Nowadays, few pipers use cane drone reeds. Many have never seen a cane drone reed. However, the majority of pipers will agree that well-set cane reeds will produce a far superior tone than any synthetic.

This section is intended to provide useful information on how to deal with drone reeds. Please take time to read the section on cane reeds. We believe that even if a player has no intention of playing cane reeds, the serious piper should at least know how they function and how to adjust them. Having this knowledge will vastly improve their understanding of how synthetic reeds function and their overall appreciation of good tone.

When setting up your cane reeds, we recommend the following procedures:

Examine the reeds. Gently lift the tongue a little and while holding up to the light, check for a clean interior. If you find the inside is rough, take some very fine sandpaper; roll it to fit the diameter of the reed and sand out the reed until clean. If the tongue has slivers of cane attached, pull them free gently. Do not cut them off.

In an ideal situation, you should blow the tenor reeds in at the same time. The bass reed is usually easier to deal with. You should blow your cane drone reeds in on their own, without the chanter.

Insert the tenor reeds in the drones and with the chanter stock corked off, blow up your pipes. Keep the pressure low. The reeds will probably stop. This is normal. Lift the tongues gently. Now the reeds will play for a while but may stop again. Lift the tongues again gently. Expect them to stop again. You have to train the tongues into the correct position. Patience is the key.

At this point, examine the bridle. The tension of the bridle is critical to the performance of the reed. Many makers will tie the bridles too tight, or they become too tight as the cane expands with the absorption of moisture. If, even after playing, a bridle is too loose, it will have to be re-tied.

The following diagrams demonstrate one way of tying a bridle. Use only black waxed hemp.

Continue winding while moving to the left. Again, the correct tension is vital so you may have to do this a few times. Test the reed before tying off the hemp. A squeak indicates the bridle is too tight.

Three wraps is sufficient. Tie off the end in a half hitch. Cut off the excess hemp strands.

When you are happy with your bridle, set the strength of the reed by moving up or down the tongue. Closer to the drone will strengthen and flatten it. Closer to the waxed end will weaken and sharpen it.

The scope for pitch adjustment of cane is limited, as there are no tuning plugs. This means you have to establish what diameter of cane you need. This all depends on the make of your pipes. A wider diameter is lower pitched and a narrower diameter, higher pitched. Narrow bore drones tend to be inherently lower pitched (will require higher pitched reeds - narrower diameter cane) and wide bore inherently higher pitched (will require lower pitched reeds - wider diameter cane). Even when buying synthetic reeds, you should take these facts into consideration as some synthetics have very little scope for pitch adjustment. In these cases you should be thinking about the diameter of the reed body and the compatibility with your make of drones. We will be happy to help you in choosing the right drone reed.

Trouble Shooting Cane
This section lists common problems with possible causes and solutions.

Reed Stopping / Will Not Sound	Reed New	Follow guidelines (above) for breaking in new reeds.
	Reed Too Dry/Wet	Read section "Drone Reeds & Moisture"
	Reed Poorly Finished	Peel away any slivers of cane on tongue/bed and sand out reed body.
Reed Squealing	Bridle Too Tight	Re-tie.
	Tongue Too Heavy	Scrape along length of tongue with very sharp blade.
		If you are a beginner, you may not be striking in correctly.
Reed Unsteady	Reed Too Dry/Wet	Read section "Drone Reeds & Moisture"
	Hair Under Tongue	The hair may keep the tongue open but will move. Follow guidelines (above) for breaking in new reeds. Use a hair only in emergency.
Difficulty Striking in Bass Drone	Tongue Too Rigid	Loosen by moving bridle to make tongue longer. If this does not work, lightly scrape tongue with sharp blade.
		If you are a beginner, you may be not be striking in correctly.
		Try an inverted bass reed.
Bass Drone Roaring While Playing (Heard particularly when playing B)	Tongue Too Long	Move bridle to make tongue shorter.
	Tongue May Not Seal	Throw reed away
		Try an inverted bass reed.
		If problem persists, contact pipe manufacturer. The problem may be in the drone itself and can be common in older instruments
Tenor Reed Double Toning	Misshapen Tongue
There are a couple of ways to deal with a misshapen tongue. This problem may also appear with certain Carbon Fiber and Glass Fiber tongues. 1. Gently lift tongue. Insert a thin blade under the middle of the tongue. Push down of tip of tongue to re-shape. Great care should be taken not to lift tongue too much or push down too hard when re-shaping. This will damage the cane fibers and ruin the reed. 2. Tape the end of the tongue down and leave over-night. This will train the tongue into the correct shape. Hold tongue down when removing tape. Blow through the reed the wrong way to free up the tongue. If you need to lift it, lift it toward the middle of the tongue, not at the tip. If you lift from the tip, you may bend the tongue back into the wrong position.
Drone Tuning Too High	Reed Too High Pitched	Move bridle to lengthen tongue and flatten the reed. Do not touch the bridle if you are happy with the strength of the reed as this adjustment will also make the reed take more air.
		Pull reed out in reed seat. Reed must remain secure.
		Choose wider diameter cane.
Drone Tuning Too Low	Reed Too Low Pitched	Move bridle to shorten tongue and sharpen the reed. Do not touch the bridle if you are happy with the strength of the reed as this adjustment will also make the reed take less air.
		Sink the reed in the reed seat.
		Choose narrrower diameter cane.

