Embedded Files
FREE PIPING & DRUMMING LESSONS! CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION. COME JOIN THE FUN!
PARTS OF A BAGPIPE
PRACTICE CHANTER
Regardless of the size of your practice chanter, the maintenance is relatively the same. During practice moisture from the air blown into the instrument accumulates onto all the parts the air touches, but especially within the mouthpiece, and must be removed and dried out for storage to preserve the sound of the instrument, as well as to prevent rotting of the hemp from sitting in constant moisture.
After each practice, remove the mouthpiece and dry out any moisture that has accumulated. This can be done by letting the pieces air out while apart, or wiping with a dry. If you have a wooden practice chanter it is generally a good practice to apply an instrument-grade oil (pure almond oil from the grocery store does well in a pinch, as does commercially available bagpipe bore oil).
Blow on the practice chanter reed from the staple end, to rid it of any accumulated drops of moisture. Occasionally, you may feel the need to swab or blow out any moisture that eventually accumulates into the chanter body itself. This can be done by covering all the sound holes, as one would while playing the instrument, and blowing through the end. Another technique is to, again, cover all the sound holes, but this time blow into the single, high A, hole on the back of the chanter and wipe off any moisture from both the reed seat and the chanter sole ends.
Some players will keep the parts together after drying and removing all the moisture, while others will store the practice chanter disassembled, to allow it the instrument to completely dry between practice sessions.
BAGPIPE CHANTER
The parts of the bagpipe Chanter mirror the parts of the practice chanter, with the exception of the blowpipe, which is a separate part on the full-sized instrument.
The parts are composed of: the reed seat at the top, along with the hemped joint, the bulb, sound holes, and the sole at the bottom, which can be a decorative disc of ivory (imitation or real), metal (silver, nickel, aluminum) or a more basic looking version turned from the same material as the chanter body itself.
Not as much moisture tends to accumulate on this chanter like it does on the practice chanter, since there is a bag between the blowpipe and the chanter itself. The reeds used for this chanter tend to be made of a natural material, Spanish cane, however, and there can be issues if not taken care of appropriately. Much will depend on where you play and the relative humidity of the environment it's played in.
It is a good habit to get into to grip the chanter by the bulb (the bulbous piece just under the hemp joint) whenever removing, inserting, or twisting the chanter to adjust its position in the chanter stock. This is because the material, whether poly instrument-grade plastic, or traditional blackwood, used to make the chanter is thin-walled and the bore itself is conical in shape. This makes the bagpipe chanter one of the most fragile parts of the bagpipe. If twisted from the area of the chanter sole, instead of by the bulb, there is an extreme risk of snapping or splintering the chanter. Replacing this part generally costs around $150 to $300, plus takes time to get shipped to you from the seller, so this is a cost and misfortune easily avoided by getting into the good habit of manipulating the position of the chanter from the bulb.
Storage: The reed can stay in the chanter to keep them in their tuned position, but most pipers will pull their chanters from the bagpipe so they have a chance to air out and any additional moisture that has accumulated during playing can dry. Protect the chanter reed by using a protective 'chanter cap' on top. Most are simple caps that go over the reed and hemped joint with a plastic side screw used to prevent the cap from falling off. The Moose chanter cap has an interesting non-screw retention mechanism where one just twists the cap on and off. There are also chanter caps on the market, such as the one in the picture on the left, that will retain just enough moisture to keep the reed from completely drying out during storage. This one is the 'Tone Protector', but there are others on the market that do the same thing.
When ordering a new bagpipe, a chanter will often be included with the purchase. This should be kept as a spare and for personal playing. If purchasing a set to play with the Dunlap Highland Band, make sure you purchase a McCallum Gandy chanter, which is usually a separate cost, though if the seller is first contacted there may be a possibility of getting the Gandy chanter in lieu of what usually comes with the set by default.
