okay…so I’ve got the first two drones together and working with the reeds from my real drones. So that I don’t keep bothering everybody who may not be interested with updates…Here’s what I figured I’d do.
if you want, send me a pm with your email and the subject “mailing list” and I’ll put together a list of people who want me to email them plans for each new part as it’s done. This is also partially because hotmail is slow with attachments, so if I only send it once so much the better instead of ten or fifteen separate emails of the same pdf.
pictures can be had as soon as i get to take them on the link I provided once before - a special page set up just for this…
I do have a question, tho, for any makers who might be watching…can i eliminate the bends in the bass drone by making the diameter larger and length shorter? I’d rather not waste tubing trying to find out if it isn’t going to work…
also, anybody who’s made synthetic drones…what did you use for a tongue?
I have some bamboo in the workshop…i was thinking of giving that a shot. it’s stiffer, but for a tongue in a composite i think it’s worth a shot. the plastic, for some reason, just snaps shut, i can’t get it to vibrate…it’s the same plastic i use in the chanter reed, but…
I have some spruce from an old piano soundboard. That makes good tongues as well. Make them so that the grain lines are perpendicular to the lay of the body.
If you want to use plastic tongues, go with a hardwood dowel with a hole bored lengthwise for the body. Brass/plastic sounds terribly nasty.
I think i’ll go with the real wood. how should it be sefured, tho? should the tongue seal off the opening when closed like a real drone reed, or should it pass through the opening like a harmonica reed? should there be a gap between teh top of the reed and teh top of the aperture, or should it fill the space completely?
any tips would be greatly appreciated…I’m going to look online for pictures…
Joe Kennedy’s composite drone reeds are a maple dowel drilled almost to the end, then sand one side down at an angle to take off the side of the end (must be VERY flat and smooth). Tongue is a slip of sugar pine from old piano keys. Crazy glue to hold it in place. Binding as required (usually the small black elastics called “O” rings). Sand, scrape, wax blob same as cane reeds as required. Trim tongue to match sides/end of dowel.
then sand one side down at an angle to take off the side of the end
not sure I follow this.
anyplace I can get directions (measurements, et cetera - preferably with diagrams) for making these type of reeds like you can find chanter reed instructions online?
