Swedish bagpipes
Reeds
The single reeds used in both the chanter and the drone are traditionally made of the only native reed useful for this purpose, Phragmites australis. However, Phragmites is very sensitive to humidity - a most undesirable property in mouth blown pipes - so, today, it is common to use imported continental reed instead (Arundo donax). Attempts have been made to make Phragmites reeds more tolerant to high humidity levels, for example by impregnating them in almond or olive oil.
Traditionally, the reeds are downcut (the tongue is cut towards the reed seat) with a bridle at the base and a hair under the tongue to lift it from the body. Today many pipers (those influenced by pipe maker Alban Faust in particular) find it easier to make upcut reeds instead (cutting the tongue away from the reed seat). Normally, these reeds require neither bridle, nor hair to lift the tongue.
Tuning the drone is no different from the drone of almost any other bagpipe. The chanter is typically tuned by alternating between the three following adjustments:
- Adding or removing bees-wax from the tip of the tongue, or moving a blob of wax along the tongue, moves the scale. Moving the bridle, if the reed has one, has approximately the same effect (but with more side effects). A heavier tip or longer tongue flattens the scale and vice versa. Wax can also be used to stabilize the drone - if the drone note goes flat with increased pressure, some bees-wax is added to the tip of the tongue (of the drone reed, of course) and vice versa.
- The tongue's elevation from the body, and its free length (reeds with a hair), affect the distance between notes within the scale. Lifting the tongue or increasing the free length (moving the hair towards the root) compresses the scale and vice versa. Lifting/lowering of the tongue can be done by so called heat-setting (forcing the tongue in the desired direction while heating it with a flame). An alternative is to insert a hair of suitable thickness to lift the tongue.
- Individual notes that are sharp can be adjusted by pressing some bees-wax into the finger-hole's upper end - in effect moving the hole down the chanter.
Interested readers might want to look at the two detailed pages on reed making and tuning.
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