Getting started
Help with the instrument you buy
The digital Smallpipes Field Guide and email support are included. Questions about setting up and playing your instrument are welcome.
Explore tunes and fingerings in the Virtual Chanter, and use the existing guides as you learn.
If your purchase included lessons, contact Donald to arrange them. Additional online lessons are £25.00 GBP; see the current lesson options.
Playing pressure
If you already keep track of your playing pressure, these pipes will arrive set up at 14 inches of water. If you prefer, they can be adjusted to work optimally at pressures ranging from 12 to 16 inches of water.
If you would like to measure your playing pressure
A low-pressure dial manometer can be attached to tubing passed through the central passage in a rubber stopper. Remove one drone, fit the stopper in its place, and read the dial while the pipes are being played.
The gauge scale and graduations need to show 10–20 inches of water clearly. Many general pressure gauges are not sensitive enough. A wider scale is fine only if these small pressures remain easy to read.
The rows below all describe the same gauge readings as 10–20 inches of water. They are unit equivalents, not playing-pressure limits.
| Gauge units | Equivalent readings |
|---|---|
| Inches of water (inH₂O) | 10–20 |
| Millimetres of water (mmH₂O) | 254–508 |
| Centimetres of water (cmH₂O) | 25.4–50.8 |
| Millibars (mbar) or hectopascals (hPa) | 25–50 |
| Kilopascals (kPa) | 2.5–5.0 |
| Pounds per square inch (psi) | 0.36–0.72 |