Possible Reasons:

 Chanter Reeds

Problem:

Mouth to wide

Mouth to small

Too much cane on reed

Reed too vibrant

Reed too Long

Reed set too High in seat

Reed set too deep

Possible Faults in Chanter

Reed too strong

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reed too easy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top hand too sharp

 

 

 

 

 

Top hand too flat

 

 

 

 

 

Flat F

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharp High G

 

 

 

 

 

 

Croaky high A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double Toning F

 

 

 


Problem:

Solution:

Mouth too wide

Close mouth by pinching

Mouth too small

Open mouth with Mandril

Too much cane on reed

Scrape or sand tongues

Reed too Vibrant

San tip of reed at angle

Reed to Long

Shorten reed at tip

Reed too deep

Re-Hemp and Raise

Reed set too High in Seat

Set Reed deeper in seat

Possible Fault in Chanter

Contact Suplier


If the reed to long than slight cut a millimeter. Please dont to much cutting off because you losing the scale

sound to high. (Be Careful) and as last resort.

 

  **************************

Do not dispare oversqueezerer.’ I declare ‘For I am equipped with the majestic mandrel and have mastered the magical incantation which will rid your reed of this dreadful affliction.’

Like excallaber rising from the lake the majestic mandrel is pulled from my pocket. Nimble fingers insert the tool in the staple. A smooth twist of the wrist is accompanied by a deep echoing chant of ‘Piobaireachdadididdimus’ and hey presto! the reed is cured. In a final dramatic gesture I ride off into the sunset of smugness.

Reeds often arrive too hard, or harder to blow than ideal. On many occasions this is because the mouth of the reed is too big. A gentle squeeze is a good fix for this and ‘trains’ the mouth to stay the perfect size during the blowing-in process. If however, the mouth size is ideal but the reed is still too strong, squeezing the reed will cause oversqueezyitis and render it next to useless. The only practical solution to easing a reed with a perfect mouth size is to take some cane from the tongues, thus allowing them to vibrate more efficiently and at a lower pressure.

What is the ideal mouth size I hear you shout! Well there is no true answer to this question but there are some guidelines which will help.

 

The mouth is too big when:  The reed produces an overall lower pitched sound with the E.C and F noticeably flat when compared to the other notes of the scale.

Solution:  Squeeze the reed and re-test. If the E,C and F notes and the general pitch comes up producing a true scale then the reed has reached it’s optimum mouth size.

If it is still too strong weaken by: Shaving the tongues down until the reed is free and blowing at the desired pressure.

Mouth too small when: The reed produces an overall higher pitched sound with the top hand and especially the F being noticeably sharp when compared to the other notes. It will also sound at a low pressure.

Solution: This is easily fixed with a mandrel. This is a simple tool which enables the closed end of the staple to be opened and this in turn will open the reed blades making the mouth larger. This process can be repeated if necessary until a true scale is achieved. The reed will be naturally harder to blow.

Oversqueezerer take heart. There is a cure. Make use of the majestic mandrel, follow the guidelines, practice the magic phrase and together we can eliminate oversqueezyitis for eternity.

Croaky High A: When all the notes seems be perfect but the top hand notes High A a Croaky sound the Reed are too Vibrant don't worry can simple fixed.

Solution: Rice the chanter- Reed little bit out of his seat, or little more hemp on it, and fit it back in the seat so shut be done. The High A must now sound it better. otherwise Reed mouth more open it.

 

Article Pipeband Magazine 2000

Every Reed Problem has an Explanation 

by Chris Apps 

Reed making is often beset with problems. It's enough to drive us poor reed makers crazy at times. You can be happily making good reed after good reed when suddenly something goes wrong! You don't know what. 

Everything looks the same. You haven't done anything different. You scratch your head. You look at the weather forecast to see if there is a storm coming. You notice the neighbour's cat McTavish looking at you through the window and wonder if the thing has put a curse on your reeds to pay you back for all the squealing sounds you have subjected the half deaf moggy to over the years. Eventually you find what is wrong, fix it and go merrily on your way. The point is that there is always a reason for the problem. You just have to know where to look and how to fix it. You are dealing with a natural organic product, cane. It sometimes behaves in a way that is unexpected and definitely not appreciated. Until somebody produces a synthetic reed that sounds identical to cane (this will never happen) we must learn how to deal with the material we have. 

Like most reedmakers I have tried to remove as many variables as possible. My staples are made from brass tube and are all identical. The tongues are made from the same piece of cane ensuring that both sides have the same qualities. The equipment used to manufacture the blades incorporates a laser-mill produced template to ensure consistency. The only remaining variable is the cane itself, which can vary from very soft to very hard.

