Plastic Chanter Reeds - Any Good?

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 9:31 pm

I would gladly give up a bit of tone quality (not a lot, but some) for a set of reeds that play during the winter. It makes me laugh when I see some people suggest not to play your pipes unless the relative humidity is at least 50%. It only gets that high three months of the year here. Our current weather is is -20 C one day and +5C a few days later - up and down every few days. It snows, it rains, its sunny or cloudy, and I have to frig with the reeds every time I sit down to play just to get them to sound. Plastic is a very attractive alternative. Does someone have measurements?

djm

irishduffy · Post by **irishduffy** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 9:47 pm

Djm get good at making plasic reeds seeing as I'm in the same climate as you, I guess I will have to deal with the same fun you do. Get good and you can send some my way once I get a set.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 10:19 pm

It is up to you the fact is cane sounds better plastic is more stable so if you are willing to sacrifice tone for stablity go head. Yogurt containers and traslucent beer cups (not the red ones) I have heard are good for smallpipe reeds. Also the prefect material would be hard to find there are so many options then you have everything else after that.

BigDavy · Post by **BigDavy** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 10:38 pm

Hi DJM

Try asking Chris Dixon or Jim Daily (at uilleann-pipes.com) both of them have supplied me with plastic reeds - Jim used large diameter drinking straws as his raw material, he said it was readily available and he didn't need to worry about it leaking at the sides. It worked well sound wise, but I found it difficult to get the second octave with it, this was probably down to me as it was my first uillean chanter when I was just starting to learn to play.

David

misterpatrick · Post by **misterpatrick** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 10:55 pm

So how are they making these? Using the large diamter straw as a quasi-slip and use a normal staple? No scrapping? How about for the bridle? A little piece of wire or something. Someone post a picture for us idjuts.

-Patrick

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 12:28 am

There are an awful lot of words being used to size up a reed type, when it can really be done in just three words, when speaking of plastic chanter reeds:

1) Stink
2) Stank
3) Stunk

BigDavy · Post by **BigDavy** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 4:34 am

Hi Brianc

I cannot claim to have your depth of experience re reeds, but I have heard reeds made from plastic, cane and even the yoghurt container reeds that unseen122 was talking about - in Nigel Richards border pipe chanters (very nice they sounded too). While I freely admit that the best sounding chanters I have heard had cane reeds, in all fairness so have the worst sounding.

The plastic reeds I have tried, when they work, have all sounded acceptable to my ear. This is how I judge any reed. My quibbles with the plastic reeds I have used or tried to use is in the quality of thier manufacture. If a similar amount of care was put into the manufacture of a plastic reed as is put into a cane reed, then the reed would doubtly sound much better. Joseph's comment about the rebuilding of his reed and the results that this brought would seem to back this up.

I have read your other comments on reeds in the forum with interest and would like to ask if you have tried to make a plastic reed youself?. If not could you make the attempt and post the details on how you progress on the forum, I for one would read it with interest.

David

Misterpatrick

In answer to your question none of the plastic reeds I have are bridled, I may get Uillium to bridle the unplayable reeds to see if that stiffens them (they all have the same problem they are too pressure sensitve). If tried to do it I would probably destroy the reeds, good with my hands I am not.

uilleannfinlander · Post by **uilleannfinlander** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 4:52 am

Clanrye manufactures plastic reeds for GHB in different strength.
Perhaps they would have knowhow about uilleannreeds too..?
As far as i know those reeds made for beginners ( no blowin in period needed),but when you want good+balanced sound you have move to cane ones . It will be great that if somebody invent good synth. reed for UP's
so much fighting with cane ones during wintertime, when humidity etc varies
allthe time. LEt me know if good receipts for synth reeds available.

Uilliam · Post by **Uilliam** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 5:41 am

Davey wrote:Jim Daily ...made some plastic reeds etc....

