what causes a chanter reed to squeal??

orange · 07-04-2010, 08:25 AM

Well I had an issue the other day while competing...Some of you may have heard it LOL!! My chanter kept squealing. Like it was being over blown.. Which I realize is most likely the easiest cause. My instructor thinks this as well. But I swear I wasn't blowing any differently then usual.. I was calm and focused.. So what else can cause this?? I would play for 2 or 3 min and then the squealing would start.. I'd think "I must be over blowing" and ease off. But then the chanter would totally choke.. This squeal also happened through the whole scale,not just on the lower hand. And not just while blowing into the bag, but all so while taking a breath.. It was hot and we adding some water to our ross canister's. The reed is over a year old. But played well the day before in practice..

Thanks all.

el gaitero · 07-04-2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange

Well I had an issue the other day while competing...Some of you may have heard it LOL!! My chanter kept squealing. Like it was being over blown.. Which I realize is most likely the easiest cause. My instructor thinks this as well. But I swear I wasn't blowing any differently then usual.. I was calm and focused.. So what else can cause this?? I would play for 2 or 3 min and then the squealing would start.. I'd think "I must be over blowing" and ease off. But then the chanter would totally choke.. This squeal also happened through the whole scale,not just on the lower hand. And not just while blowing into the bag, but all so while taking a breath.. It was hot and we adding some water to our ross canister's. The reed is over a year old. But played well the day before in practice..

Thanks all.

sometimes the obvious is too so; check for foreign stuff in the chanter, in the holes, on the reed (split) ; use a mandrel to open it ; more than anything tho it may be just (now) too much of a wimp reed ; go for slightly stronger; btw ..what type of reed?

hoohoodragon · 07-04-2010, 09:09 AM

Sorry to hear that little bit of bad luck. Nobody likes when that happens.

Sometimes reeds just become really easy after a stimulus like excessive heat or moisture. This is not fixable to my knowledge, and you will have to get another reed.

Another cause might be a constricted sound box, the space inside the reed where resonance occurs. This will make the reed choke because not as much air can pass through it. The way to fix this is to touch the edges of the reed right below the corners, the very thin parts on the sides, and push them in with a small-medium amount of force. What this will do is open up the sound box and allow more air pressure to move through the reed. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, ask your instructor. He will probably know what I'm talking about.

TwitchyFingers · 07-04-2010, 10:16 AM

If it got dry at the hemp seating, it could leak a bit of air. That can cause all sorts of squeaks and instabilities.

jackhawkpiper97 · 07-04-2010, 12:30 PM

This probably wasn't an issue but a possibility, if you were holding the chanter too close to your body that would restrict airflow to the chanter reed

agricolae · 07-04-2010, 03:13 PM

It can also mean that the reed staple is touching the chanter...this also makes a squeal/gurgling (typically when you go from the top hand to a low g).

It might well also just be a dead reed...over-blowing, under-blowing - all just relative terms, if the reed has in fact lost its backbone, your 'usual pressure' would be over-blowing that particular reed

PMT · 07-04-2010, 05:40 PM

A chanter reed will squeel if it is too easy, or over blown and can be remedied by opening the staple. More often than not however a squeel is caused by not sealing the holes on the chanter accurately.

There are numerous other causes and remedies but these are the most obvious.

Curt · 07-04-2010, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PMT

A chanter reed will squeel if it is too easy, or over blown and can be remedied by opening the staple. More often than not however a squeel is caused by not sealing the holes on the chanter accurately.

There are numerous other causes and remedies but these are the most obvious.

PMT, I couldn't have said it better myself. Exactly what I was thinking.

orange · 07-04-2010, 07:19 PM

PS.. It is a Ross reed in a Shepard chanter.. I have had an issue in the past with over blowing. Particularly in competitions..But I've worked very hard to correct this over the last year..I honestly think my blowing is more or less rock steady now..The Saul tuner seems to re-enforce this as well. That said I do seem to play/need pretty hard reeds, so maybe a year for a reed is all I can expect?? I guess I was more or less wondering if adding water to my ross could've caused this on such a hot day? I should also mention that we ended up at 486 Hz in the final tuning area!!! Could that have had an effect? Whatever the cause, it was a pretty frustrating moment. I feel like I was to blame for the band not placing well..There were other issues as well but a squeeling reed must've really effected our score..Oh well Next games soon so maybe just enough time to break in a new reed..

