In previous discussions it was said the type of reed cap (metal vs. wood) does NOT significantly affect the sound of the chanter. OK, put on your boxin’ gloves let’s try this again.
Three times this week I’ve heard comments that it does and is affected by stop keys, diameter and length of the tube around it.
It would be great to hear some pipemakers experiences.
BC?
DMQ?
Davey?
while I don’t think the type of reedcap itself makes a huge difference in sound, i.e. you won’t hear the difference between a wooden or metal one a reed’s functioning is influenced by diameter and length of a reed cap. A reed seems to send a soundwave/vibration up as well as down into the chanter e.g. I have played pipes/chanters that sent back such a strong vibration you could feel the bag vibrating. The shape/diameter of the chamber in which the reed vibrated is obviously an influence on what shape this soundwave takes on, don’t ask me about how and why though. A reed/chanter combination working fine in one reedcap may go all cranky on you when a different reedcap is placed on them.
In the same vein you may sometimes find when tuning a regulator and not sticking the reg completely back inot the stock in between reed adjustments that you have the reg in tune. Only to find it go ut again when the reg is pushed back in the stock [and it will come in again when pulled out to the original position].
What measurements would be important…the distance from the tip of the reed to the top of the cap, the overall length, internal volume, internal diameter surrounding the reed, thickness of cap material. And what about reed caps that are bulbous?
And remind us again about the importance of the size and shape of the air supply tube coming into the reed cap. The reason I ask is because the tube coming off the side of my wooden reed cap is quite a bit larger than the one a normal metal cap has. I stuck a rolled-up piece of tissue paper in the tube to reduce air flow. I thought it made some difference, but not a lot.
I agree 100% with Peter. The length and internal diameter has an obvious effect on the tuning of a reed. I’ll go a step further as well, by adding in that I have found the inlet pipe can also affect tone and tuning of a chanter reed. If using anything smaller that 3/8 o.d. for the inlet, the waveform will be halted and progress no further than the reedcap itself. If the inlet is one of the “direct” style…90 degree angle etc…this will also kill the waveform.
However, I’ve found that using a “swan neck” inlet of 3/8, the waveform vibrations will actually travel into the neck of the back and into the actual body of the bag…this is quite noticeable. Peter Hunter has even been known to make his swan neck inlet as large as 1/2 inch.
More a question, really, but I can’t help but notice that a metal cap runs quite cold from the air flowing through it. I wonder what effect, if any, this would have on the reed, especially in drier climates. Any ideas?
Thx,
djm
I think the more humid climates would give you more to worry about, I have brought my pipes into places to play instantly covering all metal parts in condensation, the reed going beserk for the first three tunes inside a wooden chanter top, I always imagine what dampness would gather inside a metal one and what that would do for the reed.
Slightly OT, but since the question of the diameter of the inlet pipe was mentioned, Arie de Keyser’s trick for curing autocran is to wedge a piece of cork in the inlet pipe to reduce its effective diameter. It won’t work every time, but it did the job for one of his chanter and reed combinations.
It’s a trick that I was previously unaware of, and that surprised some people more knowledgeable than me.
I wonder if the active “cure” is the obstruction of sound waves or the obstruction of air..thus decreasing the amount of pressure coming from the bag, thus alleviating the autocran… what say you lads?
My (simple) understanding of autocran is that the reed is too weak and/or the pressure is too great. Corking the input would solve the pressure, but probably a stronger reed would do the trick better.
djm
In all my chanters, an autocrann indicates either that I have the reed too closed, or, if it is an “in progress” reed, it hasn’t been scraped quite enough in the bottom of the V or U.
autocran?
I agree with Phil. Unless it’s a chronic problem related to the chanter, open the reed a bit.. and it may be done by either moving the bridal up or pinching the sides to get more elevation at the lips.
The inlet air supply tube shown on my chanter’s reed cap is 5/8" O.D. or 9/16" I.D. but this doesn’t mean the opening into the cap is that big. In fact, the hole going through the wooden cap (w/white brass outer sleeve) is only 1/4." This may be too small?? What size should this hole be?
This chanter use to be a small bore but was reamed to large bore deminsions, including finger holes, by Quinn back in about '83.
BTW, putting an air filter of some sort inside the tube can help prevent dust and other objects from hitting the reed.
How about fast and bulbous? A tin teardrop.
The top note of my double bass regulator on my Bb set will change in pitch if I open the bottom C note. This is about as big a bore as Irish pipes get; do any of the zampogna players reading this have any details on their experiences with vibrato? Or bassoon players, for that matter. The point is that airwaves do a lot more than go through the reed and exit out the highest open hole. There’s a lot you can do at home, shimming up inlet tubes with tube, etc. And what is the advantage of having the reed’s waveform travelling into the inlet and even into the bag? This was part of Ken McLeod’s diatribe against wide bore concert pitch pipes - that the “T-Joint” inlet the Taylor brothers pioneered caused unsteady bottom D, breaking back D, all that good stuff.
Or should we ask
Hey Peter - I notice that the Busby Coyne set had a “T-Joint” inlet - was that stock, or did Busby modify it to be like that? (Tom Busby was the previous owner of a Coyne B set that he donated to NPU, http://www.concentric.net/~pdarcy/photos/wcss2000_7.jpg is a good photo of them) Perhaps your neighbor can tell us; I notice Phil Wardle’s Coyne has a T Joint, too. The old photo of James Early shows perhaps an Egan, or Coyne? With T joint. If that’s the Coyne set he owned, it wound up with someone in the North of Ireland, a flute maker.
..Wardle’s M. Coyne ORIGINALLY had the reedcap tied directly into the neck of the back …
David Quinn, or was it Benedict Koehler???, once told me that he felt reeds lasted longer in chanters with wooden tops. Perhaps its related to the things peter says about condensation in the top. DAvid?
It makes so little difference, I don’t even concern myself with it. Changing a reed cap won’t make a bad reed/chanter good, and visa-versa.
Be far more wary of weather extremes.
BC
“I do believe in spooks! Oh, I do! I do! I do believe in spooks! Oh, I do!”
So we should stock up on silver iodide in case it gets too dry?
David is in the middle of moving,and as I have had this discussion with David and Benedict on several occasions, I can say that wooden tops, with their slower transmission of temperature changes to the reed, and ability to absorb condisate, rather than trapping free water, will lead to an increased reed lifespan and easier warmup.
Ted
Ted wrote:
“I can say that wooden tops, with their slower transmission of temperature changes to the reed, and ability to absorb condisate, rather than trapping free water, will lead to an increased reed lifespan and easier warmup”.
Sorry to dispute this but I have been playing the same concert pitch reed in a brass cap for over 20 years in some very hot and steamy sessions and in some fairly chilly places too and it is still going strong and I think gets up to “playing” temperature within a couple of sets of tunes. Like the comments above I think the reed is 90% of the deal and the cap material comes second by a distance.
My two penn’orth,
or should I add " Bulbous also tapered"
Ken
I’m with Ted here, I mentioned this in an earlier thread. It is about shocking reeds with sudden temperature change. You’re more likely to fanny with a reed that goes suddenly wrong. Obviously, a good reed is a good reed, and with a metal cap you can survive problems ok, but science speaks fairly loudly to me in this matter. And wood looks nicer, dontcha fink??
Alan
