When I play my set, the drones sometimes slide off my knee and the popping strap, leavin them in a position which would make it impossible for me to reach the regulators- Which I will have soon. Any idea on how to stop this happening?
Could it be that the stock is tied into the bag in an odd position?
Or that I am holding the bag in a wrong way?
Or should I get a different/larger popping strap?
Thanks for all help, it’s something I am very aware of when I am playing, and is causing my playing to suffer.
Maybe the mainstock is tied too close to the bag’s stitch line so, when the bag is full the whole thing points to the front too much and you need it to be closer to your body (if I understood correctly) a new bag is the most drastic solution, find another position is an altrenative, a popping valve is a relief for the worrying of keeping the position for the chanter to be airtight, so you coul vary the chanter angle without affect the airtightness. I don`t know, I’m not a master but the ergonomy is an important issue in pipemaking and I pay special atention to it.
Chris Bayley and I were in exactly this situation with a piper, who wanted to play a full set and had problems with the set sliding off his leg when he used the classic position with his right leg tucked back. After playing around with various mainstock positions, the problem was still there. The solution was to get some brass strip, about 2cm wide and wrap it around the mainstock, then line the inside of the curve with thin leather to protect the stock. The other end was hooked over his bellows strap and the problem was solved. Total cost £2.