by John Gibbons » Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:38 pm
The recommended technique is to refill the bag, with a single stroke, as it gets down towards empty, say 1/4 full. That won't overinflate the bag. Don't over-deflate, either, or you can't regulate the pressure any more.
More drones mean you use more air, but with a good bellows action - not too many strokes, but fill the bellows before you pump -
you should be able to supply chanter and 3 drones well enough. Tom Clough used 4 drones (DAda) on occasion, but that does use a bit of air.
Most G maj pipe tunes will need either Gd or Gdg drones, D major will need DAd. It is easy to get in the habit of pumping vigorously with shallow strokes 'to keep the bag full' - try and avoid this. It is a hard habit to lose if you get into it. You shouldn't really know you are pumping.
A few double tonic pipe tunes that switch around between A minor, G major and C major chords, such as Cuckold come out of the Amrey, work well with Gg drones, but are often played with Aea drones, like ordinary A major or A minor tunes.
It makes sense to start with fewer drones initially until you have the hang of it; you will want them to sound both the tonic and dominant generally, so start with, say Gd drones if you are in G major.
John