Need some advices for tuning my Regs.
I’ve read lot of articles about tuning regs ,done some search here already. I’m also asking my pipemaker for advices,but like to ask here because it seems to take some time to have a reply.
The problems is " the G key note of the tenor Reg and the F# note of the middle Reg is flat"
I’ve tried the basic tuning methods using the rush and nodes, inserting a wire rush to the reed staple(read that it flattens the upper note more than the lower note),put a small peace of drone reed cane inside the upper and sharp hole.,but can not cure the problem.
Is there other thing I can try before doing undercutting or enlarging the flat note hole?( I wont do it myself of course)
Different reed with different tapered staple of head shape will make some difference?
One thing you could try is to narrow the bore with a roll of card or paper, above the note holes that you find flat. Then you can use a shorter rush. Doing this can put the whole tuning out, so it’s a matter of experimenting with length and thickness and position of the card/paper. Should work, I had to fill my old regs with bits of card and shift them about all the time, and they would be in tune from time to time.
Don’t forget to alter the plunger position if you have one!
I used the following process and eventually have got my regs pretty close.
Push the reed in until all notes are a little sharp
Wrap the wire affixed to the tuning pin with PTFE tape to build up a taper. Start with a little and see the effect on tuning. This taper allows you to increase / decrease the effect on the bore by moving the tuning pin in and out.
Starting with the highest note, add layers of tape below notes that are still flat. Blue tack works also if you need a larger volume. For problematical notes try varying the location of the bump. If bump is affecting lower notes too much changing the shape and position may help.
I tuned using a meter to the just scale then referred back to the chanter with and without drones to make sure that they were in tune at normal playing presure.
I don’t know either - but I will say that more than once I’ve encountered a regulator with flat notes that I despaired of ever fixing, which came into tune with a different sized reed head. Try a narrower reed head on the tenor to see it this improves the G and B. It recently seems to have done the trick on a tenor I was adjusting.
Also - about the F# on bari regs - on some regs, making the hole smaller makes the F# sharper. As Alan says, moving the ‘plug’ at the end of the baritone regulator can make all the difference, and in my experience the F# is particularly sensitive to this adjustment.
Hello Makoto, I hope you can get your regulators in tune. My own regulators are starting to become unstable now as the winter has started here in Sweden and it’s becoming dry. Are there any regular Irish trad. sessions in Tokyo, Kyoto or Kobe that you know of? Or is there an Irish trad scene or people that get together to play/house sessions in any other city/town in Japan. We play pipes/flute & fiddle and are thinking of travelling to Japan next year instead of going to Ireland (Willie Week) as usual.
roll of card or paper, above the note holes that you find flat. Then you can use a shorter rush
Hello Alan!! I met one of your happy custmoer here in Japan.His Galllagher chanter was sounding sweet.
Do you mean putting a short rolled card just above the flat note? Between the A and G note? Does it affect to sharpen the flat G?
Try a narrower reed head on the tenor to see it this improves the G and B
Thank you for the useful advices!!! I’m not ready to make a Reg reed yet ,but try this as soon as I’m ready.
on some regs, making the hole smaller makes the F# sharper
I fonund that this happens when I tried to flatten the G note of the middle regulator. I’ll try if covering the F# note will sharpen the note. But it is…very confusing.
We play pipes/flute & fiddle and are thinking of travelling to Japan next year instead of going to Ireland (Willie Week) as usual
Great!! There are alot of people playing and intereseted in Irish Music here in Japan. You can find an Irish Session almost every week here in Tokyo I don’t know about other cities, but I think it is not difficult to find a place to enjoy music in ToKyo ,Osaka ,Nagoya ,Sapporo.
Please let me know in advance if your coming to Japan.
Here are some information
Try experimenting with the position of the card anywhere above the the F# and see what happens, and also, you can try just half a ‘roll’ behind a note hole and see what happens. Or perhaps one abotve the G and one above the A. I can’t say what will directly affect what, but it’s the only way I can think of flattening reg notes satisfactorily without messing with the reed. (other than the usual rushes and stuff) Good luck. If you see Takanori, please send my greetings!