Jim made some plastic reeds as an experiment a good while back...just an experiment mind ye.,the Chinese have been making pipe reeds out of Grass for millenia so why not plastic...but he was not totally happy with the result and whilst they were playable he reverted to cane...he will probably not make plastic reeds today... only cane...especially as he has recently had a shipment frae Medir enough to last a lifetime probably.

I must confess to being a little bemused by all this talk about humidity etc etc and not being able to play your pipes in winter springtime summer or fall etc etc..has it occured to any o ye that these are Irish Pipes developed and made originally in Ireland and no doubt particularly suited to the Irish climate??If ye can't play them because of the climate in Timbuktoo or wherever ye live,don't blame the pipes or the reed... how many pipers in Ireland or Britain do ye hear forever moaning about their reeds in winter etc...none..its not rocket science after all is it.If ye have to settle for less in tonal quality so be it,if ye want to experiment with any kind o material so be it but perleezzz..stop the whinging all the time..thanks

'The Mark of Cane'
If your Abel you can't beat Caine.
Alan... Harry Abel the Zulu couldn't beat Michael Caine in the film

so ye must be right....
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 8:18 am

djm wrote:I would gladly give up a bit of tone quality (not a lot, but some) for a set of reeds that play during the winter. It makes me laugh when I see some people suggest not to play your pipes unless the relative humidity is at least 50%.

If you want a winter project, order a few of these Pakistani chanter reeds, and do what I did, take 'em apart and put 'em back together w/teflon tape, waxed hemp and a very thin (thickness-wise) copper bridle. It will take a little bit of sanding on the lips.

http://www.harpanddragon.com/uilleann.htm

The reed is smaller than what you expect, and it will require extra hemp on the staple as the diameter is smaller than that of a normal staple. I really do not advise anybody relying on these reeds, they are not in any way shape or form good reeds....but they can be made to work, and the resulting tone isn't too bad at all. If you are interested David, send me a pm with your email address, and I will send out a photo and record an mp3 sound sample of the reed and chanter that I have.

Oh, I should say that this reed only works in a D chanter....I cannot speak for other keys.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 8:42 am

uilleannfinlander wrote:Clanrye manufactures plastic reeds for GHB in different strength.

These reeds were designed by Robbie Hughes and Ken Mcleod as part of a (heavily grant-aided)feasibility study into making plastic reeds for the Uilleann Pipes. WHile they had succes for the Highland ones (getting a good business going with Clanrye), they had to conclude that plastic reeds for the Uilleann Pipes at that point were not a feasible option, taking into account what the chanter reed had to do (two octaves and stuff like that).

i have seen, heard and played acceptable regulator reeds made of yoghurt containers and coke cans.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 8:45 am

One more thing I would like to stress, the chanter is a Pakistani made chanter. And this may make a BIG difference.

The only person on this board that has heard my Pakistani chanter and reed up close and in person is Snoogie. Gary, if you are reading this, perhaps you lend your impression of the tone.

snoogie · Post by **snoogie** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 8:55 am

Let me put it this way...I never realized that it was a plastic reed...so I could not tell the difference.

There is a tone thats hard to describe on the bottom D (I think..or maybe E)...sort of a hollow sound..I had chalked it up to the chanter's Pakistani heritage not realizing you were playing with a plastic reed.

I've heard a similar kind of tone on a Penny Chanter..not sure if there's a connection there or not.

How about a sound clip Joseph?

-gary

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 9:35 am

Alright,

Snoogie and Jay-i, check your emails, I have sent out an mp3 to yoos guys of the plastic reed and Pakistani chanter.

Jay-eye · Post by **Jay-eye** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:41 am

Joseph E. Smith wrote: I have sent out an mp3 to yoos guys of the plastic reed and Pakistani chanter.

As I've already told Joseph:

The recording sounds pretty good to me - almost indistinguishable from cane at mp3 quality.

And to paraphrase a previous comment: Perhaps not the best tone I've heard but not the worst either!

j.i.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Plastic Chanter Reeds - Any Good?

Plastic reeds

Plastic reeds