Some beginner questions

[Hobbit]

Hi all. I'm new to the forum, but have been reading a lot here recently.
I received my new practice set a couple of weeks ago and have been very successful at scaring the dog half to death.
I do not have access to any kind of teacher or other players in my area. I've purchased the HJ Clarke book and cd which will be helpful as I go along, but I really need to get started on the right foot.
Generally I find my chanter to be on the sharp side of standard pitch. My pipemaker says the reed will flatten out after some time playing. I tried adding some waxed thread to the reed to move it up in the chanter but that didn't really seem to make any difference so I removed it. Its not a vital issue to me right now, since I'm playing alone, but it would be nice to be closer to the above mentioned tutorial cd. They don't quite sound right together.

That being said, I am having great difficulty with the second octave notes. The notes seem to be flat to me in comparison to the lower octave, especially the high G. If I really squeeze the bag I can get the pitch of the G to sound one octave higher before it drops back to the lower octave. Here I mean really squeeze. I can never hit the high E spot on without giving it an extra squeeze to bring it up to the octave. I know there is a lot of inexperience on my part so any tips anyone has to offer are more than welcome. I know practice is one of them. Should I stay away from the second octave for a while?

I am not quite sure about how much air I should have in the bag. Should it be bar tight ( I think not), tight, or have some slack in it? I think that I am squeezing harder than necessary, which seems to be common for newbies.

This looks like a great place to seek advice. I am glad that I found this forum. There seems to be a lot of knowledge here.

[PJ]

The problems you're describing with 2nd octave G might be because you are not covering the holes properly and air is leaking out.

Where abouts are you located? If there is no piper nearby that can teach you, a number of teachers now offer lessons via Skype.

[Johnered66]

I am still very new to the pipes. In my short experience I can say the reed is the trick. Have someone who knows a thing or two look at it. Don't fight it in frustration. It could be as simple as a slide of the bridle. But don't tweak it too much yourself and make irreversible changes. Second octave shouldn't be impossible to attain. The right reed n chanter and a bit of time. Of course a pint or two for patience never hurts. Good luck. Cheers.

[fancypiper]

To get the second octave shouldn't take a great increase in bag pressure, just a little "bump" in pressure, so it sounds as if the reed may be too open.

But, if you open a reed, it plays flatter and takes more pressure, if you close it, the reed should play sharper and take less pressure.

To balance the octaves in pitch, you have to have the nerve to unbind and rebind the reed, so leave that to the future when the reed has been played in.

You need to have an experienced piper check it out in your playing environment to give the reed a good critique.

It seems as if nobody can make a satisfactory reed unless they make their own reeds.

[Johnered66]

I would love to be able to make my own reeds but I think that will be years down the lane. Having my hands full with the basics. But no doubt tis true the reed is an instrument of it's own.

[fancypiper]

As a video I watched with four reedmaker's opinions and methods, the reed is "The Heart of the Instrument".

[Hobbit]

Thanks for the advice. Yes there may indeed be some air leaking somewhere via my fingers.
I'm in Newfoundland where it is a fairly humid environment being next to the ocean. I've experimented with moving the bridle a bit to see what that does although I am reluctant to do that much at this point.
I gather that a reed does take some time to 'play in'. Does this make if softer, easier to play and flatten the sound?

[Steampacket]

Just to add NPU's "Souce" has video material of interest to beginning pipers here: http://source.pipers.ie/Gallery.aspx?id=36

Be extremely careful when removing or putting on the wind cap so that you don't damage the reed lips. Try playing scales and ensure you are covering the finger holes properly, leaking air can cause problems. If there is an experienced piper within travelling distance then try to seek him/her out so they can assess your reed.

Is the reed easy to play in the first octave? It shouldn't need a lot of pressure to sound. It also shouldn't need a lot of pressure to get the second octave.

Ps A new reed will/should become settled in after it has been played a few weeks, depending on how often you play of course, better to play a little each day than once every few days if possible. Listen as much as possible to solo uilleann piping, again NPU's Source is a goldmine

[The Blacksmith]

I had several bad reeds at the beginning that made playing almost impossible.
Since then I have started making my own and have made great progress.

I keep my chanter in a humidified case (sealed tube with a guitar humidifier inside).
A pet store hygrometer lets me maintain the environment.
This makes a big difference in the stability of the reed.

A new reed will change over time and playing it is better than trying to adjust it at the start.

If your by the ocean but have central heating/ air conditioning, you are most likely going to be too dry.

Tim

[Johnered66]

http://www.upreeds.com/chanter

Great bit of help

[Clarinetcat]

Wow... some great reed reference material is popping up in this thread...

Thank you!

[Cathy Wilde]

I'm now blessed with a wonderful reliable set, but my first practice set gave me fits. In the end another piper and a maker looked at it and told me the the reed was cracked AND the bag leaked. But for six months prior I about gave myself an embolism trying to get the second octave, which turned into a "too much bag pressure" habit I'm still trying to break.

So with that in mind I offer these thoughts (in addition to the sensible advice above, which is all good) ....

Check all joints/connections -- chanter to bag, and blowpipe to bag and bellows; heck, if your windcap's loose put a bit of thread there, too. If there's air escaping anywhere, life can be difficult.

Also, sometimes reeds leak a little at the sides if they've been through an environmental change; does your reed look like it's sealed with a bit of cobbler's wax or some such there?

Another thing to check is how well your reed staple is seated in the chanter. I wind one or two twists of thread lower down on the staple for "traction" and that seems to keep the staple solid and leak-free.

Finally, I've noticed that sometimes it just takes about 15 minutes of steady playing to settle the reed, so I tend to avoid adjustments until I've played a bit. My reed seems to have to open back up every time, especially if I haven't played for a few days.

But yes, eventually, your reed should play in and soften a little. Then you'll get drones and it'll be too soft! Good luck!

[The Blacksmith]

And another thing...

As it has been said before, even my best, most perfect, favorite reed does not sound
"right" until it has been warmed up for 10 min. (20 if it has been transported to piping school at -27c)

Tim

[Johnered66]

my best pipe sounds come following 4 or 5 pints and a bit o john powers to boot...that's for the listener...as for the player...well...keep em coming lad

[The Blacksmith]

In Highland Piping, you are supposed to put 2 shots of whiskey in the bag to prevent growth of bacteria and 4 shots in the piper to improve the quality of the sound.

Tim