What the heck is THAT ???
Except for the fact, that
a) it doesn't look like a Guatieri and
b) it's far more expansive than any new sets from the Molise , I
c) have never seen anything like that!
What IS that? A Zampogna a Paro / Ciarramedda with double-reeds? A Sordellina-Zampogna for reeeealy big boys?? Could Guatieri really have made anything like that???
Anyone knows anything about this one????
The "A Paro" ( an equal pair of Pipes) with Double Reeds is really a Latinum (Lazio, just South of Rome)
Zampogna, and the most Popular Keys in desending order are: Ab, G, & F. Other keys are Bb (a real sqeeker),
A, F#, and the really rare, key of E.
Michael Hubbert (of Irish Pipe making fame) has made some of these,
modeled on his A Paro in F, and Man, do they sound GOOD!!!!
The makers in Scapoli (Molise) make them, and so do the Calamus people who ARE in Lazio.
I have been recommending them as a 1st Zampogna to own, as you don't have to have a
Piffero player to complete the act, as "il Piffaro" can be optional, BECAUSE IT HAS AN OVERLAPPING
SCALE OF ONE OCTAVE, BETWEEN THE TWO CHANTERS ! THUS IT IS A SOLO MODEL ZAMPOGNA.
The drawback with the Sicilian A Paro, which has the same scaling, is that the Single Reeds
have a habit of closing shut, or changing tune as the Cane Reeds dry out.
The modern A Pari have plastic headed Reeds, and the only thing you have to watch out for is
the Tin Can staples rusting-out on you. You have to paint the interior of the Staples
with Sally Hanson's Fingernail coating, RIGHT OFF THE BAT, (when you 1st get them out of the box)
and that prevents the water from your Breath causing "Rusticles" to form, inside the staples,
and dropping the Pitch of the Reeds.
The other thing to mention about this, is the Makers in Scapoli only use the Half of a Rubber Inner Tube
BAG on all their Zampogne, as they gave up on Goat Skin Bags along time back (in the 1950s ?).
I prefer the Goat Skins, as the skin absorbs the moisture, and doesn't rot the Wood of the Pipes,
or the Reeds.
Sean Folsom
Thanx, Sean! Cool to have personal contact with You
I got a set of Sicilian a Paro (unknown maker), doing quite well with the single reeds. But I always was quite frustrated with my Z. a Chiave - simply because melodies are really limited and there aren't really any Ciarramella-players in Friesland
Btw. - in between, the Scapoli-makers DO use goat, sometimes even sheepskin at no extra expenses, if You wish for it. There even exist some Gore-like materials for Z.bags in between! Which makers offer these double-reeded "A-Paro" (I only knew about Z. Zoppa so far, having also one octave spread on two chanters, but not both chanters same lenght)?
Can someone please send me to a link or a picture, or youtube video, or audio recording, or anything on-line that shows or even talks about (in Italian or English) an A Paro double reed zampogna from Lazio?
Tell us something.: I'm here because I just wanted to change my location... but it turns out much more complicated than I thought. Do I already have the 100 required characters?
Well I'll be WINTEXED !!!!!
I guess the advances in GHB technology have spread to Scapoli !!!
I think in could be the influence of those Scottish Pipe Bands
they invite to the FESTA every year.
Well Padre, Thanks for reminding me about the ZOPPA
(one leg shorter than the other, so Frank Zappa would have to have worn one elevator SHOE).
The ZOPPA is the word for the Zampogna with the over-lapping scale in LAZIO because
the Chanter that plays the lowest notes is made Slightly Longer than the High Chanter.
Some makers have the Chanters made in equal lengths as the high finger holes with
Thumb plus four finger holes has the Vent Holes below the lowest note os the rest of the
length acts as a resonator. The LOW Chanter with 4 finger holes has the usual Vents
in the neck of the Bell. Some Bells do not have screw Threads to remove the Bell, other
makers do include the Threads. A Paro is the name where, due to aesthetics, the beauty
of having 2 equal size Chanters was irresistable. Back in the 1980s, I had the 2 volume
set of the "Lazio" Lps (33.33 RPM), from Albatross Records, one of which had a Zoppa on the front cover.
(I think it was Volume Two), So I have always associated that type of Zampogna with Lazio.
Some of the Scapoli makers make it as a ZOPPA, and others make it as an A PARO.
I'll leave it to your choice what you want to call it, and when ordering one, ASK FIRST
what Names, Models, and Sizes (or Keys) "Sol" "Fa" etc. the Maker offers for sale,
and make your INFORMED purchase !!!
Sean Folsom
...too bad, I'm friends with Mick Loos - his reeds are so brilliant, I'll never manage to make them half as good as he does, so I quit before beginning. Maybe also the reason, why my piping is so bad..? But my collection is bigger! (Mick calls me "mad" - he's right, I'm afraid... ).
OYEZ, OYEZ !!!
It's time for an update about the 1972 A Paro from Scapoli that "kicked off" this whole thread.
It's still for sale, at a "Buy It Now" price of $1,500 USD. The end date for this new Auction is now
February 27th, 2009. Ebay item #300290059632 Readers can use the blue "HERE" link on Reverend
Celt Pastor's very first posting, at the head of this page, as it's still an active link.
The Seller is in Highland Park, New Jersey, and he was also selling a regular "Chanters in Octaves"
1970 Scapoli Zampogna, with a "Little Pinky Finger" A Chiave (key) on the Bass Chanter.
Ebay item number # 300284546253 the auction ended without a Buyer
It looks like a 28 centimeter Model, or is it a larger 32cm Model ?
Senore Charles Rutan, if you've seen both these sets, what size is it ?
At $2,350 USD it didn't sell, as it was WAY overpriced.
Perhaps it will be "Relisted" at a lower price ? I read in the advertising copy that
Mr. New Jersey is asking for somebody to tell him what these Zampogne are really worth.
Anybody want to Volunteer ? I don't want to do it....come on you experts !
Here's your chance to "SHINE" ?
My one final question is to you Charles, is who was the Umo Italiano, who owned these
Pipes? Was he a player, or did they just hang on a wall, for all these years?
"Zampognaro Di California"..... Sean Folsom
check your Private-Messages Sean
to answer your questions,
The Molise IS a 25,
They were owned by a zampognaro,
who it is my understanding sold them to the current owner,
and Ive watched these sets get re-posted for auction 2, maybe 3 times now.
I emailed the guy sometime back when this thread started and told him my thoughts on the A Paro and that it was way over priced. He thanked me but obviously never changed the price. If anyone is curious I paid 500 Euro for my sicilian a paro (from sicily) in Summer 2007 and have heard that is around what they generally go for. I didnt pay shipping because I picked the pipe up in person. My pipe is kind of unique because it was hand carved and this can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. At the time I had no Idea what i was getting, but I love the pipe because it has character and I have since become good friends with the man who made it. I have seen a paros around 500 euro or less on Ebay Italia though usually very basic designs from reggio calabria. There are a lot of factors that can go into the price of these pipes. I personally wouldnt buy a pipe from ebay or from someone I didnt know or didnt have a friend in italy vouching for.
The only pipe up on ebay italia right now is this old 3 palmi currently at 200 euro (reserve not met) - I see the seller is from Colliano, a town with a strong piping history. http://cgi.ebay.it/Zampogna_W0QQitemZ27 ... 240%3A1318
, I 
Could Guatieri really have made anything like that??? 
(Mick calls me "mad" - he's right, I'm afraid...