Hello: In my own “simpelminded” work with reeding different chanters I have noticed that some chantermodels from different makers seems to give a high b, which is nearly a high c instead. The other notes is allright .
The back d seems also to be more weak and a little flat in these chanters.
I thought it was the “inner soul” of specially the d- concert chanters, a art of compromise to go from the flatchanter design to d-chanter.
Other makers seems to make a solution and make the bore wider form note b to throat.
I have made som trial and error making chanters and different reedtypes to try to catch the “holly gral” of this question.
I have 2 chanters with problems with the high b.and back d. Could there be another solution maybe reeddesign?
It is very difficult to make good chanters of these chanters.
Later I got another chanter which is very easy to reed.
Somebody who have “strugled” with these challenge.
Your question is a very good one, but I don’t have an answer that I have any confidence in. I think this is a common problem, especially in concert pitch chanters.
Some folks have suggested that reducing the inner diameter of the staple - by increasing the taper of the rolled staple, for instance - can help flatten the second octave B and C# notes. However there’s a chance that the second octave E could be made too flat, unless the eye is kept rather open, so that the volume in the reed just above the staple isn’t decreased too much. I think you want to keep the distance between the blades about the same, with the smaller staple top. I haven’t found this to work reliably but it’s worth a try.
Probably the bore and tonehole size/position is mostly determining this behavior, not the reed, but I can’t say what changes above the B are likely to help. I haven’t figured it out myself! I’d be interested to hear others observations about the bore details associated with the problem.
To get the high A and B down, roll a staple with less volume at the base, eg 14.1 not 14.5. leave the eye alone. only taper the staple over half of it’s length, from the eye to the middle. Put a real good taper on the shoulders, proper wine bottle shaped.
From a design point of view (usual caveats apply) it’s a matter of rate of taper. If the bore is locally expanded above the B hole it will have more of an effect on the 1st octave B, with the net result that the 2nd 8ve B is effectively flattened. I have tuned the second octave of recalcitrant prototypes in this way eg that Eb chanter. It also helps to up the throat size / top bore portion anyway as this has the effect of flattening the second octave for a given reed design.
Or it might be the month in which the wood was felled . . . . these things are an enigma really but that seems to work for us, and make logical sense. Hunter widebore D’s do not suffer from sharp high B whatever else one might think of them.
“Hunter widebore D’s do not suffer from sharp high B whatever else one might think of them”.
Just right. And this is my point. Because in my opinion a wider bore around “b” to throat will lower the high b.Of the measurements of different chanters I have observed that.
And my statement seems to get right about this. And that kind of measurements doesnt seems to give any other problems with tuning, as I see it.
Nevertheless I have made chanters with measurements from a chanter with these designs and it gives a better result and is much easier to reed.
THEN why have makers made chanters with the main problem with higher b, is that a comprimise or something about the sound of the chanter.
I AM ONLY CURIOUS.