i have been using a couple chords with certain notes in slow airs since i got my regs, but i still label the period up to now as what has for all intents and purposes been getting accustomed to a half set.
i sat down today to look at the reg notes on a staff and figure out which ones go best where (i’m still convinced a tab system would make more sense for reg notation) and i found that the regs+chanter combos didn’t always sound as happy as the notes played together on the piano.
I went thru note by note and tuned the regs…some of them were too sharp even when the others were in tune. that i fixed with a little scotch tape for the time being, i’ll go back with some sculpey for something more permanent later (I found a good method with sculpey while altering my crappy flute embouchure hole). Some of them, however, are notably flat…actually, i think it’s just the As
so my question is this, how to sharpen a reg note without taking a file to it. i’m sure there’s some chanter-ish thingy with index card or funtak or something similar that can be used.
I am not quite sure what you do with the tape and hole filler but has the concept of rushing them come through?
Move the reed bridle a bit to sharpen, it’s a good idea to have you’re regs overall sharp and then rush them down a bit so you can re-tune them with the tuning pin when need be
well…here’s the deal…remember how tim rebuilt my set? yeah, well…he kept the original, MidEast plastic reg reeds. they don’t sound bad, mind you…very much like the recordings i’ve heard of regs…but there is no bridle…
if the B is in tune, and the A is not, does that not indicate the reg being out of tune with itself?
anyway…the tuning pins don’t seem to make much difference which suits me just fine so long as i can get them in tune some other way (being plastic reeds, they are impervious to humidity changes…once in tune, they should stay that way)
the tape i used to flatten sharp notes by accluding the reedward 1/4 to 1/3 of the hole (thus making it smaller and moving it down a bit)
but i was under the impression that a little something just above a chanter hole in side the bore (eg betwee the e and f to affect the e) that serves to reduce the bore diameter slightly will sharpen a note.
they reall are in tune except for those two…so i hesitate to use a rush that will alter all of them
i’ve been reading about rushing in chanters, but i’ve never had to do it. it seems rather precarious a fix to me…how would i go about doing it properly?
Rushing in regs is far more complicated than chanters. The wire connected to the pin inside the reg is used as a “rush” with bits of putty, wire insulation, fishing lure weights, or anything else you can get your hands on attached to the wire to mold the inner shape of the reg’s bore. Start at the highest note and work down the reg. Its a long, painful process. If your reeds are as impervious to climate as you say, then hopefully you won’t have to go through this time-consuming process too often.
Really you should work on the very essential basics before going at it. or maybe sometimes wonder what that ‘rushing’ is we talk about all the time. There are tutors available with the bare essentials in them.
regulators that stay put are all fine but having them rushed so you can pull the pins when your chanter rises a[and mind yuou it will] makes sense in practice
You’re wrapping the tape over the toneholes, aren’t you? I’m guessing this since you seem to be unfamiliar with the elementary science of flattening a note with a “rush” in the bore. If you have placed tape over the regulators’ toneholes you’ll have to take the key off and clean the wood if you want to move the tape, otherwise the adhesive will stick to the keypad, which probably isin’t sealing fully anyway with the tape in the way…and the keys and pads probably suck anyway given the high standards their manfacturer is famous for…
Your best bet would be to repad all the keys with close-cell foam (do a search for it on this forum), using hot glue as an adhesive. Even weak or wobbly keys will seal much better, and regulators need to be airtight or the pitch of the notes will wobble badly, doesn’t matter what the reed is made of.
Funtak? Index card? Sculpey? Please don’t buy a good set of pipes!
You trawl the net for piping associated stuff don’t you? Can you point Antaine to a comprehensive site which will explain Regs and rushing/tuning diagramatically as well as the written word?