Endurance Practice Chanter Launch: The World’s First Practice Chanter with Complete Moisture Control
by Jori Chisholm, Founder of BagpipeLessons.com
Last Updated: October 30, 2024
The future of bagpipe practice is here! Watch as I unveil a revolutionary new product that’s changing the way pipers practice—the Endurance Practice Chanter. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, this chanter will transform your practice sessions with its innovative moisture-control system, durability, and free-flowing airflow. This chanter is designed by me in the USA and crafted by R.G. Hardie & Co. in Scotland, a renowned name in bagpipe manufacturing.
Join me on a deep dive into the biggest problem facing practice chanters: moisture buildup and how the Endurance Practice Chanter solves these issues:
- Complete Moisture Control: Play for hours without reeds clogging or gurgling sounds.
- Durability: Built to withstand intense, regular practice sessions.
- Free-Flowing Air: An unrestricted airflow that makes practice feel more natural.
- Three Size Options: Regular, Extended, and Junior to suit pipers of all ages and preferences.
Watch the video and scroll down to read the full video transcript.
Key Points:
🎶 – Introducing the Endurance Practice Chanter, the first chanter with a built-in moisture control system to keep reeds dry.
🇺🇸 + 🏴 – Designed by me in the U.S. and manufactured by R.G. Hardie & Co. in Scotland, a trusted name in bagpipes.
💧 – Features a complete moisture control system with “Endurance Cartridges” that absorb moisture, allowing long practice sessions without reed issues.
📏 – Available in three sizes: standard, long (extended), and junior (child-sized) to suit different preferences and hand sizes.
🔄 – Cartridges can be re-dried in the oven, making them reusable and helping maintain moisture control over time.
🛠️ – Shared other bagpipe innovations, like synthetic drone reeds, moisture-controlled bags, and tuning apps.
🚀 – Pre-sale for the chanter received an incredible response and sold out the first batch.
🌐 – Currently available exclusively through this website.
🎉 – Celebrating 24 years of BagpipeLessons.com, with a big 25th anniversary coming up next year!
Video Transcript: Hey, everybody! We’re live! Sorry about that little glitch with the last livestream. Let me send a link out to let everyone know what’s going on, and we’ll get started here in a second. Alright…okay, link sent. Cool!
Apologies again for the glitch, but I’m excited to be with you and tell you about my new product. This is very cool, and thanks for joining in live if you’re here on YouTube! Feel free to pop a note in the chat, tell us where you’re from, and say hi.
So, let me show you what I’ve got for you today. This is my new practice chanter, which promises to solve moisture problems once and for all. Here it is: the Endurance Practice Chanter. I designed it here in the United States, and it’s made by the famous R.G. Hardie & Co., bagpipe makers in Scotland. This is the world’s first practice chanter with complete moisture control, so you can play for hours—even days—without any moisture issues on your chanter.
I’ll show you an up-close view in just a minute, but here’s what we’re going to cover today. I’ll talk about the history of this practice chanter, where the idea came from, the needs and issues it solves, and how it fits into the history of other innovations in the bagpipe world. So, if you’re watching live, pop something in the chat, say where you’re from, and introduce yourself. And if you’re watching the replay, please do the same!
I was looking at an old picture of myself playing the bagpipes at our local Highland Games when I was a kid, with my first teacher, Colin McKenzie. He was tuning my pipes, and I noticed that the setup I was using in that photo was nearly identical to bagpipes from a hundred years prior. From the late 1800s through the early 1990s, there was very little change in the design of bagpipes. They were made of wood, with cane reeds and leather bags, and most accessories hadn’t evolved much either. Even when synthetic materials started entering the bagpipe world, most of my setup was still very traditional.
Today, though, we’ve seen some major innovations in bagpipes over the last 25-30 years. Let’s talk about a few of those. A big one would be synthetic drone reeds. Traditional cane reeds were finicky, sensitive to moisture, and a hassle to maintain, but synthetic drone reeds are stable, efficient, and stay in tune reliably.
Another innovation has been the introduction of pipe bags with moisture control systems, like the Ross pipe bag from Australia. It uses a canister with desiccant—material that absorbs moisture—to keep the air in the bag dry. This means you can play for hours with your drones staying warm and dry. My favorite system for this is the Bannatyne pipe bag, a hybrid bag with a leather exterior and a synthetic inner liner, combining tradition with modern convenience.
There’s also the Tone Protector, which I invented. It’s a reed cap that maintains a stable humidity level for your pipe chanter reed, keeping it at an ideal moisture level for optimal sound quality. This innovation helps pipers get a consistent, resonant tone from their chanter reeds.
We’ve seen other advances too, like smartphone apps for tuning and metronomes. I created the Piper’s Metronome app, which has presets specifically for bagpipe tunes, making it easier to practice with accurate timing and rhythms. There’s also the InTune Mic, a wireless clip-on mic that connects to your smartphone and makes tuning your pipes easier.
Despite all these innovations, one tool has been largely left behind in terms of design and functionality: the practice chanter. I’ve been playing and teaching for years, and I have a collection of different practice chanters. They’re basically the same, whether made of Blackwood or plastic. The main problem with all of them is moisture buildup, which causes the reed to gurgle, go out of tune, and even cut out completely. It’s a hassle that interrupts practice sessions.
So, I set out to create a practice chanter that solves these moisture issues once and for all. And here it is: the Endurance Practice Chanter. This chanter, which I designed in collaboration with Alistair Dunn at R.G. Hardie, has a full moisture control system built in. It comes in three sizes: standard, long (or extended), and junior (for kids or people with smaller hands).
How does the moisture control system work? Well, unlike normal practice chanters, the Endurance has a two-part top section with a compartment that holds three “Endurance Cartridges.” These cartridges filter the air, keeping the reed completely dry. They’re designed specifically for this chanter and can last for days before needing to be re-dried. When they’re full, you can simply take them out and let them air dry, or you can regenerate them in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour. The cartridges use silica gel, a common, safe material that’s used in many industries.
The Endurance Practice Chanter is available exclusively from my shop on BagpipeLessons.com, although we may expand to other retailers down the road. Right now, we’re shipping orders from our first batch, and response has been fantastic! We had an exclusive pre-sale, and we nearly sold out. If you want one, I’d recommend ordering now to make sure you get yours from this next batch.
One of the best features of this chanter, in my opinion, is that it stays dry throughout your practice session. You get that nice, crisp, in-tune sound from a dry reed every time you pick it up—no more dealing with spit, moisture, or gurgling.
So, if you’re interested, check out the link in the description or go to BagpipeLessons.com/endurance. Choose from the regular, long, or junior sizes, and enjoy practicing with no moisture issues! Thanks for being here, and for being part of the BagpipeLessons.com community.
I started this website back in the year 2000, and next year will be our 25th anniversary. Hearing from all of you and your support keeps me inspired to keep developing new products and resources. So, thank you, and happy piping!
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