How long have you been playing your chanter reed for?

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

[I have found that a reed that will stand the test of time usually needs to be "blown in" and will be a little bit hard for a few weeks or months before it settles into a decent place]


B

This is certainly the case with highland pipe reeds. I once had a lesson with P/M Jimmy McColl and he told me that if you use easy reeds, they only last a few months at best. A good, stiff, hard reed (such as a McAllister, for instance) that takes some serious time to break in can last up to a year.
Well, I did wind up with a pretty hard reed nearly a year ago (can't remember why now...), took forever to get it broken in and nearly killed me in the process, but it's still going strong now...When it goes, I think I'll stick something easier in there, though...

The reed in my Scottish smallpipes was made by Fin Moore about 7 years ago and was an absolute monster of a reed. It had a bit of a humidity shock incident a month ago and the top hand notes have gone sharp (or the bottom hand notes have gone flat, depending on your point of view...) and I'm not sure how to remedy the problem. If any other smallpipe owners have advice on this, please get in touch.

The original O Briain reed that came with my chanter was fantastic and lasted about two years, but the snap temperature/humidity change in Japan around mid-late-October caused the sides to split and it was beyond resuscitation. Put in another excellent O Briain reed and the same thing happened exactly a year later.

When I came back to Portland, OR, I got Brad Angus to make some wide-bore chanter reeds for me despite his protestations. The one I've got in there right now sounds great and seems to be getting better with age. I've also got a nice backup reed by Alan Burton as well. I've had both for a year and a half.

I've also got three stalks of cane, each about 2.5 meters long, out in the garage...At some point I guess I should start whittling through it...

[Douglas]

Jimmy McColl reeded my Highland Pipes just after I purchased them from my pipe teacher about twenty years ago. And no, those reeds are not still working. He live in Costa Mesa, California, at that time.

I have a reed from Fin Moore in my Lowland Pipes. Great reed too.

My current reed (Uilleann Pipes) is two years old.

[benwalker]

Isaw the light with a good stiff un (reed) took some playing in but it is worth that extra effort.

[Gaasfet]

As of today, I've been playing my current reed for 6 days. The reed it replaced, however, I played for 5 years, and that reed is still going strong and playing well (despite having a crack down one edge from being dropped, and a chip in both lips from a moment of clumsiness with the chanter cap). The only reason it's been replaced is that it's just too damn loud.

[billh]

There are reeds that have been playing continuously for more than 30 years. Also a handful of old reeds still in playable condition (and playing), believed to be well over 100 years old.

I don't think it's necessary to go for a hard reed to get longevity at all. Those ancient reeds I refer to (above) are quite easy blowing (by all accounts, and from my experience with one of them).

Bill

[Cayden]

Bill, the old reeds may be easy to play NOW but you can be sure they started out quite hard. My own reed was a relatively tough one to start with, now it's almost lighter than Pat Mitchell's.

[billh]

Peter, I'm not convinced. My experience has been that reeds equilibrate and stop getting softer after the first few months.

Bill

[Cayden]

I am not sure about a couple of months but they do settle as you say. However reeds starting out very soft and immediately playable seem to be more prone to collapse after a while. Geoff for one likes to keep reeds relatively (and I mean 'relatively') tough so they'l last longer.

It's hard to tell in retrospect but I think my reed took a long while to play in. And with playing in I mean not only getting softer but also gaining brightness and responsiveness. I will grant you though there were no huge changes after the initial period, minor ones, yes.

[PaisleyBuddy]

While we are on the subject of Highland pipe reeds, my GHB reeds only used to last 6 months, until I refrained from putting any saliva on them at all( just moist breathe to warm them up). The last one lasted 4 years until I bust the lips on the stock accidentally

[oleorezinator]

Pat Sky wrote about Liam O's reed, here or in the Piper's Review, it was made by Leo in 1968, Liam has a bit of thread under the bridle to keep it up - Pat says he occasionally cleans out the insides for Liam, get rid of all the scrunge. Big honkin' reed they say.

at a piping workshop in philadelphia in 1986, the set of rowsome pipes that liam o' flynn was playing at that time had a reed that was made by rowsome in 1938 and the pipes sounded unbelievable. the inside of that reed was completely black.

[Joseph E. Smith]

... oops, smashed another one...

[maw]

... oops, smashed another one...

[Joseph E. Smith]

I'm gonna have to get some allergy medicine I think.

[billh]

I'm gonna have to get some allergy medicine I think.

it's the cane dust, you know. :-/

(I seem to be allergic to it too)

[Joseph E. Smith]

I'm gonna have to get some allergy medicine I think.

it's the cane dust, you know. :-/

(I seem to be allergic to it too)

You know what? I think you're right. I have noticed an increase in allergy symptoms recently... and it coincides with an increase of reed making lately.