Anyone got any guidelines to working out how to adjust a reeds dimensions to overcome a certain problem, or to put it the other way what happens when you do these adjustments.
What happens if you
1- Make your staple longer or shorter
2- Increase or decrease the length of taper
3- Increase or decrease the ID dimension of the staple
4- Increase or decrease the eye
5- Push in or pull out the staple into the head
6- Does the tail length matter.
7- Increase or decrease the head width
8- Make the cane slip thicker or thinner
How about we take these one at a time, eh? You could write a book on each issue.
I might ATTEMPT to contribute to a lengthy and, (hopefully,) much debated thread on each numbered question.
Other than the itemized particulars you mentioned, there are many, many other aspects of reed dynamics.
I would hope that this becomes the most important and useful of any post ever suggested in the entire history of this forum.
Maybe the first thread could pertain to the practice of either: (1) utilizing the bridle to spring the reed open a tad, or (2) leaving it in its natural and relaxed state.
I was hopeing someone would reply with “The secret” and an in depth explanation of exactly what would happen in each case so I could start making good reeds. Ah well back to the drawing board
Two sources you may want to suss out, Dave Hegarty’s book on reed making, and Pat Sky’s booklet on the same. I am certain there are more, maybe Alan Burton has a cause and effect segment on his reedshaman website. Mr. B?
I like to make reeds starting a little longer , and gouge out the tails at about one inch , then profile out the outer curve about 1’’ , or a little longer than that . This way I give myself plenty of room to chop the reed more than once after it is tied on . while some other stlyes , which I use as well , will require the staple to be inserted at closer to 7/8 ‘’ and if the overall cane slip is only 4 inches long , the reed when tied on will be too short if it is not profiled very very well from the start .
Using a longer reed will allow for attaching a slightly wider bridle , ans also allows for winding a little past the point where the staple ends to allow the sides to close .
If the reed is too long but the reed is speaking very well it can be un tied , and then the staple can be moved into the tails portion a small amount to make it shorter overall . This , and pairing down the tails , or sanding the edge a little more so it closes with no leaks at the sides will give a fairly responsive reed though pushing the staple into the tails will sharpen the upper octave .
I bridle can be added and places about 3 mm. above the where the winding ends ,
and if the tails are goughed out enough , the second octave will not be too flat , for concert chanters, even though the overall reed is a bit long . In other words the tails is very important to understanding how to get a reed that is easy to play and balanced , also lasts for a while , I found this stlye makes it easier to play the chanter and work the regs better though there are always others even better than that .
whew !!
tok .
For starters, I like to start with a pretty long, wide reed, and set a flat bridle a little (maybe 1/16" to 3/16") under half-way up the scrape, springing the reed open a little by pushing on the edges as it is slid upwards, (and having NEARLY parallel sides for MINUTE adjustment.) I like a neat and clean parabola for the scrape, and I will dig into the scrape next to the bark on the sides of the scrape if the slip is left a little thick. I have never chopped the corners of the lips, however, I have played many excellent reeds that had been cut by the reedmaker at the corners, (I prefer to cut the bark/scrape intersection right down to the very corner.) I also try to get the bridle to ride on the edge of the scrape while it slides up and down, so as to keep pressure between the blade edges, in order to prevent leaks, (as opposed to setting the bridle lower, on or near the hemp, and using pliers.) I use the tip ends of the bridle to tune the back D, (pinching the center of the scrape to sharpen.) I don’t use tubing staples anymore, but I think they will do for some medium bore chanters. I think there is a tremendous amount of room for various overall head dimensions, having had successes with every imaginable style of blade shape inserted into the same chanter. One approach to reeding a chanter would be to first develop a head style you like, then adjust the staple to suit, then find a better staple shape, then adjust their head shape to suit, and finally, develop the ideal staple shape, and fit the head to it, so as to produce a reed that delivers the timbre you are looking for, as well as being actually in tune with the rest of the world. For me, this has been a reed that plays about 440-445, and is “played flat,” meaning pushed comfortably towards its flatter limits, in the bottom hand, the A, and the back D. Essential to overall piping is pushing the bottom hand pitch down, keeping the pressure window at its smallest. Therefore, the most useful differential between first and second octave is optimized, as well as the top to bottom hand pressure differential, and the back D to second octave E pressure differential. In order to play the full set of pipes, the chanter needs to work at the closest pressure throughout its range, and preferably, work in a linear fashion, (i.e. from bottom D to high D in a nearly linear pressure, and very small pressure range.)