BLOWPIPE
The Blowpipe is composed of several parts: the mouthpiece, blowstick (both adjustable and not), air valve (several types), the hemped tenon that goes into the blowpipe stock attached to the bagpipe bag. Some mouthpieces are plain, others feature either ivory (imitation or real) or metal (silver, nickel, or aluminum). Some blowsticks feature a threaded joint and can be adjusted for length to suit the user, or it can be non-adjustable and when ordering care must be taken to order the correct size. It's very important to select the correct blowpipe length so the instrument fits the player. Guidelines in times past were based on the players height, but we generally recommend purchasing one that has some kind of length adjustment.
Recently, within the last ten years, there has been the successful implementation of ball swivel joints at the base of the blowpipe. This allows one to further adjust the angle of the blowpipe relative to the position of one's mouth. Using a ball-swivel blowpipe allows for a more ergonomic positioning which can translate into a more relaxed player and therefore help improve the bagpipers playing.
Air valve: Either the blowpipe itself, or sometimes the blowpipe stock in the bag, will have an air-valve installed. Originally, this was a leather piece tied to the bottom of the blowpipe itself. Air could be blown in, but when air tried to escape the leather flap would press against the bottom of the blowpipe to prevent its escape. As materials improved, this leather flap was replaced by a rubber flap held into position on a brass staple tied to the end of the blowpipe.
Nowadays, one sees a variety of air-valves, types and materials, installed on bagpipes. More and more are being incorporated into the blowpipe itself, bypassing the need to tie something onto the end of the blowpipe altogether. Access to the air-valve inside the blowpipe is often either by unscrewing the bottom hemped tenon or, in the case of ball-swivel blowsticks, one accesses the air-valve by disassembling the ball swivel itself. Once exposed, pop the air-valve out for cleaning or replacement using the smaller end of the mouthpiece, or a small dowel.
There are also air-valves that are incorporated into the blowpipe stock on the bag. Instead of tying to the inside-bottom of the stock, they are instead inserted into the stock itself, where it is wedged in with a special tool designed to install, as well as remove for cleaning or repair, without need to ever get inside the bag itself. One of the more popular designs on the market is the 'Moose Valve.'
Maintenance: After a session of playing, most players will remove the blowpipe from the blowpipe stock and store separately. If your blowpipe, or stock, has a moisture trap (a 'Moose Valve' can be set up this way), tip towards the ground to remove all of the moisture that has accumulated during playing.
Occasionally, once or twice a year, you may want to give the blowpipe a good rinse and thorough drying to prevent any mold from building up but, generally speaking, the blowpipe requires very little maintenance to keep in good working order.
HEMPING
Hemp comes in two main colors: yellow, or black. Recently the market has made several other colors available, but the color serves as a cosmetic function only. Traditionally, only the yellow or black hemp have been used. Hemp did used to be made from hemp, a commonly available textile in the earlier parts of 1600's Scotland, but the material used now is linen, but still referred to as 'hemp' as a matter of tradition.
They come in unwaxed and waxed varieties. Extra wax can also be applied to the hemp for varying reasons as well. Waxed hemp will resist moisture and is more commonly used in joints frequently exposed to moisture. The use of unwaxed hemp can be a matter of personal preference, and is usually used, often in combination with waxed hemp, on the drone tuning slides where one wants an air-tight, yet still easily moveable joint.
Yellow hemp and black hemp do have different uses and functions, though some players will exclusively use yellow waxed-hemp for all their joints. Generally speaking, the black waxed-hemp is used on joints that are tighter and not moved often, such as where each drone attaches to its corresponding drone stock on the bag. Yellow hemp is used on joints that are moved more frequently, such as on the chanter stock (since this part is constantly being removed, inserted, or adjusted) and on the tuning slides of the three drones.
The hemp is applied to the joint tenon by first running a foot or so, regardless of hemp color used or the joint applied to, through a small block of black cobblers wax. This wax is, ironically, not used for cobbling but this is nevertheless what it has been referred to as. This wax is very sticky and is used to anchor the hemp to the tenon joint before fully wrapping the joint with hemp. Yellow beeswax is just used to add additional wax to hemped joints when needed, as the wax does tend to wear off in time.
