I am from Québec city, and as you will see, my english is…poor. I am new in uilleann piping (12 years of french piping ). I have a dixon chanter in D, very good sound and in tune in both octaves, but my HighE is flat (low ?). To obtain an correct E, I must lift the chanter slightly. I and some friend with more knowledge about UP, have tried to fix it but it is always the same problem (with the original dixon reed…that does’nt work very well, can’t reach second octave with it, maybe I will send it back to Mister Dixon who seems to be a very gentle and comprehensive guy). Paddy Keenan gave me one reed…OOO my what a sound ! But I have the same problem, can’t have a good High E. I tried with another reed from a friend (very good Quinn reed…in a Quinn chanter) , and the same thing happend, in tune on all notes except high E…
Whe have tried to put something in the chanter (guitar string), pull and push down the reed, always same problem…any ideas about what to do ?
Perennial problem.
One kludge that works in some chanters some of the time is to place a shim of thin plastic sheet about 1/2" wide bent in a circle, between the E and E flat holes. This usually affects the lower octave E more, and brings them closer in tune. If your low E is then too flat, learn how to play the off-the-knee E, which is often a hair sharper than the other one.
Rushing the reed staple (a thin piece of copper/wire bent into an arc so that it wedges within the tube of the staple) will sometimes get the Es into the same room.
I forgot to mention that you insert the shim such that the circle fits inside/around the bore (thereby reducing the bore at that point). Unlike the more common insertion of a semi-circle of whatever material into the end of the chanter (to get a hard D), which goes in at a right-angle. My, that’s difficult to put into words.
Rushing the staple will make e2 lower than it is now (effectively bringing down both octaves)!
The shim idea that “bensdad” uses, does indeed bring the Es closer by predominantly bringing E1 down, so e2 will still be low. It is indeed a frustrating issue that (as I understand), can be fixed only with by getting a different chanter that has this already figured into it’s bore and finger-hole lattice.
I’m going on record to clarify that I wasn’t saying Dixon’s stick has a design flaw. I was saying that an issue such as an E2 that is too low is/or has something to do with the above mentioned bore/lattice.
I have ordered a new chanter from a different maker I am hoping for an improvement in a number of issues. Now to bide my time and continue fighting this chanter for the next year and a half…
I have found that a slightly bigger eye on the reed staple can sometimes help with a flat 2octave E
Have you found anything that works on a VERY sharp second octave F#? Everything else seems okay - octave to octave - but the second octave F# is a good 50 cents sharp of where it should be…any ideas?
Since I’ve learned reedmaking these problems do not exist any more. I’d simply make another reed.
I feel terribly comfortable, and now I can spend all my piping-time for playing the pipes without frustration.
The funny thing is that, since I learned reedmaking, all my reeds work perfectly, and I do not have to make or adjust reeds for many-many months.
). I have a dixon chanter in D, very good sound and in tune in both octaves, but my HighE is flat (low ?). To obtain an correct E, I must lift the chanter slightly. I and some friend with more knowledge about UP, have tried to fix it but it is always the same problem (with the original dixon reed…that does’nt work very well, can’t reach second octave with it, maybe I will send it back to Mister Dixon who seems to be a very gentle and comprehensive guy). Paddy Keenan gave me one reed…OOO my what a sound ! But I have the same problem, can’t have a good High E. I tried with another reed from a friend (very good Quinn reed…in a Quinn chanter) , and the same thing happend, in tune on all notes except high E…
