The bagpipe chanter reed is perhaps the single largest source of frustration for a piper. New reeds
are usually difficult to blow and can make blowing your bagpipe a physically and emotionally draining
experience. All reeds weaken after an initial "blowing in" period. Some pipers, however, try to avoid
the process by selecting weaker reeds or hasten the process by performing "rites of passage" on the reed.
Spanish cane, (Arundo dowax) grown in the Mediterranean region, is cut and sun cured to produce a
dry, hard cane product. Reed makers try to select cane that is relatively close-grained and very hard.
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Cane selected for chanter reeds is about one inch in diameter. The walls of the cane are about
3/16 to ¼ inch thick. Eight inch lengths are split in half and shortened to two inch lengths.
The
inside surface of these short lengths are now planed to produce a slight radius. This is done manually
or otherwise on a specially built planer. This produces the finished inside surface of the reed. This
"blank" is then placed into a cutting block and the vertical sides of the reed are cut. All cutting tools
are extremely sharp so that the cut will not otherwise damage the cane fibers. The next step is to cut
the outside horizontal surface. This removes the bark of the cane and leaves us with a reed blank that
is roughly the size and shape of the finished product. Because we have already finished the inside surface
of the blank to have a slight radius, the outside surface must be cut while the blank is held flat. Otherwise
the reed will be thin in the center and thick along each edge.
Up to this stage of production,
the blades can be mass produced and stored almost indefinitely, provided they are kept in a stable environment.
They are still quite hardy and able to withstand normal handling and storage. The next step is quite
another story. The blades and the neck are
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both cut to a finished thickness by means of a precision cutting machine. This leaves the blades
very delicate and subject to damage.
After soaking the necks of the blades in water for about
ten minutes, (the water is actually absorbed up into the body of the blade) the blades are tied onto
a copper tube called a staple. The staple is tubular at one end and flattened into an oval shape at what
will be the top end.
Now we have a pretty rough reed. The blades are long at this point and
will be finished to about 16mm above the hemp line in a couple of days. This settling of two or three
days is necessary to ensure the reed forms properly as it dries. Remember, it was tied onto the staple
when wet. Before finishing, the reeds are carefully inspected to ensure that no splitting has occurred
during the drying period. The reeds are finished to the maker's standards and the blades are shortened
to finished length.
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