Barametric pressure is way to big a word for me. What I've noiced seems to have more to do with humidity. It's currently 40% in my house in mid-winter Iowa with forced air heat. The reeds colapse a bit and loose a ltttle of their optimal vibracy. The drone reeds also close down and need to be manually arched. I never use wax or hairs as they they ruin the pitch stability.Lorenzo wrote: You might tell these lads what reeds are like to play in South Central Colorado, San Louis Vally (6700 ft. el.) or Utah where it's high and dry. Questions here have surface about elevation--bellows-barametric pressure and the like.
I was once stranded for 2 weeks in central Wyoming in July while my broken down van was waiting for a gas filter. Although my reeds prefer 60% humidity, they don't usually die altogether in the dry. This was a bit much though and towards the end of my enforced vacation the reed had totally colapsed and the sides had opened up.
I have no qualms about getting agressive with reviving reeds. Rather than giving up and making a new one I prefer to learn to deal with them; kinda like not believing in divorce, although it takes two to make that one work. Anyhoo, I typically will restore the arch of the lips by inserting a bit of cardstock cut to a taper slightly narrower than the head, indented slightly from the edges and wrap the head in thread forcing the edges around the "template", blowing throught it to humidified it . That revived it suficiently.
I often do a subtler quick fix version on the fly to restore vibrancy by opening the lips with my lefthand thumb and forefinger while pushing into the center with my righthand pinky finger nail, forcing the edges to arch out.
Something like the above is often required n an ongoing basis btu is augmented by putting a teaspoon o fwater into the bellows and shaking it. This might need to be repeated every half hour in some conditions.
Thinkin' about plastic again?
Tim