When receiving a new set of bagpipes, the manufacturer/seller, will often ship the set pre-hemped but will have used unwaxed hemp for all the joints. This is for shipping only and must be removed, then re-hemped with the appropriate hemp for the joints in question.
Do not play an instrument that has all the joints hemped with unwaxed hemp as the joints will swell as it takes on moisture when played. The instrument is also not yet as air-tight as it will be once all the joints have been re-hemped.
Remove the old hemp first by carefully cutting a straight line with a sharp knife or straight razor and peeling it all off. Be careful not to cut into the wood/poly material of the bagpipe tenon itself. Then rewrap all of the joints, which can be tedious but is important it is done right to achieve an easy-to-play and air-tight set up.
As mentioned above, all of the tenon joints that meet the drone stocks need to be very firm as these joints are removed infrequently, and also receive a lot of pressure when carrying and manipulating the pipes during performances. Always make sure these joints are tight, and apply a little more hemp as needed, since hemp, being a natural material, will expand and shrink as the temperature and relative humidity changes.
Hemp joints on all the tuning slides, with perhaps an exception for the top slide joint of the bass drone (not often used for tuning purposes), and the chanter are frequently manipulated and needs to be applied for a light or medium tight installation. The chanter tenon, naturally, needs to be firm enough that it will not fall out, but light enough that it can still be removed relatively easily after a session of playing.
The drone tuning slides, however, are frequently manipulated and will be moved several times during the course of playing. These slide joints, therefore, must be easily manipulated with just a couple of fingers, but not so loose that they fall off easily. It's a precarious balance that must be constantly monitored to maintain an easy to play instrument.
Watch the YouTube video for further details on how to apply and maintain your hemp.
DRONE CORDS
The primary function of the drone cords is to keep the drones from flailing about uncontrollably and to keep the drones balanced on the shoulders while playing.
In the past, the cords were attached to the drones by sewing a thread between every drone cord channel. Today, mini zip-ties are more frequently used to achieve the same end result. The mini zip-ties come in a variety of colors to match the color of the drone cord and are very convenient to install.
Typically, one end tassel of the drone cord hangs down over the end tenor drone, about six inches, then tied to the cord channel on the drone. After another six inches of cord, it is tied to the cord channel on the middle tenor drone.
Then, about seven inches of cord goes between the cord channel in the middle tenor to the smaller part of the bass drone's middle section. This section does not have a dedicated cord channel (refer to the "Parts of a Bagpipe" section above for a visual).
The cord then stretches out towards the top joint of the bass drone and attaches to the cord channel on the top of this piece. Make sure there is enough cord between the top and middle bass drone joints so there will still be enough room for those joints to move for tuning.
The remaining cord hanging off the drone top is simply tied off to the long length of cord between the top and middle bass joints using a simple overhand knot. The exact length of cordage allowed to hang after to final knot is a matter of personal preference, but about six inches is generally accepted.
Some players are above or below average in height, and they may prefer more or less spacing between drones. Generally speaking, once the cords are installed, the drones should sit comfortably between the shoulder and the elbow while holding the bagpipes.
If purchasing a new set of bagpipes, there will be the option to select the color of your drone cord. If this instrument is to be used for playing with the band, select black as your color of choice.
Watch the YouTube video for a more detailed look at tying on your drone cords.
BAG & COVER
The bag is one of the most important components of the entire bagpipe assembly. Without it, the instrument will not function. If it's not air-tight, the bagpipe will not function efficiently and will be difficult, if not impossible, to play.
Not too long ago, the only option for a pipe bag was a leather bag that needed to be seasoned with a product, either a home-made concoction, or commercial, such as Air-Tite, in order to keep the bag from leaking air. Now, we also have synthetic and hybrid options that do not require seasoning of any kind.
