Advice, how do you fix a flat back high D?

[demon_piper]

Otherwise the reed seems to work pretty well, but the flat back high D is a definite problem!

Can anyone help?

[PJ]

The person who finally solves this frequent problem will probably get rich selling the information to the thousands of frustrated amature reedmakers out there (but then again probably not).

First thing is, does the tuning of the back D improve if you increase or decrease the bag pressure?

In my experience (not terribly vast) there are many reasons why the back D is flat - a leak in the sides of the reed, the reed is not sitting tight in its seat and air is leaking, the lips are too thin, the bottom of the V has been scraped too much, etc., etc.

When I have this problem, I usually start by checking for leaks. If the read is airtight and sitting snugly in its seat, but still flat, I'll chop a tiny bit off the lips - the width of an eye-lash. If this doesn't improve the back D, I'll untie the reed and withdraw the staple 1 mm from the cane, retie the reed and try again. If that doesn't work, I'll try varying the width of the eye of the staple - start by making it a little larger.

If that doesn't work, I get out the shooting block and start making another reed.

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Try playing it with the C finger off. If that helps a bit then try if with other fingers and see what happens.

The back D can be quite temperamental so having alternative fingerings that sharpen & flatten the note are invaluable.

Pat.

[Podge]

Pushing the reed further down into the chanter should sharpen the back D relative to the rest of the chanter. If you find that this puts the chanter slightly above concert you might be able to flatten it again by adjusting the bridle and opening the reed lips (which will also make it louder and slightly harder to play).

[Mark Ward]

I always thought that this problem was caused by internal dimension problems, and the way to fix it without making a new reed was to pull down the staple or adjust the internal volume of the lips in some other way. I had this problem as well this past winter but found that it went away when the humidity came back the past few weeks. Maybe the reed experts could clarify--- I am not sure I am correct.

[lundblad]

Push the reed further into the throat of the chanter and rush the chanter with wire up to the back D to flatten the notes below the back D.
Rob

[Steve Turner]

Push the reed further into the throat of the chanter and rush the chanter with wire up to the back D to flatten the notes below the back D.
Rob

This is worth trying before cutting spiders legs from the reed lips...always try non-destructive methods before reed surgery . Rushing the chanter will tend to mellow the sound a little too, which can be quite desirable in itself.

[madfortrad]

If this doesn't improve the back D, I'll untie the reed and withdraw the staple 1 mm from the cane, retie the reed and try again. .

This will make the back d flatter, pushing the steeple further INWARDS by 1mm will significantly sharpen the back D. and will sharpen the octave slightly also.
I have found 0.5- 0.75mm re-insertion will solve the back D with a less drastic effect on the octave. Plus the back D can become a lot brighter in terms of tone.

If the octave is good in particular the high B and G I would avoid altering the steeple.

Hope this helps

[Uilliam]

Its also called a staple :love:Unless ye hail frae the NE of Englandshire and then it becomes a "steeple"
Corrected to avoid hurt.

[Ceann Cromtha]

Maybe he's a Geordie and is writing in his regional dialect. Would there be anything wrong with anyone doing that, perhaps to express one's cultural identity by rebelling against the accepted standard?

[Joseph E. Smith]

Its called a staple ...

Well, there are some of us fools who worship the damned thing... erm, reed that is.

[madfortrad]

Its called a staple :love:Unless ye hail frae the NE of Englandshire and then it becomes a "steeple"

I think you will find that many makers in Ireland and elsewhere refer to it as a "steeple".
Much in the same way that the bridle has been referred to as " the belt", "the collar", or "the cramp".
The belt is my usual nomenclature for this part of the reed.

Perhaps instead of nit-picking over the names of certain parts a comment in relation to the actual post would be advisable, so that the person in need of advice gets the information they need to rectify the problem they are experiencing Uilliam

What is your advice for rectifying the problem?

[Joseph E. Smith]

Its called a staple :love:Unless ye hail frae the NE of Englandshire and then it becomes a "steeple"

I think you will find that many makers in Ireland and elsewhere refer to it as a "steeple".
Much in the same way that the bridle has been referred to as " the belt", "the collar", or "the cramp".
The belt is my usual nomenclature for this part of the reed.

Perhaps instead of nit-picking over the names of certain parts a comment in relation to the actual post would be advisable, so that the person in need of advice gets the information they need to rectify the problem they are experiencing Uilliam

What is your advice for rectifying the problem?

Let's keep this civil, folks. Thanks.

[Uilliam]

What is your advice for rectifying the problem?

OK..Ye can say steeple and I can say staple that should sort the problem oot.

Slán Agat
Uilliam

[madfortrad]

OK..Ye can say steeple and I can say staple that should sort the problem oot.

Slán Agat
Uilliam

Sounds good my friend