Being a brand new piper, I am obviously now by necessity divining in the carnal art of reed adjusting. Is there existing, a video that pertains to
troubleshooting / adjusting? A picture’s worth a … . Is there existing, a video that pertains to reed making? Is there existing, a video that pertains to plastic reed making?
Finally, I would like to set up my chanter to play incredibly quiet (pastoral?) How would I go about this? What are the parameters that govern this aspect of reed / chanter geometry?
do a search here for “Queiting the Pipes” the subject has been covered. But I had the same problem when starting…just stick with it as you get better you’ll want the volume and then you may eventually go for a flat set of pipes.
I don’t know what sort of chanter you have , but I think that the quality of the cane the reed is made out of will make a big difference , as to how the " tone " of the chanter sounds . That is different than the volume of sound that the chanter can make. A loud chanter , with a good tone, and a good cane reed , will just sound good , within reason , ect ,
If you are stuck with a chanter of indifferent quality , i.e. not the best , not the worst , there are some tricks to bring the volume down , at least so that it is reasonable for most peoples ears , including yours .
Using rushes to mute the tone , both in the chanter , and the staple , will help , though these tend to cause the chanter to loose playability , in some cases , and a loss of tone . Also , the pitch , "pith " l, lol wil drop as you add stuffing to the chanter .
As regards to quality , seasoned cane , the more "green " the cane it more shrill it will sound , though , as cane ages , it does become more ridgid , as as such , may realize the other end of the spectrum , as it becomes too hard to work . Ageing cane of course is measured in at least five year increments . So , no worries there . Pleanty of time ,
tok .
Is there existing, a video that pertains to
troubleshooting / adjusting?
To answer your original question, there is indeed a video on reedmaking, using the Tim Britton method. It is available from Tim Britton at his web site: http://www.skep.com/britton/
I have not viewed the video, but have had a reed workshop with Tim and use his method myself with some success.
NPU has a video of Allan Moller making reeds, as well as two books on reed making, The Piper’s Despair and The UP Reedmaker’s Guidance Manual.
To quieten down your chanter you can simply close the lips of the reed a bit by adjusting the bridle. Move it away from the lips to close them; move it towards the lips to open them. Only move the bridle in tiny increments, like 1/32" at a time. The wider the lips are open, the louder your chanter will be. If your reed was not well set up, you may need to take pliers and tighten the bridle at the edges a very small amount. Note that different reeds respond differently to having the bridle moved. Some go out of tune if you move it too much.
dangerous advice i think..
It depends on the reedmaker if you can move the bridle.
My reeds have fixed bridles, opened and closed with pliers, moving them will ruin the reed.
My experience with moving them too much is also that the bridle can become loose.
Not a problem if you like a buzzing sound though..
closing a reed can also make the notes/upper octave sharp.
Personally i hate whiney whiney soft chanters btw..
While I like Tim’s reedmaking video quite a bit (as well as his reeds), I’d hardly reccomend his style of reeds for someone looking to make quiet reeds (whatever they’re wanted for). While a soft, gentle, pastoral UP is lovely for recording, it’s hardly useful for playing sessions or at a bar solo. I’ve heard, but not tried, a pipe-cleaner in the staple will do the trick. Your best bet for a quiet reed, though, is to make one from scratch.
Rick, that’s the strangest thing I ever heard. My reed, and all the ones I have seen, are designed to move the bridle. When the weather gets dry and the lips open up, I move the bridle to close the lips a bit. When the weather gets more humid, the closed lips start to make the sound too soft and fuzzy, so I open them up again by moving the bridle back a hair.
If your bridle comes loose, you take a pair of needle-nosed pliers and gently tighten the bridle at the edges just a little bit (not in the middle of the reed). If your reed is far too open, only then would I apply a very small amount of pressure on the bridle in the middle of the reed to close the lips a bit, but that would be for a very poorly made reed (like one of mine ).
djm;
Not that unusual to see a reed design with tapered sides, where sliding the bridle up and down is not an option. Tim Britton’s reed design can use a bridle fastened at the very base of the scrape, squeeze it in the middle to close the lips, squeeze the edges towards each other to open the lips.
Actually, his design works just fine with no bridle at all if they are properly made.
And if you keep them in a locked vault…
Non-sliding bridles were the norm in the old days. Craig Fischer details a bunch of old reeds on one of the Sean Reid Society CDs. They all have wide, non-sliding bridles.
I used to make the sliding variety but don’t now. I don’t find that squeezing the bridle with the pliers is any less subtle than moving it up and down; a tiny movement changes things a great deal. And a bridle is a mute of sorts; if you have it 3/8" up the reed you’ll be muting all the real estate below - perhaps. But certainly the higher bridle can affect pitch as well. You don’t have to have them up so high; but why not just use the pliers - or whatever’s handy - the chanter top and your fingers, for instance? If it was good enough for Coyne, Taylor and the rest, why not us? Also note the reeds at the Erin’s Call website, including Rowsome and Taylor.
A bridle won’t inhibit a reed’s performance, either. I’ve made very bright reeds, some of which go up to A in the third octave. With the drones running.
Hopefully these pics will help???
The loop can be used to secure the bridle in place, opening and clsing is done in the same way as a normal bridle, but the loop will tighten the bridle again when the constant opening and closing wears it out a bit. If you push the bridle up and down the reedhead, it puts uneccesary strain on the reed and screws up your tuning.
I have multiple Britton style reeds that have remained without bridle for years now with no problems regarding their performance or even adjustment for climate changes. There’s no need to lock them away anywhere. Not that I have anything against bridles. I have some reeds with bridles that have done just as well.
Being a brand new piper, I am obviously now by necessity divining in the carnal art of reed adjusting. Is there existing, a video that pertains to
Is there existing, a video that pertains to reed making? Is there existing, a video that pertains to plastic reed making?
