Most days I seem to tune A around 443 … sometimes as sharp as 445 and that’s with a wire rush! Then chanter gets sharp as I warm up. I have a second chanter I can get to 443 pretty steadily.
When I have played with another piper recently, chanters matched very well. At the few sessions I have been to, it seemed all right, save for one night when I had a poor reed that got very sharp in second octave.
It’s such a nice reed and balanced so well with itself in two octaves … I’ve ruined too many really nice reeds by monkeying with them to get to A=440. I have a second chanter a little flatter, but it’s not as nice as my regular chanter and has no keys.
Thing is, I’m driving my wife, the fiddler, crazy with a chanter so sharp at times. The bridge on her fiddle slips as she tunes up to match pipes. I got a dirty look when I said it was the fiddle…
So how goes it with the rest of you: are your chanters pitched such that A=440? Am I alone in a sharp world?
Considering the time of year it is, it comes as no surprise that things are a little sharp. Try your best to keep your reeds in good humidity, which for me is anywhere from 52% - 60% relative humidity.
Also, opening the lips a touch might bring the pitch back down, as will backing the reed out of its’ seat a bit.
As a fiddle, I have no problem to other instruments. It is far easier for me than it is for the pipes, harp, mandolin or other multi-stringed instruments, accordeon what have you.
Perhaps you can get you wife a set of fine tuners for her fiddle’s tail piece, that ought to cut down on the moving bridge. They’re pretty inexpensive and easy to install.
I never tend towards the too flat. If anything I’m pretty close to 440 but do slip upwards from time to time. I think the chanter does like to play a touch on the sharp side, but probably not any more than 441-442 I would estimate. I rarely ever use the tuner anymore except when checking new reeds.
I had a reed that played at 446 (I think this equates to 30 cents sharp).
I have had reeds play bang on 440 and only one that played flat (rushes present). Most played only slightly sharp.
I used to have a keyboard that diplayed tuning in Hertz, but my current one works on the ‘cents’ unit (100 cents=1 semitone). My current reed plays 15 cents sharp.
Davy, if your chanter seems to tend to towards sharp (many/most do), a rush might be the best way to bring things into line with your A=440 friends. As JES says, winter weather tends to make the problem worse. A minimal rush can be removed when the weather changes.
Or just leave it be for now. Who knows, maybe the Chieftains will be in concert soon in an area near you, and you are invited to get up and play your pipes with Paddy et al… his chanter is usually pretty sharp.