It’s all a bit like Rubiks Cube to me. You work aligning all these different parameters and reactions and then you try to reach that last colour and it knocks 4 of the others out again. Herding cats…
I was hopeing someone would reply with “The secret” and an in depth explanation of exactly what would happen in each case so I could start making good reeds.
Rory, you asked the internet and expected a reliable outcome?
For what it’s worth, I am hot on staple taper, the curvature of the cane slip inside and out and the width of the head complimenting all of this to get the right tension and closure in the reedhead, though once you have herded your cats, there are many ways to …etc., etc.,
If you really want the answers, get down to the nicely stocked reedmaking room in Henrietta Street and see it done in realtime. Practice makes perfect.
Alan said: “staple taper, the curvature of the cane slip inside and out and the width of the head complimenting all of this to get the right tension and closure in the reedhead”
This is the point at which you want to depend on the reed to maintain it’s basic shape. After it has been severely punished by a hundred hours or so of playing in, it will maybe be a little weak, especially, in the back D. The trick at this stage is to introduce the desired verve by utilizing the sliding bridle to spring the reed open a touch.
I will attempt to address two related issues in this query, (numbers 3 & 5,):
For this subject, you may think of the chanter as being comprised of three distinct parts:
namely,
1)The chanter
2)The staple
and
3)The head.
Imagine, if you will, that these three are in an independently adjustable position in relationship to each other. Now imagine that you have a tapered staple. Said tapered staple is an extension of the bore of the chanter, and that it is that said portion of the bore that is responsible for the pitch of the second octave of the chanter. (ref. D. M. Quinn, “The Piper’s Despair”, et. al.) Conclude then, if you will, that, due to the impedance of the bore at any given point, and the antinodes corresponding therewith, the internal diameter of the staple is that portion of the bore that is responsible for the pitch of the second ocatave, and that by moving the staple “up,” that, all other things being equal, (the distance of the lips and head from the chanter,) a larger diameter cross section of the staple will correspond to a higher pitch in any second octave note. Now, understandably, this move of the staple will, of course, have an effect on the bottom part of the staple/reed seat area, (all other things being equal, which unfortunately, they never are!). A gap will form, which will naturally increase the size of the bore at that area of the intersection of the chanter and staple. Depending on the chanter, this may/will correspond to the second octave E. It has been something which has astounded me, upon reflection of the Rowsome D chanter, that it was derived at such a useful area. Had the chanter been a bit longer or shorter, this area of the bore would have not been able to be fine tuned. These old guys knew a crap load about making a usable chanter! But, I digress, and I’m sick of typing. Make a smaller staple if you have a smaller bore, and a larger one for a larger bore. If your second octave is sharp in the top hand, make a staple with a greater tapered blank, i.e. a blank that is relatively smaller at the top, and vice versa. The second octave E is a problem sometimes because of the fit between the chanter and the staple. (Note: this is not the only cause for a faulty second octave E, other reasons may be covered later,) In the perfectly reeded chanter, the hourglass shape of the reedseat is complemented perfectly by the chamfered base, (and hemping,) of the staple, forming a fluid transition between the bore of the staple and chanter, both in i.d., and taper. Wouldn’t it be useful if we could doodle in these forums, as though upon napkins or beermats in a pub!
Thanks everyone for the input,but after reading the replies I think I,ll buy some Howard off the shelf reeds.
Come to think of it ,it was that prospect that made me post this topic.
Round and round we go,where we end up,nobody knows
