drone cutting out

neil quinlan · Post by **neil quinlan** » Mon Aug 19, 2002 6:54 pm

hello all,when i apply extra pressure to the bag eg:to get second octave my bass drone cuts out did anybody have this problem or better again does anyone know how to fix it.

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon Aug 19, 2002 7:36 pm

Hi Neil,
Welcome to C&F

Did the drone problem recently start?
I suggest you check your chanter reed that it's not too far open. Move the bridal down 0.5mm and see if this eases the pressure needed to acheive the octave.
Are your drone reeds cane or synthetic?
Try placing a small blob of softened wax on the end of your bass drone reed. The added weight often stablizes it. If you don't like the results, you can easily remove the wax without affecting the reed.

marcpipes · Post by **marcpipes** » Mon Aug 19, 2002 8:13 pm

If you think the bass drone could take more air without causing the rest of the pipes to be unstable, try putting a hair under the tongue of the reed. This may make it too strong, but it will open up the space between the tongue and the body. If the reeds are synthetic try moving the bridle back.
Good Luck

Marc

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:29 am

Before you do anything else, make sure you don't have any leaks in your bass drone-this will cause a drone to quit. Hopefully, all you need is a little waxed thread to solve the problem.

praetorius · Post by **praetorius** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 7:07 pm

Just adding a bit to what everyone else has already said...I find that weighting the tongue of the reed can be handy in this situation, however I prefer a small ball of blu-tack (sticks well, but can be removed easily) to candle wax, which is harder to move. You may have to experiment with the exact placement of the weight on the reed tongue, and the blu-tack allows you to change position or amount rather easily.