At the Dunlap Highland Band we like to keep things as simple and trouble-free as possible. We recommend obtaining a hybrid bag (leather on the outside, gortex-like material on the inside) with rubber drone grommets. Bannatyne makes a great option. If you order a new set of bagpipes from a vendor they will attach the bag to all the bagpipe stocks for you.
The biggest concern is to figure out how large of a pipe bag one will need. It used to be, around the 60's and 70's, bands would encourage getting the biggest bag one could handle; the idea being that the reservoir of air would be larger. Then again, they also handed out pieces of 2x4's and insisted bagpipers play them in their chanters and ignore the resulting hernias.
Times have changed. The recommendation now is to use the smallest bag the player can comfortable get away with. For most adults, that may mean an extended small, and a regular small for younger players. Consult with your instructor as to what size bag should fit you before ordering. If you joined a band, you can often try several sizes first.
The Bannatyne hybrid bags have access zippers that are air-tight, and need the application of silicone grease once or twice a year to keep in good condition. The zippers are handy for accessing the inside of the bag in case a reed accidentally falls out of its reed seat on one of the drones or in the chanter.
Some players like to install other products such as moisture control systems but we recommend keeping things simple when first learning and foregoing such systems until a good knowledge of the instrument is first gained.
Covers: There are several options for bag covers, some more basic than others. If ordering a bagpipe for the first time, you should have the option to select the color of the bag itself as well as the fringe/gimping. If purchasing for band use, we recommend keeping the bag and fringe/gimping all black.
Some bags will have the option for a rubber patch on the side that helps prevent the bag from sliding around while playing, but this isn't necessary to have.
If you want to learn how to install a new, or replacement, Bannatyne bag yourself, watch the YouTube video in this section for more details on this process.
DRONE REEDS
There are several options for drone reeds on the market, and one of the most popular options are the EZ Drone Reeds. Many members started with, or still play, a set of these. There are also MG Reeds, Balance Tone, Canning, even Spanish cane, though the synthetic reeds dominate the market and this is what we suggest to start with, keeping things as simple as possible.
There are three drone reeds to a set: one larger bass drone reed, and two smaller tenor drone reeds. Each reed is composed of a tenon, where the hemp is wrapped (sometimes a set will be pre-wrapped with a rubber sleeve, which is often cut off and just hemped), and where the reed body is inserted into the base of the corresponding drone.
Next is the tongue seat. The tongue is the plastic (sometimes made of carbon fiber or another material) piece that vibrates and creates the sound. The tongue seat is never moved; the sole purpose of this part is to secure the tongue to the body of the reed.
The bridge is a moveable piece, a band of rubber in this case, but sometimes an o-ring or another moveable mechanical anchor. This is the part that is moved either towards the tenon or towards the tuning screw, and controls how much air each drone uses. It is adjusted during calibration, a process that will be described in detail below.
The tuning pin, or screw, is an adjustable pin that either lengthens or shortens the interior sound chamber of the drone reed. Making this chamber longer (adjusting the screw out) will make the drone tune lower on its tuning slide. Making this chamber shorter (adjusting the screw inwards) will make the drone tune higher on its tuning slide. This screw is for fine-tuning the drone's tuning position on the tuning slide.
Ideally, the tenor drones will be set so that they tune so that just a little bit of hemp is showing. The bass drone, however, is usually set so that the top slide has just a bit of hemp showing, and stays in this position, while the bottom section, used actively in tuning, is about two finger's width up the slide from the drone stock. Generally, it is thought to have the best resonance in this position.
CHANTER REED
The chanter reed is arguably the heart of the instrument. It's what produces the melody notes of the bagpipe and is, like the three drone reeds, also not under the direct control of the player as in other reeded instruments. Instead, it is safely nestled inside of the reed seat of the chanter.
