I was gifted a Djura Gaida by my Bulgarian Father in Law over 30 years ago. The drone, chanter, stocks, blowpipe and reeds are in good condition but as I haven't played the Gaida for "many a year" the bag is dry as a bone. Please may I have some advice on the best way to season the bag. I'm 96.3% sure it's sheep shin. Many thanks

Jim McGill gives some excellent advice here, not only on tying on a new bag but also on the treatmant of hard gaida bags.
BTW, I'm almost sure your bag is goatskin rather than sheep.

I've just noticed that I forgot to add the link
http://balkantunes.org/TupansEtc/gajdabag.html

The simplest fix for a gaida bag that has dried out to a crisp is to run it under the tap and wet the entire surface. The water will soak into the skin and freshen it up. Be sure to pay attention to where the stocks are tied in.

Then hang it up to drip dry to the point that it is now soft and playable but won't leave you damp under your playing arm. It should now be very floppy and when you inflate it it will mould to the shape of your body.

After that, keep it rolled up in a plastic bag (take chanter and drone out first). This will prevent it from drying out again. If you don't intend to play it again for a while, then best not to leave it in the plastic bag otherwise mould will set in.

The trick with gaidas is to play them regularly, at least once a day. They don't require seasoning, just regular playing.

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David (ausdag) Goldsworthy
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