How to set up and maintain your Leiken Cane Drone Reeds
Leiken cane drone reeds are set up and tested before dispatch. Through shipping and other environmental changes, the reeds can need a little work before use in your bagpipes. Here are some tips to get the best possible performance out of your reeds.
Remember, always make sure your hands are clean when working with your reeds!
Remember, always make sure your hands are clean when working with your reeds!
- Before doing anything, check to make sure that the reed bindings are in place and tight.
- Blow the reed in your mouth, placing your lips on the bridle and blow. If it makes a sound, seat the reed into the drone. It should fit snugly. Add or remove hemp as necessary for the best possible fit. If the reed is inverted, seat the reed and use a spare stock or length of tubing with roughly the same length and internal bore size as your stock to test the reed as it's nearly impossible to do normally (in the mouth). If this isn't possible, trying sucking in air from the reed seat end of the reed to ascertain if the tongue is open enough to sound.
- If it doesn't, very gently lift the tongue of the reed at the bottom about 8 to 10mm high and hold it for about ten seconds. Let go of the tongue gently.
- Once the reed is set in the reed seat of the drone, blow it. and make sure your reed is secure.
- Once the reeds are installed, blow up the pipes minus the chanter. Let the drones stay in the double-tone state for about 30 seconds. Then gently increase the air until they're blown up to full-pressure. Blow the drones for about 2-3 minutes, allowing the drones to get used to the pressure and to get some moisture. Only introduce the chanter once you're sure that the drones are staying open and steady up to full-pressure.
- Drone reeds are only tuneable at the reed seat and the bridle. The bridle should stay put as it was tied to keep the tongue forced open. To ease or sharpen a reed taking too much air, it is advised to use a dental band wound around the reed and placed directly below the bridle on the tongue side of the reed. Only move or replace the bridle if it is not allowing the tongue to stay open or to sound at all. To flatten a reed, add hemp to the top of the reed where it is seated so the reed will seat more narrowly in the reed seat, causing it to flatten. To sharpen a reed taking as satisfactory amount of air, take hemp or binding off the reed to allow the reed to seat more deeply in the reed seat.
- Whenever you pull your pipes out of the box, blow the drones alone for at least a few minutes before introducing the chanter. This will dramatically decrease the amount of time they will take to settle properly.
Patience is key with cane drone reeds. They are not as hard to take care of as one would think, the only secret to playing cane reeds is to play them as often as possible. The sound you will get from them will be worth it!