Ok, my chanter is playing a new trick on me. All of a sudden, it has become finicky about playing
a cross-fingered c natural. At first I thought okay maybe I am getting sloppy about covering
the holes, but even when I am careful it occasionally plays a c sharp despite the fingering.
I wrote it off as a reed problem, but now it is doing it on a second reed. Anyone run across
this? Is it a common problem that will elicit a bevy of “Pfft you’re doing _______ wrong you
eejit”? Any help appreciated, thanks in advance.
That would suggest a leak, probably in one of the sides. Look through the reed lips with a lupe and see if you can’t find a bit of light showing on the offending edge. Gently close the bridle on that side or staunch with beeswax.
Yes to what has been posted already - a leak could cause it, but it’s also something that’s symptomatic of the chanter being pitched too sharp. Similarly, a chanter pitched too flat can refuse to rise properly when playing the one finger C#. I always check with a tuning meter to see if I’ve drifted off target in overall pitch, when the Cnat/C# relationship goes wonky.