Hi all. It’s been a while since I was around here, but I’m back at least for now. I have a favor to ask.
Could you experienced reedmakers take a listen to this http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/197378/Bad%20back%20D.mov and tell me what I need to do to fix back D? That would be great, thanks. It’s not my reed, it belongs to a friend, so I really don’t want to screw it up! And the reed is definitely not leaking, I know that much.
Oh, and if for some reason you can’t listen to it, basically back D is being all harsh and gurgling and unstable. Icky.
You might try a reed with a smaller eye. This could make the second octave e flatter, but at least the back d might be tolerable. Of course, that presumes that the reedmaker (or ‘a’ reedmaker) is available…
Is it really dry at the moment? I seem to recall that dry conditions can make this problem worse. try a little humidity…
The bottom d doesn’t sound fantastic either… :-/ possibly both could be solved by a similar change in the reed. I’d consider thinning the reed a bit, if it were my reed to mess with.
Hmm, on second listening, the whole second octave seems sharp to me. See what a wire rush in the staple will do for you - worth a try and totally reversible. Also, double-check the pitch and see if things are running sharp; pulling the reed out somewhat may change things too.
Funny, that sounds EXACTLY like a chanter that someone brought over here a few weeks ago. Reeds like that I categorize as “not good ones,” and if they are mine, I quickly smash them into oblivion, as they generally point to an imbalance in symmetry, or a weak corner or side, (the reed is talking out of one side of its mouth.). However, instead of smashing it, a beginning reedmaker or piper can learn a lot by fiddling with reeds, even ones like that, so I would suggest scraping, then chopping, then scraping some more, and again chopping a bit, followed by a scrape and a chop. When you get to the copper, you know you’ve done all you can do, and you unwind the wrapping and go back to the ol’ shooting board.
On a more constructive note, I agree that the second octave is sharp. Under these circumstances, some, or even most, reedmakers will retie the reed on a smaller staple, this tuning problem can sometimes be fixed by moving the staple out from the blades and retying. This can sometimes have a positive effect on the back D, however, it seems that this is usually when the staple is moved farther into the blades, as opposed to out. Also, if the reed is untied, the relative thicknesses of the blades can be easily compared by candling or measuring, and the potential problem might be identified.
Well Mark, it isn’t that one! I saw that one on Sunday and it was actually doing better than this one is now. This reed has been better in the past… it’s fairly old… And I’m not trying to learn on it, I’m trying to fix it! Thanks for the constructive note.
Eeeeeee! That’s exactly what mine’s been doing off and on for the last month or so. I assumed it was because I was squeezing the bag on the back D in preparation for the second octave and thus making it mad (it does seem less likely to squawk when I’m mindful to squeeze either before or after). Never thought it might be the reed. Thanks for the illumination! And … bummer, dudes. Good luck, Kelly!
Thought I’d report back in and say that now that the humidity’s back up around 40% my reed seems to have settled again. Thank you, Seamus’s Ghost (and Jim Wenham!).
I saw that one on Sunday and it was actually doing better than this one is now. This reed has been better in the past… it’s fairly old… And I’m not trying to learn on it, I’m trying to fix it! Thanks for the constructive note. 
