PipeKeys is now available on the iTunes App Store

PipeKeysC is now available on the iTunes App Store

PipeKeysB is now available on the iTunes App Store

PipeKeys is an expressive, authentic sounding concert pitch 3/4 set of Uilleann pipes chanter, drones, and two regulators in the form of a standard two octave piano keyboard.

PipeKeysB is the same, but three half-steps lower in the key of B and has a mellower sound.

PipeKeysC, the latest version, is in the key of C and based on a completely new set of audio samples from a top quality set of pipes in C that I used to own.

Touch the drone button to switch the drones on and off. The balance between the drones and chanter may be adjusted on the settings page.

Since the chanter does not go below D, I've put four of the standard regulator chords on the top and bottom halves of the lowest two keys.

You may also play the regulators by touching the screen in the highlighted touch zones above the lowest two white keys.

For a bigger drone sound, you may enable an optional stereo flanging effect for the drones on the settings page. This is particularly effective in headphones.

Finger vibrato, as is done on the real instrument, can be added by sliding back and forth along the length of the chanter keys. The note C has an extended pitch bend range as typically used when playing a real chanter.

Since PipeKeys is multi-touch enabled, you can play chords.

You can even play along with the music on your iPhone/iPod Touch by playing the track and then launching PipeKeys. Double click the home button to bring up the iPod controls while the app is running.

The sounds are recorded from my personal set of Uilleann pipes and are of extremely high quality.

PipeKeys runs on the iPhone and iPod Touch (2nd Generation).

Tips and Techniques:

I've found that to best emulate the sound of the pipes, it helps to practice playing both legato and staccato styles.

Practice playing tunes with as little separation between the notes as possible to create smooth passages, but also mix it up with more staccato phrases.

There are two sets of volume controls on your device, the overall volume control using the hardware buttons, and the drone/chanter balance controls on the back page of the app.

This allows optimal volume for a wide variety of uses and situations from live play, to use with headphones or plugged into an external amplifier.

If you experience any distortion or overloading, first try setting the app volume to mid-range, then increase the device volume as required.

Try sliding from the Ghost-D (D#) to the back D for a nice effect.

You can also slide between buttons for interesting effects.

For some real fun, run the output of your iPhone or iPod Touch through an external amplifier or outboard effects. I use a Roland Cube-ST portable amp that has both reverb and chorus effects, the end result is quite amazing.

FAQ:

Q: I'm not hearing any sounds on my iPhone! Help!

A: Make sure your ringer switch isn't in the "mute" position.

Q: I'm having some trouble hitting the regulator keys on the low C and C# while playing the bottom D and low E on the chanter keys, what can I do?

A: I've added an additional dedicated touch area for the regulators, immediately above the lowest two white keys as shown in the following image (the outlines are just for reference). Both the low C/C# keys or the regulator zones can be used to play the regulators:

Q: How does the pitch bending/finger vibrato work?

A: Each chanter note key is divided into two zones, the top half of the key (for the white keys, the top half of the area below the black keys) is the note with no pitch bend. As the finger moves down from the middle of the key to the bottom, the pitch is lowered by an amount simulating typical finger vibrato. The C note has an extended bend range.

Q: What's the purpose of the "Release" slider on the settings page?

A: The sound APIs I use for the apps don't have a way to do a clean sound stop without some possibility of popping. When playing through the speakers on the device, this generally isn't a problem actually contributes to the sound realism, but I found it to be distracting when playing through headphones. This control allows you to set a delay time at the end of the sound to avoid the pops.

If you are using headphones and want to reduce the clicks, I suggest trying setting it as high as possible, then slowly lower it until the pops stop. The value is saved when you quit the app. Setting it to the max value disable the anti-pop feature.

Additional Resources:

To learn more about the Uilleann pipes, please visit the following sites:

Patrick D'Arcy's Uilleann Obsession Site

Chiff and Fipple Uilleann Pipes Message Board

Future Plans:

I am very interested in any suggestions for features or improvements to the apps for future updates, please drop me an email anytime with your ideas!

Other Apps by Michael Eskin:

JustDrones - Three Uilleann pipes drones in the keys of Bb, B, C, C#, D, E, F, G, and A, with additional interval drone.

3QuarterSet - Three Uilleann pipes drones and two regulators in the keys of D, C#, C, B, and Bb, designed for live play

4QuarterSet - Three Uilleann pipes drones and three regulators in the keys of D, C#, C, B, designed for live play

Concertina - High Quality Anglo Concertinas in C/G, Bb/F, A/E, and G/D

Englitina - High Quality Treble/Baritone English Concertina

Uillitina - Uilleann Pipes as an English Concertina

ButtonBox - 3 Reed Bank Irish Button Accordion using English concertina fingerings

BoxKeys - 3 Reed Bank Irish Piano Accordion

Haydentina - Hayden-style Duet Concertina

Canntina - MacCann-style Duet Concertina

Contact:

For more information, please contact Michael Eskin or visit the Tradlessons.com website:

Visit Tradlessons.com