Drone tuning trouble - Page 3

Klondike Waldo · 11-07-2018, 08:20 PM

I have a couple of older chanters that pitch about 457 Hz. Too flat for any of my usual drone reeds. They would be noticeably, irritatingly flat in a B flat setup.

Patrick McLaurin · 11-07-2018, 08:35 PM

The reed is set at the depth that puts the low A and high A an octave apart.

457 is quite removed from Bb, which clarifies why your drones aren’t able to tune flat enough to the chanter.

I might guess the chanter reed is too far out, giving a very flat top hand and chanter overall. What does your tuner say about the relative tuning of low A to high A?

Jim Fogelman · 11-08-2018, 07:30 AM

You mentioned the possibility of joining a pipe band down the line. I would recommend finding whichever band you're looking to join and stopping by their practice to see if anyone would be willing to help you. I'm sure someone there could probably sort you out in a matter of minutes rather than having people try to explain things over the internet.

el gaitero · 11-08-2018, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Fogelman

You mentioned the possibility of joining a pipe band down the line. I would recommend finding whichever band you're looking to join and stopping by their practice to see if anyone would be willing to help you. I'm sure someone there could probably sort you out in a matter of minutes rather than having people try to explain things over the internet.

Exactly.....and much sooner than later.

Piping Potential · 11-09-2018, 01:37 AM

When I want to play my B flat chanter I put drone extenders on my reeds. They're fairly inexpensive and allow me to use the same reeds for both the B flat and my 480 hz chanter.

If you're planning on competing you might invest in a new, higher pitched chanter. I played the B flat chanter in competition earlier this year and got "Dull, flat" remarks from both judges regarding the chanter.

pancelticpiper · 11-10-2018, 08:09 AM

Clodhopper, for under $200 you can pick up a great-playing modern poly chanter which will solve your drone tuning issue.

Patrick has a thorough review of a number of top chanters currently on the market.

https://www.patrickmclaurin.com/wordpress/?page_id=2357

As people have pointed out, down in the 450s is really low for modern drone reeds, even 466 reeds.

Clodhopper · 11-11-2018, 09:10 PM

Alright, so I got a few minutes to fool with things, and tried treating the chanter reed as Shawn recommended, and took a reading with that Braw app. It came in at 474, which is quite a jump in the right direction. I was able to get the tenors in tune with that, but one of them is about half an inch past the hemp line still. The other one I hemped the reed up a bit so that it doesn't seat as far in. So I'm hoping with a bit more tweaking I'll be in business.

Thanks again for the input,
Pete

Pppiper · 12-05-2018, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodhopper

Alright, so I got a few minutes to fool with things, and tried treating the chanter reed as Shawn recommended, and took a reading with that Braw app. It came in at 474, which is quite a jump in the right direction. I was able to get the tenors in tune with that, but one of them is about half an inch past the hemp line still. The other one I hemped the reed up a bit so that it doesn't seat as far in. So I'm hoping with a bit more tweaking I'll be in business.

Thanks again for the input,
Pete

Thanks for letting us know how you made out!

Cheers,
~Nate

11-07-2018, 08:20 PM	#21
Klondike Waldo Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Braintree MA USA Posts: 8,115	Re: Drone tuning trouble I have a couple of older chanters that pitch about 457 Hz. Too flat for any of my usual drone reeds. They would be noticeably, irritatingly flat in a B flat setup. __________________ Slainte Leibh/ Slan Leat, Bob Cameron

11-07-2018, 08:35 PM	#22
Patrick McLaurin Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Lubbock, TX Posts: 5,453	Re: Drone tuning trouble The reed is set at the depth that puts the low A and high A an octave apart. 457 is quite removed from Bb, which clarifies why your drones aren’t able to tune flat enough to the chanter. I might guess the chanter reed is too far out, giving a very flat top hand and chanter overall. What does your tuner say about the relative tuning of low A to high A? __________________ My Piping Blog (recordings, articles, reviews, etc.) - Homepage - Pekaar's Tune Encyclopedia - Convert BMW to ABC

11-08-2018, 07:30 AM	#23
Jim Fogelman Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,859	Re: Drone tuning trouble You mentioned the possibility of joining a pipe band down the line. I would recommend finding whichever band you're looking to join and stopping by their practice to see if anyone would be willing to help you. I'm sure someone there could probably sort you out in a matter of minutes rather than having people try to explain things over the internet. __________________ You don't have fun by winning. You win by having fun.

11-09-2018, 01:37 AM	#25
Piping Potential Forum Member Join Date: May 2018 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 33	Re: Drone tuning trouble When I want to play my B flat chanter I put drone extenders on my reeds. They're fairly inexpensive and allow me to use the same reeds for both the B flat and my 480 hz chanter. If you're planning on competing you might invest in a new, higher pitched chanter. I played the B flat chanter in competition earlier this year and got "Dull, flat" remarks from both judges regarding the chanter.

11-10-2018, 08:09 AM	#26
pancelticpiper Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: WV to the OC Posts: 9,776	Re: Drone tuning trouble Clodhopper, for under $200 you can pick up a great-playing modern poly chanter which will solve your drone tuning issue. Patrick has a thorough review of a number of top chanters currently on the market. https://www.patrickmclaurin.com/wordpress/?page_id=2357 As people have pointed out, down in the 450s is really low for modern drone reeds, even 466 reeds. __________________ proud Mountaineer from the Highlands of West Virginia; Son of the Revolution and Civil War; first European settlers on the Guyandotte Last edited by pancelticpiper; 11-10-2018 at 08:12 AM.

11-11-2018, 09:10 PM	#27
Clodhopper Forum Member - Shy or Quiet Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 9	Re: Drone tuning trouble Alright, so I got a few minutes to fool with things, and tried treating the chanter reed as Shawn recommended, and took a reading with that Braw app. It came in at 474, which is quite a jump in the right direction. I was able to get the tenors in tune with that, but one of them is about half an inch past the hemp line still. The other one I hemped the reed up a bit so that it doesn't seat as far in. So I'm hoping with a bit more tweaking I'll be in business. Thanks again for the input, Pete Last edited by Clodhopper; 11-11-2018 at 09:14 PM.