I’m interested in learning the Uillean pipes, but I’ve heard (and read) a ton about the difficulty of reed-tweaking. I’m a Highland piper, so I know about reed tweaking, but most of the work needed to set up a Highland pipes reed is child’s play compared to what I’ve heard about UP reeds. My point is, I’m older (64 yrs) and I don’t think I have twenty years or so to master the reed-tweaking skills neeeded to learn to play them So, what about the reeds? Are they that hard to get to sound well, or what?
Making reeds isn’t as difficult as some may make it out to be, but the nature of the uilleann reed is finicky. However, with practice and a healthy amount of patience, reed making is a very worthwhile and satisfying thing to do. I highly encourage all pipers to at least take a stab at it.
It won’t take you twenty years to learn how to do it, but it will take dedication and a certain willingness to walk hand in hand with frustration. The best way to learn how to do it is to sit down with a reed maker to see in person exactly what they are doing. Failing that, there a plenty of great manuals out there that will help you in your education. Dave Hegarty’s The Uilleann Pipe Reedmaker’s Guidance Manual is one of the better ones. If you join NPU, you can download it for free from their website… http://www.pipers.ie/en/default.lasso . Also, in my honest opinion, this website: http://www.uilleannobsession.com/ by our own Pat D’Arcy, is the best website for all things Uilleann, and has a seemingly inexhaustable cache of information and valuable links.
I completely agree with Joseph, “making reeds isn’t as difficult as some make it out to be”. I did exactly what he recommends “sit down with a reedmaker”. In my case it was Brian Howard ( with over 30 years professional experience of reedmaking ) and he showed me how in less than 2 hours, with his kit. Since then I have watched the ‘best’ and read the lot and practised a lot.The title of Brians reedmaking DVD is “Reedmaking Is Easy.” I am now confident and at the stage of experimenting at the edges of accepted dimensions and techniques because I love the sound and tone of flat sets and would like my concert set to excite me in a similar way. I personally don’t like the honk, or the volume, of a typical D reed. With what I am learning from Brian I am thrilled by the results I am achieving in less than 3 years.I have found, along with others, that flat set reeds are easier to make. So I would say go for it and if you have any sort of manual dexterity and access to a good teacher you will gain a real insight to the pipes as you learn to play them. Good luck!
Hi In The Woods—I’ll be getting my practice set in the spring and I’m 56. The person making my pipes lives about 2.5 hours away. So I feel as though if I have a problem I will be able to get help fairly quickly in trying to solve it. I want to learn about reeds, sure, but my top priority has to be practicing the pipes. You might check into pipemakers that are nearby so that you know you won’t get really held up by problems with adjusting or making reeds. I will also take lessons from the same person, which I think will help me in terms of making the best use of my practice time and not getting bogged down in trying to figure out things someone else already knows.
Hi Steve and WELCOME! I too am a Highland Piper of six years and during that time became facinated with the sounds of the Uilleann Pipes. I finally accepted sound advice, selected a US pipemaker(Kirk Lynch), bought an inexpensive Clark Tin Whistle to start learning alternative fingering, practiced a lot, still do, while waiting for my 1/4 set decided I could use 1 or 2 more sophisticated whistles, had David Boisvert build me a D whistle from African Blackwood, received it after a very short wait, practiced it, still do, purchased an Overton Low D whistle from a lady in London, practiced it, still do, had Patrick Sky quickly whip up one of his magical “BUDGET” Uilleann chanters for me, practiced with it, still do. All this is to say accept the good advice offered from folks on here that you learn to respect, then chart your own course and practice, practice, practice! An unreal world has opened up to me since starting my GHB career 6 yrs ago with no knowledge of music whatsoever and I will soon be 72. At this point I play several reels, quite a few jigs and a few airs on the whistles and am slowly transferring them to my “SKY” UP chanter with my Lynch bellows. Have fun and PRACTICE!!! Clint
When you have a staple that is well matched to a chanter (specifically the bore and fingerholes) and head design that suits the chanter/staple system, this statement is true. However, uilleann pipes are not, and have never been, standardized so there are many, many instances where this statement contradicts reality. Sometimes making a playable, in tune reed is easy. Sometimes it is simply not possible for a particular chanter.
The reason someone may want to play a particular chanter that is difficult to reed is that the timbre/quality of sound when you get the right reed/staple combination is unique and quite stunningly beautiful.
I took some time to properly reed an unmodified Leo Rowsome chanter (one of his ‘deluxe’ models) and while the reed was ultimately more difficult than reeding a modern chanter by a good maker, the sound was quite a bit more beautiful and unique than a lot of modern chanters. Dark, warm and buzzy with great harmonic overtones.
This is, of course, just one case. Not every chanter that is difficult to reed will end up having a beautiful, complex group of harmonics when (or in some cases if) it is finally reeded.
Sometimes I wonder if some people equate “doesn’t like hobby tubing” with “hard to reed.”
I do agree that there are plenty of “hard to reed” chanters out there even when one knows what the maker originally used for a staple, but getting the staple right is the first order of business IMO. Benedict Koehler’s dimensions seem to work quite well in the Rowsome chanters I’ve tried.
The best way to learn how to do it is to sit down with a reed maker to see in person exactly what they are doing. Failing that, there a plenty of great manuals out there that will help you in your education. Dave Hegarty’s The Uilleann Pipe Reedmaker’s Guidance Manual is one of the better ones. If you join NPU, you can download it for free from their website… 