Trouble Shooting Synthetics

1. Plastic Tongues
2. Carbon Fiber Tongues
3. Glass Fiber Tongues

With some makes of plastic tongued synthetics it is often difficult to tell if the reed is performing in an air efficient manner. The reed may appear to be functioning properly, but you will be working harder than you should be. You may not be able to put your finger on the problem right away. Be on the look out for the following indicators that your drones reeds may be taking to much air:

• drone will not blend
• drone is excessively loud
• drone tunes very low
• no double tone (foghorn like) or hard to blow through double tone (tongue may be misshapen)

Remember, the strength your drone reeds will need to be set to is dependent on the strength of your chanter reed. The chanter reed will govern the overall strength of your bagpipe. With this in mind, set your chanter reed first, give it time to find itself, and add the drone reeds one at a time. There is no reason why your bagpipe should be hard to blow. If you are having trouble blowing your bagpipe and feel you have set your reeds appropriately, see the section "Air Efficiency".

When you are happy with the strength of your reeds, you should make the necessary pitch adjustments in order to achieve the correct tuning position. You can do this by repositioning the reed in the reed seat and moving the tuning plug/screw. It is not advisable to move the bridle for tuning position if you are happy with the strength of the reed. Again, we will be happy to help you choose an appropriate make of drone reed for your particular bagpipe.

Plastic tongues will wear out over time. It will depend on the amount they are played. Many professional players will change their reeds every year to ensure reliability. However, the average player should expect 3-4 years out of these reeds. Some manufacturers allow for only the tongues to be replaced. With other makes you will have buy a new set. Different makes will also require different blowing in periods. We recommend you read the manufacturer's instructions before playing and adjusting your new reeds.

Carbon Fiber tongued reeds are renowned for their rich harmonic sound, steadiness and overall reliability in wet conditions. These reeds are generally easier to set up than some plastic tongued reeds and settle in very quickly.

Most carbon tongued reeds have rubber o-ring bridles. These require very fine adjustment and should be slid over the tongue, not rolled. You may experience problems if your pipes have narrow diameter stocks, as the o-rings are very bulky. Care should be taken when removing and inserting the reeds not to bump them on the side of the stock as the bridles may move easily.

When setting the reeds up in your pipes, we again recommend you work on one at a time and test in the pipes after each adjustment. It is not advisable to blow the reed by mouth as saliva can clog the movement of the tongue. You should not attempt to bend carbon tongues unless recommended in manufacturer's instructions. Most carbon tongues are stiff and are designed to lay straight on the reed body while being held open by the bridle and change in gradient of the reed body at the back end of the reed. Flicking will have no effect on most carbon tongues. In theory, carbon reeds should last a lifetime. The o-ring bridles will likely break down over time but can be replaced easily.

