CorneliusG wrote:
I assume this is the low humidity having its effect. But is it? Is this how low humidity affects other players' chanters (I'm playing a Kirk Lynch chanter/reed)?
Chanter and regulator reeds like the humidity they were made in. The reeds in all my current sets and chanters were all made in Ireland, except for one. They play well down to about 40% humidity; much below that and they have problems similar to what you describe.
You can open up the reed(s) a bit by adjusting the bridle, but you'll be re-adjusting them when the humidity comes back. In my experience, it is much better to humidify the room in which I practice (and where the pipes stay) than to diddle the reeds two or three times per year. The long-term solution is to learn to make your own reeds, in your native climate.