Sharp Back D

theweirdscotsman · Post by **theweirdscotsman** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:15 pm

Hey guys, i tried to search around for some ideas and looked through Pat Sky's reed manual but wasnt able to find much info.

Im playing on a david daye set until my lynch half set gets here.

The pipes as a whole are very sharp to 440, but they is in tune with itself except for the back D. It is very very sharp. However, the more pressure i apply the flatter it becomes. This isnt a viable fix because then my lower octave jumps up to the second when im coming back down.

I am still a beginner so I'm not sure if this is a common thing or not. Thanks a lot, Will

The Sporting Pitchfork · Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:39 pm

Fairly common. There's this stuff called electrical tape that can solve the problem (although if you can find good gaffer's tape, use that instead). Try it, you just might like it...

Addendum:

If the pipes as a whole are sharp, try pulling the reed out a tiny bit from the reed seat. That should also flatten the back D a bit. Opening up the bridle a hair may also help.

boyd · Post by **boyd** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:46 pm

3 tips for you:

Boyd

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:46 pm

Better a sharp back D than a flat one, any day. That, you can do something about. Tape or soft wax, applied to the upper side of the tonehole, should do the trick.

billh · Post by **billh** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:57 pm

Doesn't sound like tape is the right fix, to me.

First you need to figure out if the overall pressure is right, and if the reed is properly adjusted. Ideally, you should sort that out with another, more experienced, piper.

My guess is that the reed is a bit too closed, and also too far down in the reed seat.

It is not unusual for the back d to sink under pressure - on some chanters the correct note is the lower one, with the very sharp d being a result of underpressure. On other chanters the correct note is the higher one and the note 'sinks' under excess pressure. Opening the reed up just a *tiny* bit (search the forum for info on how to do that safely - *CAREFUL!*) may fix this. Realize that it may take you some time to learn how to handle the bag pressure to accommodate the back d while moving from octave to octave - some of this could be due to inexperience.

The fact that the whole scale is sharp, and the back d even sharper, suggests that the reed needs to come out/up in the reed seat several millimeters as well.

In my experience the Daye reeds+pennychanter are not prone to sinking back d, so probably things are just out of adjustment.

Bill

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:20 pm

billh wrote:
My guess is that the reed is a bit too closed, and also too far down in the reed seat.

I'll go with this assessment.

Scott McCallister · Post by **Scott McCallister** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:28 pm

Additionally, you could try scraping toward the end of the reed a bit more. A circle about the size of a pea will allow the end of the reed to vibrate more freeley and should drop the back d considerably and the rest of the scale a bit.

As with any scraping adjustment, do a little, test, repeat.

theweirdscotsman · Post by **theweirdscotsman** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:21 pm

thanks for the replies. I have tried tape to no avail, sorry i forget to mention that in the original post. I will try seating the reed a bit higher. -will