Humidity and the lack of, on reeds

Uilleann Pipes
1

Hi
As a fairly new piper I was unaware of the problems I would encounter with lack of humidity
I live in New York and the winters can be very dry

At my first lesson I was fundamentally instructed on the humidity implications as my reed was almost completely shut down

I tied putting a pot of water omn the radiator in a closet and storing my pipes there but after a few days the reed was still the same

I finally broke down and spent the money on a humidifier and have a room set up where the humidity will be set to 43%

My question is do I have a hope of this reed coming back to life?

What would the time frame for this be as I anxiously await the practice of my first lesson

Thanks

Mike

2

Take a shower. Steam up the apartment. Play the pipes - lots of bellows work to pump moisture through the set. Should work for a couple of hours. If your apratment is really 43% RH consistently throughout then that should be sufficient for a reed made for your climate. A reed made for a wet climate may not come in until you are at 56% RH.

djm

3

Agree with the comment about having a reed made for the climate. See if you can get a reed made now for your dryer months, then swap it out for the wetter months with the current reed.
I find its the same with altitude. I had a reed made by Ian MacKenzie who lives up in the mountains. Up at altitude, the reed is very bright and crisp but down at sea level it sounds and feels different.

4

If your reed has truly collapsed, there is only a slim chance of it being resussitated via the infusion of humidity. And if it does not open, the moisture will only serve to make the prognosis even more bleak. I would recommend utilizing the bridle to spring the reed open as much as possible, and then introduce a higher RH. Rowsome suggested wrapping the defunct reed in leather and gently squeezing it between the jaws of a vice for some length of time. (a week or two?) Occasionally, this provides some spring back into the cane for a while. Sadly, nothing bodes well for a reed that has cured in a closed-down state. Too often, the novice will welcome an easier to blow reed early in the dry season, and before long the arch of the cane is lost. Begin gradually opening your reed in October, and get used to the idea that drier air makes the reed more stubborn and stiff. Then look forward to spring, when the pipes sound glorious, and seem to play themselves once again!

5

hi mike,go to my website and look up the tips on humidity.
www.uilleannreeds.co.uk.
cheers,
allan moller

6

I would caution against a more-humidity-the better! scenario that playing in a super-humidified (via say, a shower, in the bathroom) environment might provide. If a dry set of pipes is put in such a place the wood may swell too quickly and you may end up splitting wooden parts of your set.

I have made it through several Minnesota winters by vising my reed (a small table vise with padded jaws) when nothing else will do. In some cases, squeezing the blades open for as long as my fingers can stand it has got me through some gigs and sessions too.

t

7

tommy,

i agree w/tommy… oh yes
T,
use a wee swatch, or strip of leather and you can squeeze the blade open. no pain + you’ll be able to hold it open for as long as you want to.

8

Thanks for all the suggestions
I actually have found that by holding the reed over the humidifiers output steam for a few seconds opens it up enough for me to play for a reasonable amunt of time

Hopefully the weather will soon change and the NY humidity will sort things out

Regards

Mike

9

Everybody can use a little " vice " , now and then .
lol ,