Drones... the saga...(a bit like Lord of the Rings)

[TheSilverSpear]

In the last installment, the drones were cutting out whenever I went into the upper octave, or played a note on the chanter. I seem to have fixed this problem.

Anyway, I had a weekend of sessions and wasn't playing the drones at all -- I rarely do in sessions, as I find it damned near impossible to tune the things in a noisy pub and it adds another level of footering and stress to the whole session experience that I don't need. But there was a fella there with a really nice sounding set of pipes, which inspired me to see if the drones were behaving. They weren't. I turned them on and they were sucking air like jet engines. I faffed with them for a bit, rewrapping some suspect sections, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Then I remembered why I hate faffing with this sh*t mid-session (or ever, to be honest) so I gave up and resumed my usual SOP of keeping them turned off in a session.

Why are they leaking? Why do they hate me? All each one has to do is play one freakin' note; it's not hard. Argh!

At this rate, it's probably a good thing that well paid academic job which will enable me to acquire regs is still feckin' light-years away.

[benhall.1]

A bit like Lord of the Rings? The book or the film(s)?

[patsky]

The best way to get drones going is to play them one at a time. Make some plugs stop off all the drones except one. Adjust that drone until it plays easy and well and in tune. Then go to the next drone,etc. Play each drone by itself for a week or so until it matches the chanter before adding the next one.

Pat

[tompipes]

Here's another tip.
If the tuning of the drone wavers with pressure that means that the drone reed wants to play at that note. So if the reed plays sharper with pressure, well make the reed sharper by adjusting the bridle and tune accordingly using the drone slide. That'll fix that!

Usually the weight and tension of the reed tongue can effect air requirements. Adding and removing weight from the upper and lower ends of the tongue can help reduce air requirements. Unfortunately it's a bit 'trial and error' but with all reed making endevours make sure and take detailed notes at every step. Even photos too! That way when you find a technique that works you can repeat the same move so much easier the next time.


Tommy

[An Draighean]

So if the reed plays sharper with pressure, well make the reed sharper by adjusting the bridle and tune accordingly using the drone slide. That'll fix that!

Tommy, I have a drone reed that is doing exactly that. Which direction do you move the bridle to make it sharper, towards the tongue or towards the base?

Thanks for the tip.

[boyd]

Just a line or two for those who read this thread and are also footering with their drones.....

Achieving airtightness was the most stabilising action I took when getting my drones to behave.

1) where the drone reed sits into the drone

2) the hemping on the drone where it fits into the stock

3) the hemping on the part of the drone you slide to tune

Small leaks can make a difference. It can be a variable difference, depending on temperature and humidity and maybe even what way one component is rotated relative to another.
Playing drones regularly is also very beneficial (and they ease up in terms of playing pressure when they have been going for a while). And I've found if I play one or two at a time (eg the awkward one at same time as the steadiest one) that can also help bring the drone "in".

Messing with the reed itself is important, but all too often the temptation is to start with that and to address airtightness second. In fact, it should be the other way round!!

[Cathy Wilde]

I just finished a round of "boogering." This term is especially apropos since I now sport a beeswax blob on the bass drone tongue, and it looks like, well, you know.

(This seems to be an annual autumn event, IIRC)

As a side note: One other thing I tried that seemed to help (in addition to hemping all over the place, etc.) ... I made sure the troublesome drone's reed-tongue was facing upward. At some point I must have reinserted the reed facing downward, and that seemed to contribute to its desire to collapse unless I was just whaling on the bag, which would overdrive the chanter reed. Perhaps if one's drones are shutting down under increased pressure for the second octave the reverse might work?

OK, OK, it's a crazy idea. But c'mon, we're pipers.

[tompipes]

Tommy, I have a drone reed that is doing exactly that. Which direction do you move the bridle to make it sharper, towards the tongue or towards the base?

Towards the end of the tongue or away from the drone itself. Move the bridle in tiny increments, .5mm at a time. A small adjustment can have a huge effect.

Also this should lower your air requirement too but it can make the reed funny about closing under pressure too.

Like all good reed adjustments for every action there's an equal and opposite pain in the arse reaction!

Tommy