Fellow board member, learnthegrip, kindly recorded these drone reeds with his Ginsburg D set. This set of pipes was originally made for Sean Folsom a way back when. What do you think? A little too buzzy? Someone described them as sounding like a swarm of bees, so we’re working on getting them fitted and tuned down in the B pipes. It may be a few days, but that should bee interesting! This new rattling buzz sound may take some getting use to. They may sound warmer and sweeter in person than on this recording–which I think was done on his phone! But, it does serve to give an idea of the difference. We’re going to try elder and bachelor’s button next, after we get the B pipes going with forsythia and water hemlock.
When I get drones I gotta get some of that water hemlock! I absolutely love that buzz, and can’t get enough of it! BzzzzzzzzzzzZzzzZZZzzzzZzzZZZzzz!!! 
Reminded me of those old sodium/mercury vapor fluorescent bulbs that you hear in warehouses, hangers, any large buildings and such.
I can’t wait to hear them on the “BEE” set. Heh heh heh 
Reminds me of a couple of biplanes, or three rotary engine aircraft from WW1, flying overhead.
Wow!
Very nice warm sound. Are they louder?
Nice buzz, very warm! Almost makes the cane ones sound metallic when compared, (in these recording conditions at least.)
At first I was taken aback by the forsythia/water hemlock combo, but then considered that the brashness might be well suited to loud pipes. I’m not sure if I can warm to the sound, though; I’d have to hear it with a chanter first, I think.
Some of the problems with a recording like this is the type of mic used and the way it is set up–maybe too close to the drones, putting them up as if front and center when they’re actually made to sound as a background. Agree…can’t make up my mind either until I hear them with a good chanter that has an easy soft playing reed, and be there in person. The results in a B set may be different, we shall see. Another problem is the EQ. Most small digital devices, like the iPhone which was used to record these, is not set right to sound natural. In the sound clip, the baritone drone is creating most of the buzz and volume, I think. May improve the balance of the drones to trade it for a cane reed, or forsythia, but it may not sound like this in person.
Here’s an image learnthegrip sent me that kind of tells it all–cane on left, forsythia/hemlock on right. Cane has a much fuller, rounder, tone.
Elder is kind of tricky, but I’m getting the hang of it. Using more dense material now, older, drier, grey bark, and thicker walls. Must scrap tongue base down more, but when I reached the right spot–wow, were they ever steady. No partials, no overtones, no variable pitch, no double vibrations. Be interesting to hear them in the B set.
I personally prefer the Hemlock/forsythia. I just love buzzy drones!
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, and it can’t get any better, and you’re out hiking around looking for elder, you see this, take a bundle home, make a few drone reeds just for fun, then realize these may be the best yet. The interesting thing about these is that they land somewhere between the rounder sound of cane, and the buzzy sound of elder (and all the rest).
Hope no one is getting overdose, or think I’m just droning on and on about all these various materials. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCAt8OuBVk&list=UU6XwuhHnN57lo_VPYLJx1vA&feature=c4-overview
Rumex, possibly salicifolius. Cool!
If you watched the vid, and noticed the sharp vertical ridges in and under the bark, this may be what is giving the reed–both shoe and tongue–some stability…moreso than in other porous stalks like bachelor’s button. Water hemlock has some of these vertical ridges too. Even the tiniest dock twigs are really stiff and hard to bend…those ridges act as reinforcement, rebar if you will. These dock reeds are the easiest of all varieties to make, and most reliable from day to day. Those ridges probably help keep everything in the same position.
Liking Curly Dock a lot! Will be scouting out more tomorrow!
certainly not boring, it appears we live in a world designed for piping, with so many reed options.
It occurs to me that the thread else where on the board
What do you do as distraction from daily UP practice?
could have a very entertaining reply from you, researching all possible material for making drone reeds.
now to find another suitable chanter reed material with the magical qualities required for being in tune and resisting humidity changes.
Mike
I don’t actually own a set right now.
Re chanter reeds material…I just got a shipment of cane, right out of the swamp, from the east delta of the Sacramento valley in CA. I found out an old HS buddy lives on 360 acres of arundo donax (he likes to hunt and fish). He says it looks like the Florida Everglades. I’m guiding him through the process of picking out the soft cane. When I opened the box he sent, I guess I never thought about it much, but you can make tamales out of the corn husk-like sheathe that’s wrapped around raw cane stalks!
A little update…further research on the water hemlock reeds proves they are not WH at all, but wild parsnip. That’s both good and bad. Parsnip may cause itching and even a severe rash if the juice from green leaves and stems come in contact with the skin AND is activated by sunlight. It has properties known as phototoxins. I tried emailing a certain professor who has written about the little known facts of this plant, but his email bounced back. Here’s the article if you’d like to read it, titled Burned By Wild Parsnip:
http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/1999/jun99/parsnip.htm
I showed some of my reeds to a friend from the Conservation District/Audubon Society, and he said he didn’t think those were WH. He’d never seen WH with reddish-brown bark, and vertical grooves. Sure enough, he was right. I found descriptions and pictures of parsnip stems that are exactly what I have.
I was about to toss the entire bundle a branches I’d gathered, but decided to make sure I had the correct ID first. They make such wonderful reeds..very much like curly dock, in fact the stems are almost identical–same grooves, same stiffness, same color.
Just thought some of you’d like to know!
Speaking of phototoxicity, beware of Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum. My understanding is it’s viciously toxic, and I wouldn’t count on it being safe when dry. It has big, hollow stems, so it might tempt you if you come across it.
What about wearing gloves when harvesting it?
That is good to know Lorenzo!!! I wonder if water he lock will sound the same?
I think parsnip may grow here!
Right! Google images of “rash” or “blisters” - they’re pretty ugly. Never seen anything like it, actually. I probably made 50 drone reeds out of it, inhaling dust, holding end of tubes in mouth, and handling the twigs. The only reaction I got from wild parsnip was harvesting with bare hands (for hours) and holding bundles of it against my bare arms. It was cloudy that day, and in a shaded area by the creek, so maybe I was lucky. I did wear latex gloves on the next load.
I’m assuming water hemlock and parsnip would sound very similar?
There was an article recently in “An Piobaire” telling how the pipers in the 1800’s swore by humming bird fallopian tube for making drone reeds. The bee humming bird for tenor drones and the bigger species for baritone and bass reeds. The best time to extract the fallopian tube is when the bird is ovulating as the estrogen levels are high and this makes the tube more elastic and so gives the reeds a better tone. I’m going to Dublin zoo next week which has a good stock of humming birds, I’ll report back to let you know how I get on.
RORY