Hey folks.
Has anyone experienced their border pipes taking excessive air to keep steady? I got a set from Fred Morrison last month that I really have to flap away to keep going. I've checked for leaks and found none. The chanter itself takes a decent amount of air, but when I kick in the drones it's like trying to keep a siv full.
The sound is fantastic so I haven't messed with the reeds much... but is it normal for border pipes to take so much air? On the small pipes I can get through nearly a whole tune with just a couple pumps of the bellows. Border pipes, barely a bar.
Would a larger bellows be helpful? I've heard from some folks that my bellows (also freds, but came with the smallpipes) is a bit on the smaller side.
Any thoughts?
Border pipes taking a lot of air...
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thePhotopiper
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- Tell us something.: I'm a piper of 15 years. ~10 were Scottish, ~5 Irish. I currently run the Irish Pipers club in Seattle. I'm a regular at most of the local sessions, and run a beginners session at a local music school.
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razzmaster
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Re: Border pipes taking a lot of air...
They take more air than smallpipes, but leaking like a sieve? No, that's not normal. Plug everything up (drones, chanter stock), check for leaks.