For the past two decades, Donald WG Lindsay has been quietly developing a new fingering and chanter system for bellows-blown pipes. Entirely keyless, yet capable of over two octaves (and sometimes more), the system evolved from personal experimentation and is now known as the Lindsay System Chanter – or LSC for short.
Twelve years ago, a small group of backers supported a Kickstarter campaign enabling Donald to acquire a 3D printer and begin developing the instrument in open-source form. That step brought reproducibility and access, and in 2016 the first professional-quality set — the Rainbow Set of Pollok — was completed and is now housed in the Museum of Piping at the National Piping Centre.
The system is now used by a growing number of pipers and makers across Scotland, North America, and mainland Europe. Its unique sound has already featured in award-winning recordings and film soundtracks including The Outrun (played by Malin Lewis) and My Old School (played by Donald himself). The project remains consciously open-source, with free plans, home-3D-printable files, and build guides online, and a growing community of makers and players worldwide.
Now based in Orkney, Donald is preparing the next phase: creating an open curriculum for the chanter, expanding free online resources including video and audio content, and beginning work on a repertoire archive. Efforts to secure funding for this work are underway, and messages of support for this are welcomed.
Anyone interested in the project, either as a potential player of the chanter, a supporter of what we’re doing here, or a collaborator/potential stakeholder in the project, is warmly invited to get in touch.