The Gillis Foot-Joint

Product Description

The Gillis Foot-Joint allows concert uilleann pipe chanters to play low C (a whole tone below the bottom D). It slips on or off of the end of any D chanter in seconds and, due to its unique modern design, it doesn’t affect the tone or tuning of the bottom D or any other note whatsoever.

Why would you want to be able to play low C you ask? Low C is a very important note in Irish traditional music. It was prominent in the music of both the pastoral pipes and the war pipes, the bagpipes played in Ireland long before the uilleann pipes. When pipers began removing the pastoral chanter’s lower section so that they could close the chanter on the knee, they lost the low C. Ever since then, it has not been possible to play low C on the modern uilleann pipe chanter.

The Gillis Foot-Joint brings back the low C, allowing tunes such as The March of the King of Laoise, The Foggy Dew, She Moved Through the Fair, My Lagan Love and many others to be played on the uilleann pipes.