what does Davy Spillane play on

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sponge
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Tell us something.: irish music, specifically slow airs played on different whistle keys, also lower keyed flutes like Bb, but only from modern makers who have managed to get the hole spacing a little closer. And finally learning some fiddle tunes, mainly slow airs again so that the whole family don't go mad with the sound of a cat being strangled.
Location: WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND

what does Davy Spillane play on

Post by sponge »

Hi all

just popped over from the whistle forum, to ask you guys and gals if you know what key Davy Spillanes pipes are in on the album ( a place among the stones ) its a fabulous album some really atmospheric low whistles as well as some very beautiful uilleann pipe playing, I only ask as I have a couple of albums with the Uilleann pipes on them, the Chieftains and the Fureys, again brilliantly played but totally acoustic without any effects added, I'm no expert but it seems mr Spillane adds some effects and his pipes sound a bit deeper, I'm not considering buying a set but would like to buy some more music with this type of playing and in whatever key it is in.

cheers all :D :D
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chanterdan
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Post by chanterdan »

he plays pipes of his own make,key is D,and yes lots of effects.
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billh
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Post by billh »

He uses an internal pickup (mounted on the reed, I think) then fed into a vocal compressor and equalization system. (I understand that the more commonly available dynamic compressors used for instruments like guitars aren't really up to the task). The compressor is needed to cut down on contact noise with the chanter (finger noise, etc.) and the EQ is required since the reed motion and sound profile inside the reed cap isn't much like the sound that comes out of the chanter - so this at least makes it sound a little like pipes! :-D

It used to require a huge box of electronics but I guess it's fairly miniaturezed now. Then of course reverb, etc. is added.
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reedman
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Post by reedman »

Mr Spillane plays in the big D 440hz and he always spot on in pitch)
he used to play on a Overton low D Whistle I beleive, but he plays his own now. 8)
There's those who know,
and there's those who think they know,
and there's those who just have'nt got a fecking Clue.
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Dale
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Post by Dale »

reedman wrote: he used to play on a Overton low D Whistle I beleive, but he plays his own now. 8)
Although I believe you are correct, I'll point out that Davy claims to have always made his own whistles. It may come down to what one means by "making" a whistle.
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sponge
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Tell us something.: irish music, specifically slow airs played on different whistle keys, also lower keyed flutes like Bb, but only from modern makers who have managed to get the hole spacing a little closer. And finally learning some fiddle tunes, mainly slow airs again so that the whole family don't go mad with the sound of a cat being strangled.
Location: WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND

Post by sponge »

Hi all, and thanks for all the information, after reading billh's post I can see that mr Spillane has a comprehensive set up on his pipes, they do sound amazing, so do the whistles, again very heavy on the efects, reverb, digital delay etc, regarding the whistles, the river dance whistle certainly looks like a Bernhard Overton, I think I read in older posts that Davy plays his own as Dale mentioned, or a modified Overton, I suppose if you make enough modifications to a whistle so it plays totally different and looks different you could class it as a re-styling, but not your own???? :D :D

cheers sponge
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