Tuning woes

[bob Salter]

So I have made a nice blackwood chanter. It plays nicely in tune for about ten minutes and then, as expected pitch starts to rise. It still plays quite nicely in tune BUT bottom note C goes dramatically flat. Everything else rises as expected but that note either doesnt shift at all or goes DOWN. Totally bizarre. Any ideas what could be causing this before I try something more drastic?

Bob

[Richard Evans]

So I have made a nice blackwood chanter. It plays nicely in tune for about ten minutes and then, as expected pitch starts to rise. It still plays quite nicely in tune BUT bottom note C goes dramatically flat. Everything else rises as expected but that note either doesnt shift at all or goes DOWN. Totally bizarre. Any ideas what could be causing this before I try something more drastic?

Bob

I've never heard of anything like this. Try several different reeds. It's very unlikely to be the actual chanter.
Richard

[pipemakermike]

I haven't had a problem like this either but, a couple of possibilities spring to mind

• Have you tried fiddling with the twist of cotton wool in the bottom of the chanter?
• Do you have a foam plug in the top of the chanter stock?

I agree with Richard you should try a few different reeds just in case this is a querk of this reed

Please feed back anything you find.

[andymay]

Hi Bob,

Neither of those things are really supposed to happen!! The pitch shouldn't really rise much unless you're in a really hot room and certainly the low notes shouldn't go flat like that.

Things which could - at a push - make the low notes sink in my experience -

1. staple is too big for the bore of the chanter
2. Reed is scraped too much making it overall too 'soggy'
3. Reed is getting wet somehow?

Don't suppose you're playing in a hot conservatory next to a sprinkler?

Cheers
A

[Richard Evans]

Hi Bob,

Neither of those things are really supposed to happen!! The pitch shouldn't really rise much unless you're in a really hot room
A

Yes, that's true. The temp. effect can be quantified and it is surprisingly large. The A440 standard is based on a temp of 68F/20C. Pitch rises by about 3 cents per degree C or 0.6 cents per degree F.
So at , say 73 F or 22.8 C you and everybody else is 9 cents sharp. This is a surprisingly large value, nothing to do with the pipes, just the laws of physics. As a maker, it's something to be aware of in a hot workshop.
Of course, none of this solves Bob's problem which I still think is a reed issue.
Cheers
Richard

[Julia Say]

Conversely on the Wannies on Boxing Day trad. pitch is between Eb and E - depending on weather conditions!

Julia

[bob Salter]

I guess one of you should make me a tuning reed to eliminate my reedmaking from the equation. Who wants to have a pop at it?

Bob

Edit to BUY obviously Re reading that it sounds like I want a freebie. Who wants a sale?

[pipemakermike]

Bob

Talk to Richard or Anita Evans Their reeds are the best I have seen