Glass Fiber tongues, arguably, are the most harmonically similar to cane. Some makers stress that their tongues should not be manipulated, while others state that their tongues can be shaped like cane tongues. It depends on the thickness of the tongue material itself as to whether it can be shaped without putting a permanent kink in it.

Like Carbon Fiber, Glass Fiber tongued reeds have a very long life. They may settle eventually and need adjustment. However, they should not need as frequent tweaks as plastic tongues.

Some "Not To Do's":

• DO NOT BLOW PLASTIC/GLASS FIBER TONGUED REEDS OUTWITH THE DRONE. YOU MAY DAMAGE THE TONGUE
• DO NOT FLICK PLASTIC/GLASS FIBER TONGUES UNLESS RECOMMENDED IN MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS
• DO NOT BAKE REEDS IN EXTREME HEAT - TONGUES WILL WARP OR MELT
• MAKE SURE REEDS ARE KEPT CLEAN . IF YOU PLAY THE ROSS SYSTEM, VACCUM HOSES & CANISTER REGULARLY. DO NOT EXPECT MOLDLY, DIRTY & DUSTY REEDS TO WORK
• DO NOT JIGGLE REEDS FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHEN INSERTING IN REED SEAT. YOU MAY SNAP THE TENON OFF. TWIST THE REEDS IN & OUT
• ANYTHING ELSE WHICH SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA - DON'T TRY IT.

Drone Reeds & Moisture

Excess moisture will effect your synthetic reeds to one degree or another. Composite body reeds control moisture very well as the bodies are designed to absorb moisture. In other words, there is somewhere for the moisture to go. With plastic body reeds, the moisture has nowhere to go and will sit inside the reed body, eventually making it unsteady.

Plastic tongues can get heavy with moisture in very humid conditions and may perform sluggishly. Carbon and Glass Fiber tongues, particularly stiff carbon tongues, perform very well in wet conditions.

Cane drone reeds are notoriously sensitive to changes in moisture. To keep them in playing condition, they must be played every day. You must closely monitor the amount of moisture they get. They will not perform steadily if too dry and they will swell and become sluggish when too wet. Allow new cane reeds to absorb some moisture before adjusting them. If you do not, expect them to be unresponsive to the adjustments you make. Cane reeds are not impossible to play and maintain and pipers should not be intimidated by them. Having a solid knowledge of cane will stand you in good stead for understanding the mechanics and capabilities of your synthetics. In addition, they are inexpensive. Take note of the effects your adjustments have and you will gain experience quickly.

Whatever your pipe set up may be, play your pipes sensibly. Play for short periods often. Playing for hours will soak any set-up. Your pipes will perform much better if kept "ticking over", rather than being given one long soak.

Air Efficiency

• Check stocks are securely attached to bag
• Check the bag is airtight. Do not take this to the extreme. No bag is completely airtight. If you cannot put a significant amount of air into the bag after 30 seconds, it is tight enough. Do not dunk the bag in water. Put a small amount of water inside the bag instead.
• Check for cracks in wood, pay particular attention to the blowpipe and blowpipe stock
• Check your blowpipe valve is functioning properly. A little mac valve is very durable and convenient but will restrict the amount of air you blow into the bag. We might advise against this if you have any physical problems which hinder your blowing. Consider purchasing an Airstream blowpipe
• Check the hemp job. Loose joints will lose air. If you do not keep your pipes in god order, do not expect them to perform for you
• Read the information "Blowing & Pressure Control" If you cannot blow steadily you will not be comfortable with your instrument and it will always be a struggle to keep it going.
• Check your reeds are secure in the reed seats. If your reeds are wobbling in the reed seats, remove some of the hemp and push them in further. If this does not remedy the problem, ream out the reed seats a little or get new drone reeds with narrower tenons.
• Check the strength of your chanter reed. This is the first reed to check. See the information on chanter reeds.
• Check the air efficiency of your drone reeds. Move the bridles to shorten the tongue and stop the reed. Work back until the reeds take the minimum amount of air i.e. they do not shut off when you play but can be shut off if you try.

You must play your pipes regularly in order to keep them, and you, in good playing condition.

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