Its not often that you get the opportunity to review new instruments in the bagpipe world, you could be forgiven for thinking that the bagpipe had just about been fully developed in all its permutations, but we do live in a land of creative artisans thank goodness. Pipe making is not for the faint-hearted, and I imagine that the excellent instruments that we enjoy playing today owe a great deal to the piles of discarded turned wood to be found in the corners of many a makers workshop! However, its gratifying to see makers like Dominic Allan, Sean Jones, Richard Evans and Jim Parr who is now back into making instruments, joining the ranks of the well-known names. Pipe making in England (and Wales of course John!) is currently in safe hands.

The Instruments in question here are:-
Smallpipes, in particular two similar designs of bagpipe one by Jim Parr and the other by Sean Jones. They are both single drone, mouth-blown in the 6-finger key of ‘D’ based on the Praetorius ‘Hummelchen’ or little bee, and both are – currently - priced at a mere £250.00p, and no, I don’t know how they can do it for the price either, for these are serious instruments and given a prime busking site could pay for themselves in a couple of weeks! The set of Jim Parr’s that I have here are affectionately known as ‘The Jimmelchen’ although Jim refers to it rather more formally as ‘The Renaissance smallpipe in D’.
Easy to play? Yes, but discipline is essential in respect of honouring the fingering charts. At the piping weekend here at Trehawsa last year someone asked me which was the easiest bagpipe for a whistle player to take up. After some thought I suggested the Mouth-blown Leicestershire in G, it is a very forgiving chanter that tolerates variations in both fingering and pressure. The hole nearest the reed is the one that determines the note, and cross-fingering is not an option. These Hummelchens, however are different and can refresh the parts that other keyless smallpipes cannot reach.

Reeds etc.
Both Chanter and Drone reeds are plastic which is ideal for mouth-blowing, and the Drone is pitched at the 6-finger D. I’m not sure whether it was intentional but on my Jim Parr set the drone will slide up from D to E and personally I enjoy playing tunes in the minor mode based on the 5-finger note, and this is where the C-Natural comes into its own.
As the photo shows the drone is tied forward in the ‘Breughal’ style, although it can just as easily be left ‘over the shoulder’. However Sean offers a perfectly reasonable explanation in that the drone, being short, tends to fire rather loudly in your left ear if it is not tied forwards.
I must also mention the remarkable air economy offered by these little gems. It’s not entirely surprising I suppose as there’s only one drone and a narrow chanter bore, but I remember saying to Jim something to the effect, of “Blimey! You blow it up on a monday and you can play all week!”
The tone is sweet and very pleasing, I must quote from Jims notes, “A friend thought the tone ‘pleasantly penetrating’ which possibly tells you more about her than the instrument!” But it carries well, I recently had a chance to play a duet with Dave Webb and he was playing a Swayne D Border pipe and the little Hummelchen more than held it own, but there is, of course a different set of overtones. Funny to think that both the large Swaynes, and the diminutive smallpipe, were both playing in the same octave.
Both makers offer a Bellows option at extra cost of course, and extra drone options and would no doubt be happy to discuss different permutations, I have had a go on Jims 3-drone set and it is lovely. Regarding the wood, Jim advises he is presently coming to the end of a large stock of Boxwood and is intending to move to cherry, plum or yew, but sustainable blackwood is also an option. Seans hummelchen is presently in Maple.