I’m practicing making reeds. I made what looked like a “nice one” today, but the only notes that play correctly are F# up to C# – everything else really sounds like the same note…nothing possible in thesecond octave.
I have a variety of reed-making instructions and booklets and I’m using the pipe maker’s specs. Although my reeds are getting better, they are not yet very good.
Any tips you have that you feel might be unique knowledge would be very welcome: how do I assure an awesome reed?
… practice, practice, practice… and sometimes you just can’t get an awesome reed I discovered one of the reasons why my earliest reeds didn’t work well if at all is because I didn’t scape/sand them down enough, and that the lips were too thick which made them very hard to play.
This last one was VERY weak… maybe that was the problem?
I wish I had a cheap chanter to keep down where I make reeds. I dislike taking my good reed out of my pipes to monkey with the latest reed monstrosity.
Make sure you scrape the base of the V thin enough. And you should not have to suck hard at all to get a crow from a good reed…little more than a natural inhale I’ve found. What type of chater are you trying to re-reed?
The reed does sound like that. (I have been testing it drawing air from the base instead of blowing over the top as I would for GHB reeds - saw that on the NPU video…)
Yet in the chanter it only plays a few notes correctly - in the middle range of the first octave – and craps out later. Perhaps I should move the bridle up toward the lips more?
Yes, try the bridle again and a again. Here’s a post I made to the other site just yesterday on my experience with weak reads and bridle adjustment…
Over the years I’ve attempted chanter reeds and many a time I’ve discarded ones that I’d thought I’d scraped just that little bit too much and ended up with a weak back D or worse, a back D that cracks under the slightest pressure. A little playing around with the bridle didn’t seem to help and in the bin it went.
The latest reed I’ve been working on over the past 3 or 4 months.
When I first made it, it played well, but a tad loud and had an in-tune but cracking back D. If I tried to soften it by squeezing the bridle, the Back D would become weak and flat
Instead of discarding it I played around with the bridle position much longer than previously.
after much repositioning and squeezing, I finally found the ideal position - almost a whole centimetre from the binding.!!
It fixed the cracking, flat Back D but was still a bit too loud but not too strong.
Today I decided to readjust it. It’s been about 4 months since the first adjustment.
I wanted to soften it a bit and make it easier to play.
Again, after a bit of scraping of the cane, I ended up with a weak back D, in fact the whole thing was sounding like a complete futz-up.
Again I played around with the bridle. This time it took even longer - a good half an hour of sliding up, squeezing in, pushing down, loosening, taking off, turning round, sliding up, sliding down, squeezing, testing in chanter.
This time I thought I had really stuffed it up an was all set to bin it.
No way! I wasn’t giving up this easily.
Finally, after about 45 minutes, I re-set the bridle to a position that I had already tried, only this time I had also squeezed it slightly differently or something, tried it in the chanter and voila!!! It played beautifully.
In tune, no need for the rush, good Back D, 2nd octave in tune and the sweetest, mellowest tone I’ve had for a long time. And still about 1 cm from the binding.
So it just goes to show - don’t give up on a reed too easily and don’t expect to have the bridle down near the binding and when the books say “now put the bridle on” what they don’t say is “and be prepard to sit for 45 minutes adjusting it to positions you tried two or three time already”.
I always like to acknowledge my inexperience on reed topics when replying…
45 minutes adjusting it to positions you tried two or three time already
With all that adjusting, weak back Ds etc, and finally finding the only spot the bridle works at, could it be the sides are leaky and the bridle in that single position closes the leak?
Thanks for the post about not tossing the reed so quickly…
I adjusted the bridle toward the lips of the reed - far beyond where I thought it should be – and it played rather nicely! Back D is still funky and second octave isn’t quite in yet, but I’ve decided to save the reed and finish it off and work with it more later.
I am certain to be back for more reed advice on my next one. Thanks for your help-
Nope, well… possibly… - all posibilities were closely explored over the 3-4 months of refining this reed, including leaky sides. I have no real explanation other than perserverance paid off in the end.
I’ve found it best to get the reed to crow, maybe play a bit in the chanter..then come back the next day and futz with the bridle for 45 mins or so..get it closer to playing right.
then don’t adjust it for 3-4 days, but play it every day…then scrape it to get it to play easier and futz with the bridle for 45 mins or so
then don’t adjust it for 3-4 days, but play it every day…then scrape it to get it to play easier and futz with the bridle for 45 mins or so
Repeat as necessary over the course of a couple of three weeks.
When it gets really close to being a great reed, leave it alone and enjoy playing it.
I discovered one of the reasons why my earliest reeds didn’t work well if at all is because I didn’t scape/sand them down enough, and that the lips were too thick which made them very hard to play.