I just had Brad Angus make one of my reeds (his make) a little lighter to play as i was having problems (as a beginner) easily getting to the second octave. I could do it but it took too much pressure. I tried my tutors pipes (Channing Dodson) and saw how easy it could be (brad angus reed as well). I told Brad that I wanted to understand reeds better and was getting a Tim Britton reed kit (if i ever get it…see other post). I asked if I could have some of his rejects or partially made reeds. He gave me a handfull that I paid a little extra for.
Two of the reeds were completed up to but not including scraping. So decided to work on one, barely knowing what I am doing. I got the thing to crow a bit so I stuck in my chanter and…
It was reasonably in tune! and the upper octave was relatively easy to get to.
BUT… the back D is really screechy. I did a search and found no good results on screech back D’s. Any ideas?
Check out Dave Hegarty’s reed making guide. You can download it for free from NPU’s website.
If memory serves, he suggests (carefully) extending the bottom of the V, making it more of a U. Check that with his guide before trying anything, as I’m going from my (unreliable) memory.
How long has it been since you’ve scraped? Did you give the reed a day or two to settle in? I wouldn’t do anything more radical than adjusting the bridle until after you have, except maybe widening the bottom from a “V” to a “U” as PJ suggests. (I’ve found the “V → U” technique to be helpful mainly when C-natural won’t play, but it could help your issue too.)
Otherwise, in my not-definitive experience, back-D problems tend to be caused either by the sides of the blades leaking or by the tips being too thin. See this thread for tips on fixing side-leaks. Between sealing and trimming, sealing is the less-radical and lower-risk approach, so I’d try that first.
Trimming a reed is scary the first time you do it, but is often necessary after you’ve sanded/scraped a reed enough to make it play easier . To trim the very tips of the blades, take a utility knife with a very fresh/sharp blade, lay the reed flat on a cutting-board, and chop off a hair’s-width cross-section of the very tip of the reed. (Be decisive! If you make a tentative, rocking cut, you’re way more likely to split the reed than if you do a nice, firm, straight-down chop.)
If that doesn’t help enough, you can make another hair’s-width cut, but I’ve learned the hard way that after any significant surgery, your reed will want at least a day’s worth of settling in before you see the full effect of the cutting/scraping/sanding. Even then, you’ll probably want to play the reed for a while (10+ minutes?) before rushing to judgment.
. To trim the very tips of the blades, take a utility knife with a very fresh/sharp blade, lay the reed flat on a cutting-board, and chop off a hair’s-width cross-section of the very tip of the reed. (Be decisive! If you make a tentative, rocking cut, you’re way more likely to split the reed than if you do a nice, firm, straight-down chop.)