Working to sharpen my 2ve E, which is flat – have good luck with lifting off the knee or increasing pressure slightly, but neither of these solutions is really pleasing to my ear when the E is held: 2ve E off the knee is harsh and 2ve E under pressure runs the risk of ruining the next note (often a back D…)
Keeping the aperture of the reed as closed as possible while keeping the rest of the chanter balanced helps.
What I’m looking for from this forum is suggestions for manipulations of the reed to sharpen the 2ve E. In searching my manuals etc I have some references to the edges used to tune E, but no direction on what to do (keep thick? thin?)
Thanks - yes, I also use that fingering for the E from time to time. It’s harsh on my chanter in 2ve if the note is to be held. I find that fingering useful also for 1ve E in fast reels (the run up in the A part of Rakish Paddy comes to mind and a the way I start Collier’s reel …)
I have also read about the flatness of “our E” and somewhere I read that it is some compromise with another note in drilling the holes to make it in tune. The details escape me at present.
It’s not too awfully flat, but it bugs me. Mind you, I don;t have perfect pitch or anything, but if I could alter the design of me reeds in some way to sharpen it up a bit, I’d be contented.
Patrick Sky has some info in his manual. So does Dan Hagarty’s at the NPU site. Seth Gallagher too. They all mention that the inside staple volume being too small will cause what you describe. I have found with my chanter that the bridle position and opening at the lips cause the differences between the two octaves. If I slide the bridle toward the lips a bit, it will bring the 1st and 2nd octave E’s into tune when the 2nd octave E is flat. Moving the bridle up also opens the reed lips so I must then squeeze the bridle together to close the lips. If I close the lips too much at this point then my 2nd octave E goes sharp. It’s a trial and error adjusting process til I find the right combination of bridle position, opening at the lips and seating height. I’m assuming that your scrape and sanding are all in order. Because if your reed is too thick then your octaves won’t line up. Sanding and scraping will flatten the reed and make the 2nd octave easier to reach giving you more ability to control tuning with pressure. Sand and scrape too much though will send it to the graveyard. I tried a larger staple size once but it didn’t work for my chanter. Also remember that your 2nd octave E should play at or very close to the same pressure as your back D. Ideally the same pressure.
Don’t know if this will work on your chanter, but it works on mine.
Good luck
GB
I agree with G Burman about bridle position. However, using a stationary wire bridle is what works for me. I like the control it gives me over the tuning of the note in question.