How long to play in a new chanter reed?

[meemtp]

How long, generally, does it take to "play in" a new concert pitch chanter reed? I've never played a brand new reed before, the chanter I've been playing had one that was several years old and on the light side. The reedmaker of the new ones specifically makes their reeds to not be overly hard but I've found that I can only play this one for about 5-10 minutes at a time before I need to give my bag arm a break. It's getting a bit better, it's been about two weeks that I've been working on, how long before I can tell if it's just me not being used to a new reed or if it's too hard?

Also is there an ideal method to most effectively playing in a new reed? I've never even thought to ask this since it wasn't an issue before. I've just been doing lots of long notes, scales, a little octave jumping, but not much tune-wise on it since a few of the notes are particularly hard to blow. I end up switching over to the other chanter to work on tunes...

[brianc]

How long, generally, does it take to "play in" a new concert pitch chanter reed? I've never played a brand new reed before, the chanter I've been playing had one that was several years old and on the light side. The reedmaker of the new ones specifically makes their reeds to not be overly hard but I've found that I can only play this one for about 5-10 minutes at a time before I need to give my bag arm a break. It's getting a bit better, it's been about two weeks that I've been working on, how long before I can tell if it's just me not being used to a new reed or if it's too hard?

Also is there an ideal method to most effectively playing in a new reed? I've never even thought to ask this since it wasn't an issue before. I've just been doing lots of long notes, scales, a little octave jumping, but not much tune-wise on it since a few of the notes are particularly hard to blow. I end up switching over to the other chanter to work on tunes...

(bold italics are mine, above).

If this is the case, the reed is too hard to play. You shouldn't have to rest after 5 or 10 minutes, and all notes in the upper octave should be just about equal in terms of pressure and being able to hold the note. Sure, some of the upper hand notes in the upper octave may require a bit more pressure, but you're not doing yourself any favors by continuing in this fashion, IMO. The reed may require some minor adjustment... have you tried to make any adjustments to the reed to make it easier?

[meemtp]

Well, that's why I asking...I wasn't sure if it was just because I got spoiled by starting out with a very light reed. It seems most beginners have to build up and I was able to play the old reed for long periods even without having any bag arm control/stamina right off the bat. So I wondered if it just seems harder because I never had to work on that component.

It seems, from what I've gotten from reedmakers, that new reeds are a bit hard at first, especially if they're well-made and stable, so I didn't want to go making alterations if it's just the newness/my weenieness. Also, I'm still taking things at the "jaysus, don't feck with the reed!" stage. I don't know how to do alterations yet and I don't want to ruin the reed. Other than bridle and seat adjustments, I'm not comfortable yet. I just wondered how long I should expect a new reed to break in and soften up a bit and how to properly assist it. I'd like to be sure it's not just me before I ruin it!

[Joseph E. Smith]

New reeds shouldn't be so hard to play that you need to take frequent breaks, but they should be a little firm (IMHO). Time and frequent playing should remedy the firmness.

Before doing any permanent alterations, try adjusting the bridle to close the reed down slightly while bearing in mind that it may also require you to pull the reed a little further out of its seat (lengthening the overall bore) to account for tuning changes.

For a more permanent alteration, use a stanley carpet knife and lightly scrape (from top of the V to the lips) 1 - 2 times per side of the reed until you come to a playing pressure that is easier for you. Remember that between each 1 - 2 scrapes, to play the reed for about 10 to 15 minutes (preferably longer) before scraping again... it is important to allow the reed to adjust to its new thickness and will go a long way toward preventing you from over-scraping the reed.

I hope this helps some.

[billh]

New reeds shouldn't be so hard to play that you need to take frequent breaks, but they should be a little firm (IMHO). Time and frequent playing should remedy the firmness.

I would suggest, by way of a clarification, that new reeds should be a little firmer than your ideal 'target' stiffness. They shouldn't necessarily be "firm" for every playing taste. I also have my doubts as to how much of the resulting change is really from playing, as opposed to just natural "settling". Some have suggested that weather/humidity cycling speeds this settling process. This relates to a previous discussion about how long reedmakers and pipemakers let their reeds "settle" before supplying them to the customer.

It sounds to me, offhand, as though this reed you are playing might not "settle" to something as light as you want, so I agree that cautious thinning/lightening of the reed may be in order. However not every reed will tolerate this, it's best if the reedmaker is targeting a stiffness that corresponds to your own needs/desire when the reed is initially made. A reed or reed design that is made to be relatively stiff may not tolerate being scraped a lot lighter; so in the long run you may need to obtain a lighter reed from a maker who is accustomed to making light reeds.