There are several makers of chanter reeds, and we encourage you to experiment as you gain more experience with your instrument. For band purposes, you'll want to aquaint yourself with the G1 Platinum reed as the band has selected this reed as its standard for its durability and consistency in manufacture. The band will supply the chanter reeds and the Pipe Major, Quarter-Master or other senior band member will work with the student to determine the appropriate reed strength.
There are two main chanter reed body styles: straight cut and ridge cut. The G1 is a ridge cut reed, having a pronounced 'ridge' midway down the blades of the body, defining the border between the blades and the reed sound-box.
Just about all cane reeds are composed of two pieces of cut Spanish cane secured with binding around a brass staple. At the base of this staple it is wrapped with waxed hemp and this end is inserted into the chanter's reed seat. By adding or removing layers of hemp, wrapping or unwrapping, the reed can be adjusted to sit deeper or higher in the reed seat.
The deeper the reed sits into the seat, more the upper hand notes of the chanter are sharpened. The higher the reed sits in the reed seat the flatter the upper hand notes of the chanter will sound. This is how one basically tunes a chanter and gets the High A and the Low A in tune with each other. Fine-tune adjustments are detailed below.
There are a few companies making synthetic versions of cane reeds for chanters, but none have matched or surpassed cane so everyone who plays the bagpipes usually just sticks with cane.
MAINTENANCE KIT: CLEANING & OILING
Quite quickly, you'll start building up yourself a maintenance kit to keep your bagpipe in good working order. Bore oil to season wooden bagpipes (poly, of course, requires no oiling), rubber stoppers to plug up the bagpipe stocks with all the drones and chanter pulled out, leaving only the blowpipe to fill the bag with air. This is to check to see how air-tight the bag is and to ensure there are no air-leaks which would make the instrument difficult to play.
Smaller rubber stoppers for the drop tops for when one needs to eliminate a drone from sounding. Waxed hemp to keep joints air-tight, and an assortment of brushes to keep the interior bores of the chanter and drones free of debris and moisture.
At some point, you may want a spray to clean and sterilize your mouthpieces and a reed poker for making small reed adjustments. Have extra mini zip-ties on hand for the drone cords. What you have in your kit is ultimately up to you, but make sure you have the basics in stock for when you need them.
Oiling: Wooden pipes do need to be oiled once or twice a year, on average. New bagpipes should be oiled before they are played for the first time. Oiling prevent problems like cracking and drone warping. Simple apply your chosen oil (either 'bore oil' or pure almond oil) to all the wooden parts, inside and out, using rags and/or brushes to get into every nook and cranny. Allow the oil to soak in overnight. With a dry rag, wipe off the excess oil, inside and out, then re-assemble.
BAGPIPE TUNING
For many years, tuning was accomplished by ear only, and this is still a useful skill to acquire. Today, there's also a myriad of electronic devices designed to get the instrument in perfect tune, though it's still best to be able to at least do the rough tuning by ear.
The first thing to accomplish when tuning the bagpipe for the first time is to balance the High A and the Low A of the chanter so they are in tune with each other. This can be done by ear and confirmed using an electronic device or app like the Braw Tuner.
The upper-hand notes tend to change more (E, F, High G, High A) than the lower-hand notes (D, C, B, Low A, Low G) when raising or lowering the reed, so make small changes in the position of the chanter reed in the chanter seat, as a little bit of movement can have a large effect.
Once the High and Low A's are in tune with each other, it's time to get your drones tuned up, starting with the outer tenor drone. Here's where those small drone top rubber stoppers come in handy. Plug the bass drone and the middle tenor drone so they aren't making any sounds and only the one outer tenor can be heard.
Play a Low A on the chanter and compare that to the sound coming out of the tenor drone. Move the top piece of the tenor drone up or down the slide until it is in tune with the Low A on the chanter. While moving the tenor, play a one-handed High A note with the left hand on the chanter to cut down the amount of obnoxious sounds coming from the bagpipe, as the High A note is the quietest note in the scale and also harmonizes with the note you're tuning to.
