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Maintenance
A good read for any bellows piper.
The quick start guide you should read before getting your pipes.
-A note about border pipe drones
A Note on the Maintenance of My Pipes
(and good advice for most)
Most maintenance is similar to that of Highland pipes. You should keep all the joints well hemped. My personal preference is to use sewing thread with cork or hemp grease for all joints; it's easier to make smaller adjustments with than the thick yellow hemp Highland Pipers favor. I would recommend only using plumber’s tape to add to the ends of the drone reed’s adjustment screws. It’s fun and easy to add to the rest of the joints, but you’ll thank me for suggesting that you not use it when it comes time to remove (it’s difficult to get off). Pipe maintenance is 45 percent adding thread, 45 percent removing thread and ten percent deciding whether you should add of remove thread.
The bags I use are made by Michael MacHarg, to my specifications, out of leather that is naturally airtight. And since there is no moisture problems from blowing into the bag, the bag should remain airtight for a very long time. A friend of mine, and well known Smallpiper, has been playing a MacHarg bag on a set of Smallpipes for almost twenty years, with no problems, never having seasoned it.
The chanter reed has the potential to last just as long. The real difference between a Smallpipe or Border Pipe reed and a Highland Pipe reed, in terms of maintenance, is that the Smallpipe and Border reeds have a "bridle" on them. The bridle allows the player to adjust the opening of the reed. When it's humid outside, the reed tends to open up (though sometimes it can do the opposite) and when it's dry, it tends to close down (though, again, some reeds do the opposite). Basically you want the reed to always have about the same opening, no matter the humidity. Bassoon and oboe players adjust the aperture of the reed with their mouths. We don’t have that luxury. We use the bridle, a small twist of wire around the head of reed. Small changes in pitch should, like with highland pipes, be handled by pushing the reed in or out of the reed seat a hair, but large swings in pitch, caused by the reed becoming too open or closed, will need to be handled with the bridle.
Many makers of many bagpipes say not to touch the reeds at all. And for good reasons. Bagpipe makers (of the sort we play) have traditionally been from the British Isles and fluctuations in humidity are much smaller there so less futzing is necessary. And also, because reeds take a long time to make, and customers have a tendency to be very adapt at destroying them, they recommend just waiting a bit and hoping that things will return to normal. And in Europe, that is often what happens.
I recommend the wait and see approach as the first course of action is all cases. But in the US, I don’t think we have the luxury to hope that a reed that leaves the shop will arrive in close to the same condition as when it left. And with the winters that many of us go through, we need to know how to adjust the reeds. Just please be careful! These reeds can last a long time if you care for them.
Smallpipe reeds have a bit larger of a "sweet spot" when it comes to the opening compared to Border Pipe reeds. But if the reed sounds very harsh and is too flat, the reed needs to be closed down. I do this with a pair of pliers I keep in my case. It is possible to do this with your hands, but I find it easier to make small adjustments using the pliers. I especially recommend pliers for the border pipe reeds. They are very small and fragile, and the bridle is a tiny thing. I squeeze the bridle on one side of the twisted bit of metal and then again on the other side to even things up. A little squeeze goes a long way. Squeeze a little and test in the chanter. Look at the opening of the lips of the reed. Is the opening equal across the lips? This is especially important for the border reed, which has a very narrow opening so small adjustments go a long way.
If the reed is very easy to play, closing and not playing, and/or way too sharp, or muted it needs to be opened up. Now squeeze with pliers on the edges of the bridle. Take note, it is easier to open the reed than it is to close it down.
For first time players, I’d recommend leaving the chanter reeds a bit more closed down. They’ll loose a bit of volume, but won’t loose much quality of sound. And everything should be as easy as possible when first starting out.
Again, my Border pipe reeds, like most I've seen, play with a very small opening. And a small change in that opening can make a big difference. Make adjustments like with the smallpipes, but in even smaller doses.
Remember that adjusting the reed will affect the top notes more than the bottom notes. So if the High A is flatter than the bottom A, pushing the reed in (or closing the reed down) will bring the High A into tune with the bottom.
The drone reeds are miniature versions of the popular Highland Pipe Ezeedrone reeds. Because the reeds are made specifically for my pipes, they should need little to no adjustment. In fact, the first set that the makers of Ezeedrones sent me, I plugged into the pipes and played for three weeks without touching them. I only adjusted them minutely once or twice since. Fantastic little devices.
However, if a drone won’t play sharp or flat enough, the reed will need adjusting. This happens most often with the smallpipe drones that are required to play more than one note (such as the D bass/E baritone drone). Their ability to play two different notes makes the extra length for tuning much shorter than normal. So they must be very precisely adjusted.
There are three ways to adjust the drone reeds. The first is to slide the reed in or out of the drone. This is the simplest method and does not require actually changing the reed itself. There hopefully will be a bit of leeway to slide the reed into (to make the drone sharper) or out of (for to flatten) it’s seat.
