Chiff and Fipple Forums

It's hard to know what's wrong without being there.

With a full bag, can you keep the chanter sounding for several seconds even without pumping the bellows at all?

Is the problem that you can't replace the air fast enough even with frantic pumping?

Maybe the reed is too "firm" or the lips of the reed are too wide, making it too difficult to play? I know you've got two reeds you've tried, but it could be an issue regardless. Depending on the bridle, you can sometimes slide the bridle down the the reed towards the staple to close the reed lips over more. Unfortunately this can often really change the dynamics of the reed. Sometimes you can squeeze the bridle to close the lips more, but be careful if the bridle has a "gap" then you can end up pincering the reed and breaking it.

Who made the pipes? If they are a cheap ebay set then we have a whole lot more troubles than if it's from a reputable maker.

The best thing to do is to find a good teacher, or even just a competent piper, who can take a look at the set and see what's going on with it.

I have to caution beginners with hard reeds!

I know a guy, a very good very experienced Highland piper, who decided to learn uilleann pipes.

When he got his first set I offered to come over and check out his pipes and check on his progress. He declined and decided to teach himself entirely.

A few months later I bumped into him at a festival and he said he wasn't playing any sort of pipes now, he had injured his shoulder trying to force his uilleann pipes to play.

He said the reed was stronger than any Highland pipe reed he had played in 30 years of Highland piping.

I told him that uilleann reeds are never supposed to be that strong! That if we had got together when he had started the uilleann pipes I would have immediately seen the problem and adjusted his reed so it played at the correct pressure.

So PLEASE beginners don't go it alone! Don't guess how a reed is supposed to work. Don't assume that however your reed happens to be is the way it's supposed to be.

Reed adjustment can't be done on Skype etc it must be done in person. Anybody who isn't actually playing your reed can't know how it's behaving.

Hello everybody,

I think that it could also be something completely different, based on my experience. I've had the same problem sometimes.

First of all, I would check whether the bag is even tight: remove the chanter, cork it, inflate it with the bellows. The bag then has to stay as firm as a football for at least the first 20 seconds. If the bag doesn't stay so tight, but instead goes slack immediately after few seconds, then that is the first problem.

After becoming a firm football-bag you can take care of a reed that is probably too wide open or too hard.

Try this and let us know
Christian Tietje, Germany, Seligenstadt

Christian Tietje wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:12 am First of all, I would check whether the bag is even tight: remove the chanter, cork it, inflate it with the bellows. The bag then has to stay as firm as a football for at least the first 20 seconds.

DavidS wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 3:53 pm Yep, cork the bag and air remains, tight as a football. Bellows are the same, no air escaping.

Sounds like he's already done this

DavidS, You should be able to send private messages now. Send me one and we’ll see if I can help

Yes the problem is that even with franticaly pumping the bellows I can't fill the bag enough to maintain sound from the chanter.

DavidS wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:11 pm Yes the problem is that even with franticaly pumping the bellows I can't fill the bag enough to maintain sound from the chanter.

So does the bag just deflate really quickly? You should be able to still get the chanter to play even when the bag is half-full, quarter-full...

How many pumps of your bellows does it take to fill the bag with air?

Tom_S wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:18 pm With a full bag, can you keep the chanter sounding for several seconds even without pumping the bellows at all?

Who made the pipes?

I might get a second or two from the chanter with a full bag, and it takes maybe 8-10 pumps to fill it to even feel that it's close to full.
I don't know who made the pipes, Pakistani most likely but they cost me basically a few dollars plus the shipping costs from an auction. I didn't buy them with the idea that these would be a long term tool, only to learn and then be able to justify the bigger expenditure. I don't care for the bag, and I've rebuilt the bellows based on the original (possibly they are too small based on that redesign). I do like the feel of the chanter and it doesn't seem to have some of the flaws reported in Pakistani chanters such as finger holes being out of alignment and all one diameter.

DavidS wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 6:07 am I don't know who made the pipes, Pakistani most likely but they cost me basically a few dollars plus the shipping costs from an auction.

Sorry you had to find out this way. You're just in for complete and utter frustration with a set like that. Unfortunately you really need to find a practice set made by a decent maker, with a decent reed fitted. There are some reasonably priced ones around like those made by David Daye (just an example).

Check out this video, see how the piper plays the chanter for several seconds between strokes, and then one smooth bellows stroke to refill the bag.
https://youtu.be/fl0OObBWCe8?t=197
That's what it's meant to be like.

DavidS wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 6:07 am I didn't buy them with the idea that these would be a long term tool, only to learn and then be able to justify the bigger expenditure.

Unfortunately you won't learn any sort of technique or get a good feel for the pipes with a set like this. I'd love to be proven wrong but there's so many posts on these forums where people buy these cheap sets and can't get them to work. The pipes are hard enough to play and maintain at the best of times!

Poster, I am in Houston and might be able to help if you can't get past your problem (locally)...send me a PM if you can/need.

DavidS wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 6:07 am . I didn't buy them with the idea that these would be a long term tool, only to learn and then be able to justify the bigger expenditure.

False economy buying cheap, the thing about quality pipes is that they don't devalue and chances are you could even make on them. Always spend as much as you can, you will never lose money.
RORY