Now unplug the stopper from the middle tenor and tune the two tenors together. Put the rubber stopper back into the middle tenor and unplug the bass so that it is now sounding. In order to get it to sound, you may need to stop blowing your bagpipes for a second until it starts sounding and then resume tuning . The bass drone has two slide sections. The one near the top is often set at the hemp line, where the hemp can just barely be seen under the edge of the slide, and never moved from that position.
The tuning pin near the bottom of the bass drone, closest to the bass drone stock tied into the bag, is the one used for tuning the bass. Traditionally, it's been said the ideal location of the tuned bass is two fingers-width up the slide for the best resonance, but the actual position will vary by the reeds used, the relative humidity or temperature of the day, or other factors.
This is how to accomplish rough tuning of your bagpipes. As the instrument is played and warmed up, after say about ten minutes, the notes will tend to sharpen and the drones will need to be made sharper by moving their tuning sections closer towards the bag. A good player can do this while playing, but this could take a few years to get the hang of. Keep in mind, also, that as soon as the bagpipe has stopped being played and is allowed to sit, it will start getting flatter in pitch again.
Fine-tuning chanter notes is done through the use of tape. In the old, old days (1600's-1800's), piper's would ream holes to make them bigger, or plug with wax to make them smaller, in order to adjust the pitch of individual notes. Today, many manufacturers intentionally make their chanters tune sharp so that players can fine-tune the chanter, by flattening the individual notes with tuning tape.
In a band setting, all the chanters are tuned to the master chanter so the individual notes are pitched correctly and all the chanters sound harmonious when played together. This is why the band chanter's reed position, or tuning tape, is never modified or otherwise messed with. If one needs to have a chanter to fiddle with and make adjustments, it is on a separate chanter from the band chanter altogether.
DAILY ROUTINE CHECKS
Every time you pick up your practice chanter, or bagpipes, the first thing that must be done is a quick check to ensure playability so if anything does need any attention it can be quickly caught and addressed before it becomes a bigger problem.
First, make sure to check all the joints for tightness. The joints that go into the stocks tied into the bag should be firm and take some effort to move. If they move too easily, remedy this with a few wraps of a piece of hemp, re-secure, and re-test the joint for firmness.
The tuning slides should be snug but not too tight. Two fingers should be able to twist the joint in order to tune up and down the slide. Make sure the joint is hemped evenly, or the joint will wobble and become insecure once the drone top is too high on the pin. Some pipers like to use Teflon tape, the sort used by plumbers to seal pipe threads, to wrap their tuning pin hemp. This makes the joint completely water-proof, and if the drone top is threaded a few times up and down the pin, a sort of micro-adjustment can be threaded into the tape.
The blowstick should be easy to blow with no impediments blocking the air way. Check the air-valve to make sure it's holding air in by either feeling or, with an ear held up to the blowpipe hole, listening for any escaping air. If any air is leaking from any joint, determine the cause and fix it.
Ensure the drone reeds are seated. A missing, or loose, reed can cause air to leak and making playing the bagpipes more difficult. Make sure the reeds are pitching together, if they are not it could be that one is taking more air than another, causing tuning issues. See below for calibration method.
Lastly, check that the chanter is snug in its stock, but also that the reed sounds good, no funny gurgling noises. Pull the chanter out of the chanter stock and inspect the reed. It is common to accidentally break off the reed corners when inserting the chanter into the chanter stock, but also inspect for any other problems, such as a cracked reed and replace if necessary. Also note, it takes about a week of diligent playing for a new reed to break in and may seem harder to play at first. Don't change your chanter reed out the day before a performance!
That's it! These are the daily routine checks every player should be doing every time they pick up their set of bagpipes.
FULL MAINTENANCE CHECKS
At least once a year, you should do a full maintenance inspection of your bagpipes. Some items need only be addressed annually, such as oiling wood pipes, but this may also be the time where you want to fine tune your bagpipe set up; try new drone reeds, or change out the pipe bag for a new size.