Bill

[meemtp]

Thanks guys. I tried JES's advice. One scape did the trick a bit, it's better now. Now of course I think I've buggered it up in other ways! The bridle is a bit tough to make fine adjustments with on this one...I wonder how much wear is being done by trying to get it in the right spot. And, before I did the scrape, I now notice that one edge of the tounges looks less smooth than before. Almost a little "fuzzy" and if I look really close it looks as if it has the tiniest of chips. The reed *seems* to be ok...if not quite as crisp and lively...and a little quieter. I wonder how much of that had to do with my ham-fistedness at removing the windcap. No matter how careful I am, and how steady I try to be, I always manage to scrape the reed a little when taking of the &%*( windcap!! Arrrghh....I hate taking that thing off.

[Joseph E. Smith]

I always manage to scrape the reed a little when taking of the &%*( windcap!! Arrrghh....I hate taking that thing off.

Twist gently while pulling gently. If it's a real bear to remove, you may want to consider re-hemping it. Use unwaxed sewing thread.

[meemtp]

heheh...that was the way I was doing it, it's not too tight either...I'm just a klutz

[sturob]

SPEAKING of which . . .

Jeez, is there a reason the tolerances are so often so close between width of the lips of the reed (breadth, you know, its widest measurement) and the diameter of the chanter tenon?

It aggravates the crap out of me that they're usually so close. Would it kill the pipes completely to make that diameter just a wee bit bigger?

Sigh. Diatribe over.

Stuart

[Nanohedron]

SPEAKING of which . . .

Jeez, is there a reason the tolerances are so often so close between width of the lips of the reed (breadth, you know, its widest measurement) and the diameter of the chanter tenon?

It aggravates the crap out of me that they're usually so close. Would it kill the pipes completely to make that diameter just a wee bit bigger?

Sigh. Diatribe over.

Stuart

I feel your pain. Messing around with my regs is an exercise in terror.

[meemtp]

I was thinking the same thing this morning! It would be nice to have some room to work with. I've avoided making adjustments for that very reason...I figured I'd rather play a bit sharp or flat, since I'm only practicing alone, than risk damage. Grrr....

[billh]

Making the regulator tenons larger creates some difficulties, too. It's a trade-off for maker and player alike.

Bigger tenons require bigger "shoulders" on the mounts... which means a bigger stock and more separation between the regulator keys. This can make the often-used tenor+baritone regulator combinations harder to reach, not a good thing.

[meemtp]

How about the chanter top Bill? Do the slightly oversize wooden tops have more internal room? Or is that the same and the oversize is just due to the thickness of the wood? I'd imagine in my case, I just need to develop the fine motor skills to properly remove my chanter top!

The teeny chunk that came out of the face of one of the tounges at the lip doesn't *seem* to be affecting anything.

Anyhow, with JES's guidance followed by a little bridle adjustment...rather tight one it is...I can see how one can wear out the sides with having to adjust it frequently, the reed is MUCH better! Plays jsut about as easily as my old reed, except for having to ease off on the C# a bit more than before. Thanks to all. I suppose as much as it pains me to potentially screw up a reed, I should start learning more of this stuff. Off to order "The Piper's Despair"....

[Joseph E. Smith]

I suppose as much as it pains me to potentially screw up a reed, I should start learning more of this stuff. Off to order "The Piper's Despair"....

Good man. The more you learn, the less apprehensive you'll be about confronting reed issues.

Take the Nestea Plunge....

[billh]

How about the chanter top Bill? Do the slightly oversize wooden tops have more internal room? Or is that the same and the oversize is just due to the thickness of the wood? I'd imagine in my case, I just need to develop the fine motor skills to properly remove my chanter top!

The wooden caps usually have the same dimensions as metal ones, or smaller.

My concert pitch chanters take a 12.3mm wide reed (finished width), and the inner diameter of the wooden cap is usually 17.5mm. 5mm seems like more than enough clearance. My metal chanter caps currently have about 16.5mm inner diameter - a little smaller than the wooden ones but still reasonable. My narrow bore/flat chanter caps usually take a reed between 10.5 and 11.2mm wide, with a reed cap having between 15.4 and 16mm inner diameter - still nearly 5mm clearance. I think that ought to be plenty, though you always want to be careful when replacing the cap - the usual cause of trouble is a reed that isn't seated straight in the reed seat (or a reed seat that isn't bored quite straight).

The chanter cap size can, on occasion, affect the tuning/performance of certain notes, so you may find that switching to a larger cap doesn't work for you.

Some folks use really wide reed heads for concert pitch. That may be an attempt to remedy a basic problem with a chanter design that wants to play sharp of concert pitch; a 14mm wide reed head in a 3/4" outer diameter metal reed cap could indeed be a bit tight - maybe only a little over 2mm clearance. Also, you want to keep the chanter cap from becoming too loose or "wobbly", as this can cause the sides of the slightly-crooked cap to foul the reed.

Regulators - sometimes people ask whether it matters how the reeds are oriented in the regulator reed seat. Acoustically it of course does not matter, but because the regulators get pushed "downwards" by the hands and upwards by the leg/drones when being played, it makes sense to keep the reeds oriented "flat", i.e. horizontal when in the playing position. This allows for a millimeter or two of wobble at the top of the tenon when playing.

Bill