Secondly, you can adjust the screw on the end of the reed. Screwing it out will make the drone flatter, screwing it in will sharpen it. If the screw is far out (and even if it’s not) I recommend adding a bit of plumbers tape to it to ensure airtightness. The most common cause of an unsteady drone reed is when it is not airtight.
Your last way of adjusting the reed (and only should be used lastly) is to move the rubber bridle on the drone tongue itself. Move it tiny amounts only. This will adjust the effective length of the reed tongue. The longer the tongue, the heavier and therefore flatter it will be, conversely for shorter. But if it is too long, it will be too open and be too hard to play. And if it is too short, it will close down too much and not play at all.
I am always willing to discuss the care of Smallpipes or Border Pipes. I want your pipes to sound their best. That’s how I sell more pipes. So, please don't hesitate to contact me.
When you first get your Pipes
Okay, you’ve unpacked everything and you just want to strap them on and get going. Take a deep breath and do a couple things first. The pipes have had a harrowing adventure of a time in the mail. They’ve been cold and dry, or hot and humid (or more likely both) and they might need some attention from you before they’re back in the tip-top shape they were in when they left the shop.
First, the joints.
Start by pulling out each drone from the drone common stock. You might want to take note of which drone goes where first*. Be careful when pulling each drone out not to hit the drones next it or damage the reeds (go slow). You may want to remove the top sections of the drones first to make things simpler**. Make sure the reeds are still seated tightly in the bottom of each drone. Most of the Ezeedrone reeds sit in the drones using the rubber on the ends of the drone reeds. Wood is a natural material however, and sometimes the hole for the reed expands and the drone reed becomes loose. If this is the case, add some thread to the reed to properly reseat it.
*If you take them all out and forget which drone goes where, just remember this rule of thumb. There's no right order for the drones to be in, but you will want the smallest drone(s) facing away from, and not touching your chest so they won't be shut off or detuned accidentally.
**If the set is an A/D set or an A smallpipe set with baritone drone, please note that the bass A and the bass D (also known as the baritone E) bottom sections are very similar in length. The bass D is the longer of the two.
If the bottom sections of the drones are no longer seating tightly in the drone common stock, add some thread and then grease the outside layer of thread with the pipe grease provided. All of the joints will be helped by adding this pipe grease. Remember, you want to be able to get those drones back out, so don’t use too much thread. But you also don’t want them to wobble too much or move out of the stock when you’re trying to tune them. Remember to add the thread evenly over the surface of the tenon, or the drone can be tight in the drone stock, but still wobble.
Now for the tuning slides. The top section(s) of the bass drone (the A for the A/D sets) is probably packed separately from the rest of the drones. Start by sliding the bass drone onto it’s bottom section. Are the tuning slides sliding too loosely or too tightly? They should be easy to slide with one hand, but not be in danger of sliding down by themselves while you play. Add or remove thread to insure the correct tightness and slather on some of the pipe grease to make sure they’re sliding nicely.
There are several other places that may need thread that you should check: The chanter and the chanter top, and the wooden section of the bellows connector. The wooden section of the bellows connector with the inlaid dot is hemped on both sides. One side has the flapper valve, be careful not to damage it. Also remember to keep the inlaid dot facing up (too keep the flapper hanging down). This part of the bellows connection almost never needs to be removed, so make it nice and tight so the bellows tube doesn’t pop apart as you’re playing. On the bellows itself there is the wooden bellows inlet. It also has a flapper valve. Make sure it is tight, and that the flapper is hanging down. Also, if you have the pin-lock style bellows, some hemp goop on the black o-rings helps make the connector go in more easily.
If you have the standard bellows with the taper-fit connection, when not playing the set, it is best to disassemble the bellows connector tube from the wooden section with the inlaid dot. While the wooden female connection is adequetely thick, disassembling the tube after playing will ensure that you are periodically checking the fit of the two parts. If the connection were to become very tight and swell quickly it could crack the female connection.
Now the Chanter Reed(s)
The drone reeds are shipped in the pipes, but the chanter reeds, which are much more fragile, are shipped in a small box. This box is often an Altoids tin. Take the chanter (or chanters if you have an A/D set) and remove the chanter top. Remove the chanter reed from its box and seat it in the chanter. Make sure the reed is seated in the chanter straight up and down to prevent it from hitting the inside edge of the chanter top. Push it firmly into the chanter. Now very carefully replace the top, making sure not to catch the corners of the reed.
Now you can plug the chanter top into the metal chanter stock that is tied into the bag. The pipes are now almost fully assembled.
Bellows
Set the pipes on your lap. Now strap on the Bellows. The general rule of thumb is to play the bellows as high up on your waist as they’ll go comfortably. For some people, this is not very high. On me, the waist belt sits at the same level as my navel. The belts need not be super tight. Slide your right arm (if the set is for righties) into the arm strap and tighten. It must be above your elbow. Some people place it as high as halfway up their bicep. I play with it just above the elbow.