Some of the things we want to be looking at include the following:
Remove all the drones and the chanter from the bag and plug all the stocks, except for the blowpipe. By doing this we've eliminated as many variables as possible. Inflate the bag through the blowpipe until no more air can be blown in. The bag will deflate a little, but there should not be any drastic changes within a few minutes. If there is, there's a leak somewhere and it's up to us to find it. So long as the rubber corks are in securely, the only places where there could be a leak is through the blowpipe (hemp on the tenon joint), the air-valve, the zipper (if equipped), or through the bag itself, usually one of the seams. A spray bottle with soapy water can be sprayed at all of these points to check for an air leak. If there is bubbling in an area you'll know that spot is leaking. If it's a hemp joint or an air-valve, that part can be rehemped or the valve replaced. If the bag itself is leaking (through the zipper or seams) then a new bag is the solution.
Check the stocks and all other wooden pieces of the bagpipe for potential cracks. Check inside the bores as well, since some cracks may start here first and work their way through the wood as they get progressively worse. If you find any cracks you'll either have to order a replacement part or send the part in for repair by a reputable bagpipe refurbishing company.
Make sure all the drone bores, stock bores, and inside the chanter are clean and dry. Ensure no debris is stuck to the inside. Clean and oil as necessary.
Are the tuning slides easy to operate? Eventually, hemp will take on moisture and as it ages, even waxed hemp loses its ability to resist moisture. Re-hemp any joints that need it. If you've been putting it off for awhile, it's now time to get it done.
Make sure all your drones are back into their stocks and check for calibration. Any time you put in a new chanter reed, the drone reeds need to be calibrated with it. To test your calibration, blow up the bagpipe and strike-in the drones. Keep adding air and over-inflate the bag. First the drones will be sounding, then the chanter will get enough air-pressure and start making noise. Then, with a little more pressure, the drone reeds shut off completely, and all at once. If they don't, or only one or two shut off before the final drone shuts off, then the bagpipe needs to be recalibrated.
Calibration procedure: 1. Put rubber stoppers in the bass drone and in the middle tenor drone. 2. Inflate your pipes. The drone should turn on, then the chanter. If you need to adjust to drone reed to take more or less air, this is done by adjusting the bridle on the drone in very tiny, hair width, increments until the drone turns off when we overblow the bag.3. Take out the chanter and put a rubber stopper into this stock so the chanter is now eliminated from the calibration process.4. Take the rubber stopper out of the top of the middle tenor drone and inflate the bag. There now should only be the outer and the middle tenor drones making a sound. Over-inflate the bag and ensure both drones stop at exactly the same time. If not, the bridle on the middle tenor drone reed needs to be micro-adjusted until they stop at exactly the same time.5. Put the rubber stopper back into the middle tenor and take the stopper out of the bass drone. Make sure the bass and outside tenor drones are stopping at the same time. If not, make micro-adjustments on the bass drone reed bridle until satisfied.6. Once this is all done, take all the rubber stoppers out and adjust each drone reed's tuning screw until the drone tops tune in the ideal position on the slide, which is usually when you barely get any hemp showing on the slide. With the bass drone, since it's the bottom slide that is adjusted when tuning, the ideal position is about two fingers or so from the stock, though the top, non-tuning piece, typically just has a little bit of hemp showing, similar to the ideal tuning position of the tenor drones.
Lastly, if your chanter isn't in your bagpipes yet, insert it and check the tuning, starting with making sure the High A and the Low A notes are tuned together. You may fine-tune your individual notes at this point, but if this is a band chanter leave that for when you're tuning up with the band. At this point, just make sure the chanter works as it's supposed to and that there are no hidden surprises, like a cracked chanter or a chanter reed that may have seen its last days two performances ago. Replace anything that needs it and re-hemp any joints that may need new hemp.
Google Sites
Report abuse