CAMPBELTOWN’s Willie McCallum swept the board at the Lochaber Gathering Festival of Piping at the weekend playing with a new chanter that he designed himself.
And that chanter, developed with Stuart McCallum of McCallum Bagpipes is now set to take the piping world by storm.
It has taken more than two years to develop and McCallum Bagpipes has invested in machinery worth more than Ł100,000 to develop and now produce the chanter.
Designed by Willie McCallum and made by Stuart McCallum the has been named the McC˛ and it is being unveiled this week to coincide with Piping Live and the World Pipe Band championships.
Willie and Stuart believe they have a world-class product on their hands. Stuart said: ‘We went through dozens of chanters in the designing stage.’ The chanters were all designed using state of the art computer programmes and manufacturing equipment.
‘The design is for the solo market,’ said Stuart; up until now chanter have been produced for the pipe band. The solo player needs a different sound.
‘It’s a different tonal quality and bit more refined,’ said Stuart. ‘The first time Willie used it, he swept the board.’
As one of the world’s top pipers in demand to tutor and lecture across the world, Willie McCallum and it is these skills and a lifetime of piping that he has brought to the design of the chanter. Stuart has brought the manufacturing skill.
‘We’re all pipers here,’ he said at the works on Wednesday. ‘The chanter was designed using computer models and then prototypes were made.’
‘The market was ready for something new; there has not really been much to chose from on the market for solo pipers.’
The new chanter in the hands of a master like Willie wowed the Lochaber judges.
Lochaber
In the premier competition he was first in the marches, winning the Willie Ross Gold medal, he also won the Strathspeys and reels to win the Leek Taxis Trophy.
He was first in the premier grade piobaireach, An Tuagh Oir, the Gold Battle Axe and the open hornpipe and jig, winning the Lochaber Gathering Shield.
Before he left the competition the orders for the new chanter were coming in thick and fast from fellow solo pipers.
Not to be outdone, fellow Campbeltown piper Fraser Wylie was first in the B Grade March Strathspey and reel competition at Lochaber, winning the Clydesdale Bank Trophy and he was placed third in the hornpipe and jig.
They were presented wit their prizes by Lesley Ross Alexander, a granddaughter of the late Willie Ross, a famous piper and composer.
Both pipers have a busy week ahead with Fraser playing the Scottish power Pipe band at the world Championships at Glasgow Green and Willie is giving recitals at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow and at the Lord Todd at Strathclyde University.