Now to connect the bellows to the set. I use three different bellows connections. With the taper-fit connection, just push the tapered end of the blowpipe tube firmly into the tapered hole of the bellows. With the bellows with the hemped metal tube, push the wooden female end onto the hemped tube. If you have the pin-lock style bellows, slide the metal bit on the end of the blowpipe with the black o-rings into the metal bit on the bellows with the slot cut in it. Make sure to send it straight in (or you could catch the o-rings and damage them) and have the little piton follow the groove until it’s locked in.
If this is your first bellows experience, make sure all the drones are switched (or corked) off. You may now start pumping away.
Proper bellows technique allows for maximum comfort and ease of play. Remember the principles of what you are trying to accomplish. The reeds play at a certain pressure. That pressure is maintained by pressure from your arm on the bag. The bellows is there only to refill the bag as it is depleted. When you are pumping with the bellows, you must allow for the extra pressure exerted by the bellows by squeezing less hard with your bag arm. Allow the air from the bellows to enter the bag and cause your bag arm to rise with the bag.
The advice that sticks with people best is to remember to make sure you are completely filling the bellows on the upstroke before starting the down stroke. Start the upstroke as soon as you are done with the down stroke, but do this in a fluid, non-jerking way. It all should be happening slowly. Slowly down to fill the bag and not quite as slowly back up and then down again, a fluid rocking motion.
Start by playing and holding the tonic note of your chanter while practicing your bellows technique. It helps to do this in front of a mirror. After you can hold it steady (not wavernig in pitch) you may want to add one drone to see if you can hold them in tune together. If you can do this, shut off the drone and try a simple tune. Get comfortable with your bellows before adding more than one drone. And remember that only perfect practice makes perfect.
After you are somewhat comfortalbe with the bellows, you should consider whether the bellows blowpipe tube is too long. I try to send the pipes with the tube longer than I need it too be. If you aren't able to hold the bag or the bellows in the position you would want, because the blowpipe tube won't let you, then the tube is too long. It should be somewhat easy to pull one of the fittings out of the tube and then cut the tube and put the fitting back in. Remove small amounts and test. I'd recommend cutting a little off and then playing it for a few days before cutting more off.
A Note About Playing Border Pipe Drones
If you have seen border pipers playing before, you may have noticed that some of them play with the drones up on their bellows side shoulder, or hanging down near or on their bellows side forearm. Due to the relative lightness of the chanter reed, and the relative heaviness of the drones themselves, these border pipe drones do not hold themselves up like smallpipe drones do. So you have two choices. You can learn to balance them on your bellows side shoulder, or simply let them hang down where ever they may fall. I personally can't get used to them on my shoulder and simply let them hang down. Either way may take some getting used to. Depending on your build, if you let them hang you may hit the drones when you lift your arm to inflate the bellows. It bothered me for about a week, now I don't notice it. But I think the hanging down method allows you to hold the bag and chanter the most naturally.
As I mentioned, I don't do the shoulder balance, but whenever I've tried it for a while, I've found that I needed to adjust how I hold the bag. And I've definitely noticed some of the shoulder balancers jut their shoulder forward to offer more support for the drones. I think my chiropractor might recommend against that though.
Tuning Drones
Okay, you’ve got everything hemped properly, and adjusted any reeds that were misbehaving. Now you’re ready for drones. If you’re playing an A chanter, start with a tenor A drone, and a D tenor if playing the D chanter. If this is your first drone experience, try tuning your drone to A on the tuner first (I squeeze the neck of the bag to shut-off the chanter to make this easier) Now try playing the chanter. You may need to adjust your pressure to come into tune with the drone. If, when you play your bottom A (or D) with the drone and it is in tune, but the top A (or D) is not in tune, adjust the chanter reed accordingly (see Maintenance Section).
If you have progressed past the one drone at a time level, here are some drone options to try. This is mostly written for the A/D combo sets which have a great many drone tuning options.
Ninety percent of my playing is done with tenor and bass only. (for the A chanter on Smallpipes, that would be the longest (A) and the second shortest (a) drones) This allows almost all key signatures to sound great and the ability to switch key signatures as you play.
The next most common thing to do is play with a baritone (fifth) drone. (For A smallpipes tuning the second longest drone up to an E. This sounds great with tunes in A or A minor.)
Similarly, you can play an alto drone. (For A smallpipes, this would be tuning the smallest drone up to an E. Not available for the D chanter. This is like the baritone drone, but the little E cuts through the other drones with a high clear note.)
And then you can play the baritone or alto down a full step. (For A Smallpipes this would be to D. The A tenor drone will also tune to G so this option is available to the D chanter as well) I find only some tunes work well with this set up. Experiment.
You can also play the A chanter with the A tenor drone tuned to G for tunes in G (“The little Cascade”).
As stated, there are a great many options available with the A/D combo set. Try them all. And send me mp3s of what you like!
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