This is a brief treatise for those who would like to begin playing the bombarde but don't know where to find one or what kind to buy. We'll get you headed in the right direction with reeds as well.
We'll cover certain specifics of choosing and purchasing a bombarde in a "non-Breton" environment; that is to say, for those who don't have access to a teacher or other information on the instrument. For a history and basic description of the bombarde, please see one of the following pages:
ABC of the Bombarde
Included is information on the
key the instrument might be in (pitch), as well as the "Keys" the
instrument comes equipped with, reeds, and bombarde makers. Also, other
instruments bombardes are commonly played with as well as who plays them. Bombarde hybrids & alternatives are mentioned.
This is a only brief treatment of the subject. Many might suggest further information I've omitted here and I'll gladly post
any facts or corrections here if they're e-mailed to Larry Rone at:
larry @ digitalpositive.com.
If you
play with a highland piper you ONLY need Bb. This is the path of least resistance if you wish to delve into this art mostly
because of the loud nature of the bombarde. But, obviously, to do this you must first have a highland piper to play Breton
tunes with. The bombarde is not a "solo" instrument. Also
playing with Scottish border or lowland pipers (usually in the key of A), Breton biniou kozh (usually in Bb, A, G
or F) or any of the louder European pipes such as the Spanish gaïta, (C or D) Breton veuze (G, A, Bb,
B, C) etc. is possible and recommended. As
far as playing with fiddles, accordions (recommended if you're not playing with pipers), or other "standard" instruments
goes, G would be the most logical key. As a beginner, you'll be hard pressed to get more than one octave out of the
instrument, therefore your effective range on a G bombarde will be from F (or F# depending on the instrument--see
"keys" below) to the octave G; this will give you the ability to play in Am and G easily. It is within
this range that most modern Breton bands (Skolvan,
Kornog, Kurun, Storvan,
Pennou Skoulm, etc.) play. It is not the perfect key; owning an "A" and "D" bombarde as well would cover most of your
bases. There are high D bombardes--pitched like a pennywhistle--and low D bombardes--pitched like an Irish flute; the latter
is known as a tenor bombarde. "C" would not be unusable, but you'll find "G" to be more versatile. A list of usable keys,
might be: G, A, D and then C (but C & D need proprietary reeds--see below) would all be useful and
will give you the ability to play just about any Breton tune you'd hear played by the above mentioned bands. John Skelton
of The House Band, perhaps the finest non-Breton exponent of the bombarde, plays a D bombarde most often, but also
uses an instrument pitched in F as well as a "rustic oboe" in D. The House Band actually play little Breton music,
therefore John has his own reasons for choosing these keys.
You may also consider a subois. Subois is a play on words with the concept of the Hautbois (French for
"oboe") Hautbois means "high wood" and subois means, with tongue in cheek, "under wood." This is a
bombarde/rustic oboe hybrid made exclusively by Hervieux & Glet (see below). It is basically a rustic oboe
body altered enough to be in tune when played with a tenor bombarde reed. The sound is indeed somewhere between a bombarde
and an oboe, but leaning toward the oboe side. It doesn't have the power of a bombarde, but most people outside of Brittany
would find the tone more "civilized." The concept was invented by Youenn LeBihan of the group
Skolvan. He called his version a piston (so named by
Jean-Michel Veillon for reasons we won't go into here). His tone is unmistakable and gives Skolvan a very unique sound. The
subois is not a piston, but it's the closest you'll come; Youenn doesn't make pistons for anyone but himself. And he
also makes his own reeds for it using a proprietary system. However, I'm very pleased with the sound of my subois.
Daniel Le Noan
Korzenn (note: "33" is the
country code for France and "2" is the area code for Brittany. Within France the code is "02," but calling internationally
it is just "2.")
A couple of things you'll
need to know about reeds:
In order to close the reed more
(bring the two blades closer together), take a small pair of pliers (without teeth) and grasp the reed so that the plier
grips are positioned halfway between the cork and the string. Grip
the reed so that the wide side of the reed is facing up as you look down the end. Squeeze the reed slowly and carefully.
Be careful not to close it too much or it won't play at all, especially after it gets wet; experiment. Logically, you would
think that squeezing two flat surfaces together in this manner would open it, not close it. But you're actually squeezing
the metal staple inside the reed, shaping it in such a way as to cause the blades that are wrapped around it to close the
two pieces of cane. Later, if you want to make the reed louder, of if you've played it so much the cane has become soft,
you can open the blades in the opposite manner.
It's always a good idea to soak your
reed in water for about five minutes before playing. This will condition the reed to the natural playing environment (inside
your mouth) and put it closer to the intonation it would eventually reach when playing for a period of time. There are
several schools of thought as to where the reed should be placed in the mouth. But just remember that the further into the
mouth the sharper the instrument will be and generally louder. Find a comfortable position and go with that.
To further soften the instrument (volume wise), have them make it out of boxwood. It's not only cheaper, but softer woods
produce softer tones. If you want a loud instrument--to compete with the pipes, the denser woods (ebony, rosewood) are
better, but more expensive. By the way, if anyone at a session yells "Run away!" when you pull out your bombarde, politely
explain to them that the average Rock-n-Roll Joe might behave equally childish upon seeing a pennywhistle or pipes
for the first time, like the time a BANJO player made fun of mine!
Georges Bothua is also an
excellent maker; some say the best. I own an older Bb of his and it is very good, better than the Bb Hervieux et Glet
I own. I can't speak to the wait time though. He makes instruments for many of the bagads (bagpipe and bombarde
bands).
Also,
Korzenn (the reed maker above) has a relationship with a maker who makes very beautiful bone and peweter inlay instruments.
They are considerably more expensive but worth it of you can afford it. Contact them for more information.
Larry
Rone
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