Randy McIntosh · 07-05-2010, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhawkpiper97

This probably wasn't an issue but a possibility, if you were holding the chanter too close to your body that would restrict airflow to the chanter reed

Care to explain as I'm at a loss to understand this one?

07-04-2010, 08:25 AM	#1
orange Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: canada Posts: 87	what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? Well I had an issue the other day while competing...Some of you may have heard it LOL!! My chanter kept squealing. Like it was being over blown.. Which I realize is most likely the easiest cause. My instructor thinks this as well. But I swear I wasn't blowing any differently then usual.. I was calm and focused.. So what else can cause this?? I would play for 2 or 3 min and then the squealing would start.. I'd think "I must be over blowing" and ease off. But then the chanter would totally choke.. This squeal also happened through the whole scale,not just on the lower hand. And not just while blowing into the bag, but all so while taking a breath.. It was hot and we adding some water to our ross canister's. The reed is over a year old. But played well the day before in practice.. Thanks all.

07-04-2010, 09:09 AM	#3
hoohoodragon Forum Gold Medal Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South of the Border...Canadian, that is... Posts: 668	Re: what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? Sorry to hear that little bit of bad luck. Nobody likes when that happens. Sometimes reeds just become really easy after a stimulus like excessive heat or moisture. This is not fixable to my knowledge, and you will have to get another reed. Another cause might be a constricted sound box, the space inside the reed where resonance occurs. This will make the reed choke because not as much air can pass through it. The way to fix this is to touch the edges of the reed right below the corners, the very thin parts on the sides, and push them in with a small-medium amount of force. What this will do is open up the sound box and allow more air pressure to move through the reed. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, ask your instructor. He will probably know what I'm talking about. __________________ Piping is 50% technique, 50% blowing, and 50% dynamics. I am 100% crazy. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHoohoodragon \| Rampant Lion Pipe Band - http://www.rlpb.org Last edited by hoohoodragon; 07-04-2010 at 09:12 AM.

07-04-2010, 10:16 AM	#4
TwitchyFingers Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wyandotte, Michigan Posts: 2,606	Re: what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? If it got dry at the hemp seating, it could leak a bit of air. That can cause all sorts of squeaks and instabilities. __________________ Before you start fixing problems with your reeds, check to see if the bag or stocks are leaking. http://www.youtube.com/user/Marcblur?feature=guide

07-04-2010, 12:30 PM	#5
jackhawkpiper97 Forum Clasp Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA Posts: 712	Re: what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? This probably wasn't an issue but a possibility, if you were holding the chanter too close to your body that would restrict airflow to the chanter reed __________________ Serving Jello with a ladle since... forever

07-04-2010, 03:13 PM	#6
agricolae Forum Gold Medal Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 542	Re: what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? It can also mean that the reed staple is touching the chanter...this also makes a squeal/gurgling (typically when you go from the top hand to a low g). It might well also just be a dead reed...over-blowing, under-blowing - all just relative terms, if the reed has in fact lost its backbone, your 'usual pressure' would be over-blowing that particular reed __________________ www.lmpa.150m.com http://au.youtube.com/user/LoveBagpipes

07-04-2010, 05:40 PM	#7
PMT Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 2,298	Re: what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? A chanter reed will squeel if it is too easy, or over blown and can be remedied by opening the staple. More often than not however a squeel is caused by not sealing the holes on the chanter accurately. There are numerous other causes and remedies but these are the most obvious. __________________ www.schoolofpiping.com

07-04-2010, 07:19 PM	#9
orange Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: canada Posts: 87	Re: what causes a chanter reed to squeal?? PS.. It is a Ross reed in a Shepard chanter.. I have had an issue in the past with over blowing. Particularly in competitions..But I've worked very hard to correct this over the last year..I honestly think my blowing is more or less rock steady now..The Saul tuner seems to re-enforce this as well. That said I do seem to play/need pretty hard reeds, so maybe a year for a reed is all I can expect?? I guess I was more or less wondering if adding water to my ross could've caused this on such a hot day? I should also mention that we ended up at 486 Hz in the final tuning area!!! Could that have had an effect? Whatever the cause, it was a pretty frustrating moment. I feel like I was to blame for the band not placing well..There were other issues as well but a squeeling reed must've really effected our score..Oh well Next games soon so maybe just enough time to break in a new reed..