Reed for Lowland Pipes?

[Tonehole]

Hi,

my small pipe reed (key of D) has split and I can't get a sound out of it.

I can't see any in my local shop - can anyone recommend a proper reed one online?
I don't need the 3 drone reeds but if they are cheap enough maybe it's worth getting the whole lot replaced at the same time. It's about 5 years old. Not looking for the plastic reeds..!

Any recommended dealers?

Thanks

[Ian Lawther]

Your best solution would be to contact the maker, You are unlikely to be able to buy a cane smallpipe reed "off the peg" and the maker would be best for getting one matched to you chanter.

Ian

[pancelticpiper]

Are we talking Lowland pipes (thread title) or Smallpipes (original post) ?

Since you say "D" I'm guessing it's smallpipes.

Yes what Ian says, each maker makes his reeds to suit his own chanter design and it's unlikely to work right if you use a different sort of reed.

[Tonehole]

Thanks Ian/Richard,

Yes these are the same as Northumbrian or Lowland small pipes. They're good for chamber music only, not too loud.

Problem is there is no maker's names on the pipes. I knew this would happen one day and kind of dreaded it. The reed is about 5mm wide and is expertly bound in copper coil wire. There are some cheaper looking ones on the internet and amazon which might work with a pair of pliers.

Any experience with the plastic ones? I'll try and order a few of the cheap ones and see whether they can work.

[Peter Duggan]

Yes these are the same as Northumbrian or Lowland small pipes.

Two different things again. Scottish smallpipes and normal Northumbrian (small)pipes are both narrow cylindrical-bore instruments, but with quite different fingering systems affecting the style of what comes out. Lowland pipes in the sense Richard's using are conical-bored and more often called border pipes (except Jon Swayne's, whose 'lowland pipes' are what most of us call border pipes when his 'border pipes' are different again), but sometimes half-longs when they're Northumbrian...

The reed is about 5mm wide and is expertly bound in copper coil wire.

Are you sure? That sounds almost impossibly narrow. But perhaps someone could identify the pipes (even without maker's mark) from a photo?

[Tonehole]

Hi Peter,

I'm referring to the reed for the small pipes/Northumberland/Scottish lowland according to the cane reed makers. Not the fingering, style or actual bagpipes. Just the reed.

I've just left for work this week. Won't get home till the weekend. The reed's entrance into the chanter is around 5mm; the blown end (from the bellows) is around 8mm wide). I guess the tight 5mm doesn't include the coil wrapping to bond it. It looks a bit like this:



but not as wide at the top.

Thanks...!