When I began reed making I decided to approach people within classical muse who play reeded instruments to get their perspective on this phenomenon. I rang the head of the woodwind department at the Royal College of Music. We spoke on many subjects relating to reeds and their instruments before touching on reed reliability. I was expecting him to say that all the reeds they received were great and that they never have a problem. Far from it. He said that on average they would receive 12 reeds from their favourite reed manufacturers and use only 3-4 of them. 

It sounded very familiar. I was even more surprised to hear that he didn't consider this to be a problem. He just put it down to the ‘individual character of each reed'. All 12 reeds would work but the 3-4 chosen would display the characteristics favoured by the player. When you consider that a bassoon reed costs more than a Highland bagpipe reed and doesn't last as long, then you can see there is a big difference in attitude between those in the classical world and those who play the pipes. 

One reason for this difference in attitude is the knowledge that classical woodwind players have of their reeds. Many make their own reeds and all have extensive knowledge of reed adjustment. This skill is taught hand in hand with learning how to play the instrument. I have even seen them trimming and scraping reeds during a concert, which takes a lot of confidence. This knowledge is sadly lacking in the piping community. 

Of course the classical musician has an advantage over the piper. The formers reed is played directly by mouth and the shape of the opening of the reed can therefore be adjusted while playing, altering the tone. We however have to ‘hide' our reed in a chamber where it cannot be altered while playing and is subject to all sorts of climate changes. 

This makes our job that much harder and, as many pipers do not have the necessary tools or knowledge to manipulate a reed as required to cope with this, it can lead to a lot of resentment and frustration. 

The standard of reed produced today is as good if not better than ever. What must now be addressed is the educating of pipers in reed manipulation. The highland bagpipe has to be the most complicated instrument in the world to play properly and must be treated with a level of maintenance, care and knowledge to reflect this. 

One problem all pipers have faced is the infamous F. Whether it be double toning or simply sharp or flat it seems to be the one note that causes more problems than any other. One of three things can be done to remedy this using simple tools such as a reed knife, sandpaper, pliers and a mandrel.

Double tone on F:  This is very often caused by the mouth size of the reed being either too large or too small. By mouth of the reed I mean the tips of the cane looking down on the reed. After time you will get an idea of the ideal mouth size and should be able to tell just by looking at the reed. A mouth that is too large can be pinched by applying gentle pressure with pliers at the top of the staple or by squeezing the blades together with thumb and forefinger. A mouth that is too small will have to be enlarged with a mandrel.

Flat F :  This can be caused by either the mouth of the reed being too large or the reed being too long. If the latter is the case the reed will need to be shortened with a chisel. The reed will stiffen with shortening and may need to be eased to enable it to vibrate efficiently and be of the correct strength.

Sharp F :  This is caused by too much cane on the tongues of the reed or the mouth being too small. If the reed mouth is good it may be too strong or tight and the tongues will therefore need to be lightened. If the mouth is too small it will need to be made larger with a mandrel.

Other solutions:  If the reed is set too far in to the chanter the F can become unstable. The reed will need to be raised in the reed seat to compensate.

If the reed is not firmly seated with hemp the F may become unstable The correct amount of waxed hemp will have to be applied to the bottom of the reed in order to provide a suitable seat ensuring there is no contact between the metal and the wood.

When reeds are received from a reedmaker they won't necessarily be the correct strength or tune correctly in a specific chanter. This means that the reed must be altered to suit. Learning to do this without ruining the reed is one of the most important things for a piper to learn. Acquiring these skills may also save an awful lot of money.

Problems with sound or blow in a new Chanter reed: try to use Bridle for chanter reeds, few years ago I blow on very heavy reeds and at the first stage its seems hard to blow and takes lots of headics anyway, via James C. Begg Pipebag maker introduce a bridle and used them, first I was sceptic about the sounds. Now its a wonderful tool see photo below. Also when you have a chanter reeds thats sounds of the pitch to low you can fix and the bridle turn on and screw little bit as needed.

 Bridle

 

 

For problems with Practice Chanter-Reeds: When blow to hard or squeeze sounds try to use a elastic band.

turn twice on the reed blades see Fig, 1  hope some of your problems been fixed.

When the sounds hear low scale move the band up the sound pitch will be sharper. when to sharp moving down.  By Fig,2 own made "Practice Chanter Reed"  this will tell you how to make your own reed.

 

 Fig,1    Fig,2