutch ('doedelsack' ?). I don't know how much the Slavic language ['dudy' (Russian ?), 'duduk' (Armenia), 'dudas' (Latvia)] had impact here. There is actually one German bagpipe with the name 'dudey' (a smallpipe kind of pipe ... sweet, mellow with 3-4 drones).

Tickety boo, Thies

I guess the word "Dudelsack" originates from a quoted remark of a quite famous German composer: " Der Tutelsack, welcher in der Schencken prummet" (the bag of tootles that droneth in the public house). I guess this has "pushed aside" the word "Sackpfeife" (bagpipe). Nowadays "Dudelsack" is associated generally with heavy drinking, simple music and men running around in checked skirts. At least it shows that somebody who says "Dudelsack" knows the **** about bagpipes.

So far the German UP-scene hasn´t heard about Jens Güntzel yet.
Best,
Hans

They look good

I played one of his chanters on the Bordunale-Meeting/Germany in 2000-or 2001.
It seems that Güntzel made a great progress in this four years, because in 2000 his chanters where totally unplayable (in my opinion).

magaeb wrote:I played one of his chanters on the Bordunale-Meeting/Germany in 2000-or 2001.
It seems that Güntzel made a great progress in this four years, because in 2000 his chanters where totally unplayable (in my opinion).

Might well be ... he told me that he changed the measure of his chanter quite a lot. So seems like it worked out for good.

The Dud part crops in other areas. Duda in Hungary. Then there's the Duduk.
I'm wondering what the history of Dudley might hold

Alan

Ooops, sorry Thies, spotted you'd mentioned Duduk

I'm wondering what the history of Dudley might hold

Alan,
it is Dudey - not Dudley

I read somewhere that "dudel, Dudey etc." has is origen in a turkish word ("tüllum ?"), there are a lot of instrument in south-east europe with name like "Duduk", "Duda" etc., bagpipes and whistles, and the word means more or less "woodwind"
(Brömse "Sackpfeifen, Flöten, Schalmeien Südslawiens", 1937)

The funny thing is, that "dudeln" in german means :" to play bad, boring, tasteless music".

So a "Dudelsackspieler" (piper) is somebody, who made "boring, bad, tastless music", very often the thruth , for my playing

But Hans-Jörg wrote

At least it shows that somebody who says "Dudelsack" knows the **** about bagpipes.

Even this is OT, but it is to simple.

In 1914 Sachs/Hornborstel classified all instruments (Aerophone/Menbraphone etc.), they called the group of instruments of the "bagpipes-family" "Sackpfeifen". So "Sackpfeife" is the "scientific" correct name.

But it is not the common name in germany, most people never heard this word:
"I play a Sackpfeife"
"You play what ?"
"A kind of Dudelsack"
"Ah, I understand, where is your skirt ?"

I`m tired to explain that there other pipes than the GHB, as most of you I think, so I say "Dudelsack", saves time.

"Dudelsack" was first mentioned in 1645 in Germany, bevor this time bagpipes where called "Sackpfeifen".
So it is better to use "Sackpfeifen" for pipes played bevor 1640.

A lot of peopel, who play medival pipes or pipes afer Praetorius (Huemmelcen, Dudey, Great Goat) use "Sackpfeife" like a "fetish", they think it is "historical correct" to call this pipes "Sackpfeife", they get angry when you say
"You play very good Dudelsack"
"DAS IST EINE SACKPFEIFE, DU ARSCH"

In fact this people play a modern instrument, plastic-reeds and recorder fingering etc.. Often this people has no clue that they play a modern development, they really thinking that the pipes, as they play, was played 400 years bevor, nonsens.

It is not importand if you say "Sackpfeife" or "Dudelsack", it is the same.
But I have seen more peopel who say "Sackpfeife" , and they knows the **** about bagpipes than people who say "Dudelsack".

@Hans-Joerg
(in german, I told Hans-Joerg that I dont wanted to flame, my english is to bad, so it could be that Hans think I wanted to flame)

Ich hoffe du verstehst mich nicht falsch, ich weis wie du das mit Dudelsack/Sackpfeife meinst, aber ich habe mittlerweile das Gefühl das man in Dudelsackkreisen nicht mehr "Dudelsack" sagen darf, die Worte erhalten zuviel gewichtung

Then there's kudek vasha dedek, which is Polish for something...

Hans-Joerg wrote:I'm wondering what the history of Dudley might hold

Alan,
it is Dudey - not Dudley

Sorry Hans,
I was referring to the district in Birmingham.

Alan

magaeb wrote: A lot of peopel, who play medival pipes or pipes afer Praetorius (Huemmelchen, Dudey, Great Goat) use "Sackpfeife" like a "fetish", they think it is "historical correct" to call this pipes "Sackpfeife", they get angry when you say
"You play very good Dudelsack"
"DAS IST EINE SACKPFEIFE, DU ARSCH"

I guess even those with none or very little knowledge of German get the point here!

From a previous C&F discussion of Jens Guntzel's work...absolutely beautiful workmanship!
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... ht=#197726

This is a interessting new development, I have seen this set in Lissberg this year (bagpipe/hurdygurdy festival in southgermany).

I didnt play it, but I hold it im my hand when talking to pipemaker J.Ross, Edgar, the owner of the set, joined our conservation and laid the set on the table.

It is a chanter with a narrow-flat bore (~1:50 to 1:60), you play the chanter off the knee all the time (soundholes in the bell), but the "new" thing is the way how to overblow, the "backD" is only a very small hole, so it is use as a "overblow" hole, like the keyed register holes on oboes/basson.
If you playing highD (second D) you play a overblown note !
I think it has a range of 2 octaves.

But I have problems to call it a uilleann pipes, Mr. Güntzel build, as he named it "mouthblown uilleann pipes", maybe it is this kind of pipes.
This set could only played open, no closed fingering etc.
(more like a Pastoral Pipe)

I heard only this set in "natura", but the other way to overblow (register hole) makes the overblown notes sounding boring/weak.
That the same with the Cornemuse du Centre with register key, build by Arie de Keyser/Belgien (I think it was Arie who build it), this coremuse could overblow 2 octaves, normaly are 3 notes without register kes, but the highest note sounds a little bit to weak.

But that set it shows that Mr.Güntzel is a pipemaker with new, good ideas.