shoulder strap

[DjUntzUntz]

Hi guys!

I checked the search option for a bit about shoulder straps but i'm curious to where you can buy a shoulder strap for uilleann pipes (or what material is best used as shoulder strap)
and where do you attach the shoulder strap?

I checked some pictures and it seems it's put around the main stock but how does it keep the pipes in place?

Perhaps somebody can direct me into the right direction to get a nice shoulder strap and tell me how to attach it.

Thanks and kind regards!

[geoff wooff]

I place my shoulder strap around the Mainstock Cup. So that means up against the Bag. From there it goes, over your shoulder and needs to be carefully adjusted to lift the pipes into a comfortable position suitable for you.

It also needs to be adjustable for different clothes, winter to summer etc and for different heights of chairs (sometimes).

I don't know where you can buy such a thing, perhaps a leather worker would make something, strong but unobtrusive...

Some people use them and others don't.... with a half set or 3/4 set it is perhaps not needed but comes into its own, for me, with the full set, where it keeps the pipes up and well into my armpit.. lift the bag side shoulder to get as much space (length) to play the regulators...

Search for pictures of Seamus Ennis who used the shoulder strap to good effect in getting himself into regulator playing positions....

[DjUntzUntz]

Geoff your answer is very much appreciated again Thanks i'll take a look at some pictures from Seamus ennis.

I was thinking about a music store or leatherworker myself. I think I have the best shot there to get a nice strap.

I hoped perhaps anybody knew a pipemaker or a store that sells them.

Mainstock cup is the left side of the mainstock that goes into the bag I presume? that makes sense. Perhaps
I can find a decent picture where it shows very clearly where the strap is put.

What kind of shoulderstrap do you use? leather or some kind of synthetic material?

Your points are recognizable. The bag slowly lowers or the pipes go down a bit. I have to put them 'back in' every 5-10 minutes so I thought: perhaps a strap would deal with that.

Thanks again for your reply.

Kind regards

[Mr.Gumby]

You don't need anything very fancy, at some point I picked up a few pieces of leather (strips about two inches wide maybe ten inches long, perforated at each end) that I use as a non slip shoulder piece with a dark cord attached to go round the mainstock. Early on I have also used a saxophone strap and briefly did a Pat Mitchell solution and used a camera strap that came with something I bought on ebay, I didn't like that too much so discarded that after a week or two. A narrow, adjustable camera strap with a comfortable piece for your shoulder can work though, if you pick the right one.

Round the mainstock works fine although I have seen pipers who had a little hook replacing one of the screws used to set the bass reg plate onto the mainstock. Fortunately mine has hidden screws and no big piece of metal, which is very tidy.

[tommykleen]

Camera stores have nice adjustable straps as well.

[DjUntzUntz]

Hey guys

Good thinking. A camera store for a camera strap would also be a good idea, though I like the idea of leather as well since it's strong (I suppose synthetic materials are too though).

And adjustable would be so much better indeed. Guess i'll take a look around on google for shoulder straps and see what the internet has to offer. Then i'll check out if there is any store close-by and else buy something by the internet, thanks again!

NB: if you have any examples to show me, that would be great of course

Kind regards!

[amckay]

I had an interesting conversation with Paddy Keenan a few years back about shoulder straps. The short of the discussion was that they aren't really necessary for most concert pitch pipes, but can be useful for some of the larger flat pitch sets. Paddy ties his stock quite low into the bag which allows the regs to sit very flat across the lap. The bass reg bar rests on the left arm for support and does not drag the set out from under the armpit. This doesn't always work with flat sets as there is greater reach on the regs so having them up high under the armpit with the assistance of a shoulder strap is the way to go.

[geoff wooff]

I had an interesting conversation with Paddy Keenan a few years back about shoulder straps. The short of the discussion was that they aren't really necessary for most concert pitch pipes, but can be useful for some of the larger flat pitch sets. Paddy ties his stock quite low into the bag which allows the regs to sit very flat across the lap. The bass reg bar rests on the left arm for support and does not drag the set out from under the armpit. This doesn't always work with flat sets as there is greater reach on the regs so having them up high under the armpit with the assistance of a shoulder strap is the way to go.

Yes, this is true but unless you are the same shape as Paddy Keenan you might need to adjust this positioning. Paddy leans forward at an angle which I would find most uncomfortable on my lower back. He also drops his right leg so that the chanter can sit lower down and makes this crouched playing position possible.. with the almost horizontal body of the pipes and the bass regulator top tube sitting across a lowered left arm.

Finding your comfortable position, chair height, strap or not, bag shape and tie- in point is all part of becoming a piper.

[ausdag]

It also depends on your build, particularly your girth across the shoulders and waist, I've discovered. Being of very slight frame, I could not work out why the bottom rows fo keys on my regulators lay further away from me than other pipers, even when I had the bag tucked as far up under my armpit as possible. On close inspection I realised that those whom I had observed with their bottom hand comfortably above the bottom row of regulator keys, also were of quite larger bodily proportion than I across the waist and shoulders. For tall slender people such as I, who dare not venture out wearing red for fear of being mistaken for a thermometer, we need try to find other ways of allowing ourselves to comfortably reach the bottom keys.

[meuritt]

yer basic belt, purchased at second hand store, is quite up to the job.

Being arether thin guy myself, I found it was useful to get into the habit of holding the bag higher alowing for easier reach of the lower regs, but I am also concluding I need to tie the stock in a different location as well. UP's, it seems, need to fit you like a good suit

[hpinson]

Saxophone straps, that you can buy at most any music instrument store, work nicely as well. That and camera straps come with the fittings to adjust the strap to just the right length, and a little hook at the bottom. Attaching the strap to the stock can be done with just a loop of leather, paracord, or webbing. You have to find a balance point.

Personally, I'm still quite undecided if I like using a strap or not.

[ChristianRo]

I used a webbing strap with a padded shoulder piece for a long time. Finally I found out that a simple shoelace works much better for me. Much less visible, less prone to slipping and as easy to adjust. Just knot as desired.

[DjUntzUntz]

Okay so...I bought a leather belt meant for kids, 100 cm. i'll try it out this evening and see how that goes. if it doesn't really fit and/or work it doesn't matter much since it was 1 euro and i'll keep looking for something else!

[Cathy Wilde]

Before my present knotted latigo (leather lacing) strap-loop setup, I used an old rein.

There are also some very nice leather mandolin straps available; I've been eyeing those. But for now I'm content. I just add or remove a knot whenever I feel the need to bring the stock higher or lower.

[boyd]

I'd recommend these straps:
inexpensive
adjustable
http://www.facewest.co.uk/Pod-Straps.html
also stocked in Tiso's

get the 1.5m or 2m.

The buckle bit is like the ones you get on rucksacks etc so you can shorten or lengthen easily.
The material is strong enough as its often used in climbing/mountaineering.

(oh and I've had a famous piper phone up and ask me to get ANOTHER TWO of these for him....if its good enough for him..... )

B