thanks to all who have helped me so far. i am a beginner using a penny chanter. i am learning mainly from the clark tutor. i am starting to do well with the lower octave but am stuck on higher octave e. i find it harder than the higher octave f# or g or even a. is there something special about this higher e in general? is there something special about this e on a daye chanter?
all suggestions appreciated. you all have never steered me wrong.
meir
btw, thought i would share that my honey is serving in the gulf at this moment. the picture is of me wearing the “cover” of her ship, which i will wear everywhere until she comes home. regardless of the political issues, which i am sure some of us differ on, i am extremely proud of her. just thought i would let my friends know why my picture is not with my pipes. it will be, one day.
Meir,
E’s tend to be troublesome on concert chanters. You might take a look at the reed trouble shooting section of Seth Gallagher’s website for some good suggestions ( http://www.uilleann.com ).
Good luck and best wishes to your wife; I hope she gets home safe and soon.
No E (that’s in reference to how I spell my last name, not to how my chanter plays 
)
meir,
I hope she arrives home safely.
Due to my shoulder/back injury I have to scrape my reeds to play much easier than average. The octave e is easier to hit but the bad thing is the back D sinks under pressure. Before you do any changes to the reed (like sanding or scraping) mark the location of the bridal with a pencil (for reference) and move it down (toward the chanter) half the thickness of the pencil line… try that to see it things ease up.
Also… follow this topic for a fix specific to your chanter:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=6132&sid=863767d85473ba932719b8fe172bd35c
hmmmm…
Does your upper octave E growl? if so you may need to adjust it.
From Dave Daye’s web site:
A growling or gurgling octave E may indicate excess thickness along the outer sides of the scrape.
Jeff
If I remember correctly, the high E tuning zone is found in the narrow high end of the V scrape area. This would be the thickest part of the cane, so maybe weather…humidity needed to soften it up a little. An upper E should pop up as easily as any 2nd octave note. Good cane, a good reed maker, a good chanter, good weather = no problem.
Dear Meir,
Put the knife down now! 
Do no scraping until you have read the post entitled 2nd octave E trouble. Odds are good you won’t have to scrape at all. My Daye chanter is working fine now and I haven’t had to fool about with it since I followed Alan’s advice. 
Marc
Try playing the E 1st or 2nd register with the ring finger (upper e hole) open with chanter off the knee keep the little finger on the chanter.
Slan go foill
Liam 