Newbie questions.

[Mr.Gumby]

I'm planning on trying to sell my chanter, and then I need to get one that will be a bit better setup

You will probably be better off taking the Kwisthout chanter you have to a reedmaker and get it reeded properly. It will serve you while learning until you know what you like and you can change then.

That shouldn't be needed. An instrument should be set up well and stay that way.

It's not going to happen. The pipes are always going to respond to the atmosphere they are being played in. The degree to which they do may vary but respond they will.


Some times it's best to accept your reed isn't going to play well under some circumstances and put it aside rather than touch it, attempting to adjust. A good reed, treated well, played regularly and minimally handled may serve you for decades.

I believe it was Chris Langan who said to me 'There's only one big problem with a good reed: getting one'. So treat what you have with care.

[pancelticpiper]

The pipes are always going to respond to the atmosphere they are being played in.

Indeed, and the more different the atmosphere the pipes were reeded in is from the atmosphere they are played in, the worse the pipes will play.

A good reed, treated well and minimally touched may serve you for decades.

Yes if beginners could be got to not touch their reeds! But the temptation is irresistible, especially from experienced Highland pipers who take up the uilleann pipes and imagine that they can use their Highland reed-shaving techniques on uilleann reeds.

[Narzog]

You will probably be better off taking the Kwisthout chanter you have to a reedmaker and get it reeded properly. It will serve you while learning until you know what you like and you can change then.

It's not going to happen. The pipes are always going to respond to the atmosphere they are being played in. The degree to which they do may vary but respond they will.


Some times it's best to accept your reed isn't going to play well under some circumstances and put it aside rather than touch it, attempting to adjust. A good reed, treated well, played regularly and minimally handled may serve you for decades.

This is also an option. I just remember doing some googling after I got it and most people didnt exactly praise kwisthout chanters for being great. But it could still be fine with a proper reed. My thought on getting a new chanter is that if its better chanter from a maker whos known for making good reeds, and for my area, then I wouldnt have too much to worry about. But I guess a good reed maker setting up for my current one wouldn't be much different as logn as the chanter isnt actually worse. Besides probobly saving a lot of money, which is always nice.

And yes the atmosphere is going to effect it but it would be nice if it was effected less haha. Which is what spruce and synthetic reeds seem to do.

Not touching it is also good advice. My hope is that someday when I get something actually set up right, to just not touch it. My room is also humidified in the winter and AC'd in the summer so the environment should at least be fairly consistent.

Yes if beginners could be got to not touch their reeds! But the temptation is irresistible, especially from experienced Highland pipers who take up the uilleann pipes and imagine that they can use their Highland reed-shaving techniques on uilleann reeds.

Sadly reeds have a tendency to not come in the chanter haha. So it has to get touched at least once. Carbony seems to come reeded for some reason (of the few videos I've watched un UP unboxing) but most seem to not. But if it was set up to just be put in and not need any assorted other touching, would be excellent.

[myles]

I've seen some decent enough HK chanters - like several makers who have been around for a long time, the early work isn't necessarily representative of later work, so blanket dismissals (or endorsements) need to be taken with a pinch of salt. They should be capable of playing in tune at least. I am pretty sure the maker would happily reed the chanter up, though if you're in a different country it might be easier to go locally.

There are quite a few Ginsberg / Kwisthout chanters in circulation so I would expect an established reedmaker to understand how to get the best out of it. This would allow you to play while you build up some funds / get on a waiting list.

[Jerry Cargill]

So, I see people who sell pipes, and reeds, and some selling just reeds. Now I have a few more questions:

You can have a masterfully crafted chanter but the reed plays beautifully in Ireland, but like garbage in my own region. But if I pitch the Irish reed for one made in my region, I’m going to be better off.

As a beginner I should not touch the reed, but I’m certain to have to have to tune the pipes regularly. Okay, doesn’t tuning involve adjusting, touching the reed?

I’m probably best off purchasing a reed made from wood. I’ve seen them offered in spruce and maple. But again, that would involve touching the reed, as I obviously would need to sit it in the top of the chanter.

OK, another question, would I have to send or bring a chanter to a reed-maker? And if the reed is the most important part of the chanter, couldn’t I just buy a decent second-hand chanter and send it to a reputable reed-maker for a reed and fitting?

Thank you, everyone, for your assistance and answers!

[Mr.Gumby]

OK, another question, would I have to send or bring a chanter to a reed-maker

Ideally, yes.

But again, that would involve touching the reed, as I obviously would need to sit it in the top of the chanter.

You would be handling the staple, not the reed (head).

[dyersituations]

As a beginner I should not touch the reed, but I’m certain to have to have to tune the pipes regularly. Okay, doesn’t tuning involve adjusting, touching the reed?

Once the reed settles, there isn't much regular tuning needed. If you take the chanter to a different environment, play it outside, stuff like that, then sure you'll probably need to move the bridle a tiny bit in some cases, often less than a mm.

OK, another question, would I have to send or bring a chanter to a reed-maker? And if the reed is the most important part of the chanter, couldn’t I just buy a decent second-hand chanter and send it to a reputable reed-maker for a reed and fitting?

Yup, this is what I did for my first chanter, but I was able to drive to a pipe maker.

[Jerry Cargill]

The guy sent me a video of them playing fine. But when I got them, I really couldn't get it to work correctly. Now obviously, theres a lot of things a new player can do wrong. So I'm obviously not 100% blaming the set. But, I could not get certain notes to play at all, and the tuning was really bad. I took out the rush it had and removed the tape. Which definitely helped the issue of the notes not sounding, the rush blocking that hole or something. But the tuning was still terrible, and I had to squeeze the bag incredibly hard to get it to actually play. I tried to adjust the reed, but in the process somehow messed up the bridle. So now its just loose and doing nothing, .....

Do you have a teacher that can help you fix your reed? From all the reading I've done over the last several months, it seems to be the consensus that beginners should leave the reed handling to the teacher, and that your teacher should teach you how to keep everything in tune.

Jerry

[Narzog]

Do you have a teacher that can help you fix your reed? From all the reading I've done over the last several months, it seems to be the consensus that beginners should leave the reed handling to the teacher, and that your teacher should teach you how to keep everything in tune.

Jerry

Sadly no. Which is where a lot of my issues come from haha. If you like being taught and can afford a teacher I highly recommend it. Because yes, if a teacher or more advanced person could insure everything is set up correctly, that's a huge advantage. As a beginner you really dont want to be trying to set anything up because you don't know what playing well is yet.

[PadrePioPress]

Another new guy here - albeit with nothing to add except my thanks for the helpful information in this thread in particular. I've got a Dirk Mewes set on order which will arrive in stages: practice set, drones, and then a couple regulators - all spaced out between 7-14 months. Another Wisconsin piper suggested buying a new set from an accessible maker who will be available for post-purchase situations that will arise. Of the makers I reached out to, Dirk was the only one to respond - and my dealings with him have been only positive.

I must admit that I was surprised by the degree of individualization possible with with these pipes, and the stark difference in reeding in contrast to the Highland pipes. I've got a lot to learn here.