Pipe Chanters and practice chanters are normally made out of a hard wood. In the 1960s African Blackwood was in very short supply, and Ireland's only bagpipe maker, Andrew Warnock of The Pipers Cave in Northern Ireland, stumbled across a new substitute material and started producing chanters from it. The Gibson and Dunbar chanters are made out of polypenco plastic. It is a material that can be machined and polished much like soft metals.  The mouthpiece is the part into which the player blows. It can be made of nylon, wood, or plastic. The thicker portion of the top section (the reed cover) channels the air over the reed causing it to vibrate, which is what generates the sound. The ferrule is entirely attractive. It can be made out of ivory, replication ivory, plastic, nylon, or a metal for example silver.The bottom section of the chanter is the portion which creates the melody. The melody results from the covering and uncovering of small holes drilled into the core of the chanter at accurately determined intervals. The practice chanter can be played either sitting or standing. The practice chanter is, as the name indicates, mostly used to practice playing the bagpipes. It has many benefits, first, the practice chanter is drastically quieter and hence best suited for the indoors. Second, the practice chanter needs less blowing than the bagpipes, making it physically easier to play. Finally, the practice chanter is quite easy to adjust and uphold than the full bagpipe.