396 - Finding Your Perfect Drone Reed Setup (Dojo Conversations Ep 66)

03/25/24 • 28 min

Should you use cane or synthetic drone reeds? Is it good or bad to mix and match them? Does ‘perfect bagpipe tone’ exist? Can you achieve it if your band plays different reed setups? And does a bit of imperfection in your sound actually make your tone better?

This week, we’re talking all things drone reeds! Drone reeds are an integral part of our instrument’s sound, stability, and tone, and yet knowing how and when to use the different makes and materials is something most pipers don’t understand. Cane or synthetic? Inverted or standard? Uniformity or mix and match? Join us as we delve into the details on drone reeds...

Got a question for a future episode? Leave a comment or email us at [email protected]!

Here’s a summary of what we cover this episode:
00:00 Pumpkin’s Fancy Shirt
00:40 The Journey from Synthetic to Mixed Material Drone Reeds
01:30 Exploring the Nuances of Drone Reeds
04:12 The Quest for the Perfect Drone Reed Combination
09:32 The Superiority of Cane Drone Reeds Explored
16:48 Rethinking Band Uniformity: Drone Reeds and Chanters
24:29 The Philosophy of Bagpipe Sound: Complexity and Preference

Got a question for a future episode? Leave a comment or email us at [email protected]!

Previous Episode

395 - Have You Tried The "Set and Forget" Method? (Dojo Conversations Ep 65)

Do you struggle to get your pipes into tune when you first start to play? You may be trying to tune too soon...

This week, Andrew and Jim are diving into the 'set and forget' method of warming up your pipes. While most of us know that it's important to get some air, heat and moisture into the pipes when we first get started, letting your pipes adjust to their environment before getting down to the serious business of tuning and playing can make a huge difference to how easy it is to tune your pipes. And sometimes, NOT playing can be an important part of the warm-up process too...

Got a question for a future episode? Leave a comment or email us at [email protected]!

Here's what we cover this week:
00:44 The Quest for Memory Validation and the Pitfalls of Digital Permanence
01:28 Embracing the Art of Patience in Bagpipe Tuning
02:04 Learning from the Masters: Observations from the World's Best Pipe Bands
04:38 The Philosophy of Mastery: From Bagpipes to Birding
07:47 The Bagpipe's Environment: Understanding Humidity and Temperature
11:55 The Practice of Acclimatization: A Strategy for Bagpipe Tuning
17:38 Exploring the Impact of Reed Materials on Bagpipe Performance

Next Episode

397 - Has Bagpipe Pitch Gone Too High? (Dojo Conversations Ep 67)

Do bagpipes seem sharper in pitch than they used to be? That's because they are...

This week, Andrew and Jim answer a listener question about why bagpipes have become sharper over time. We look at the history of pitch, how it affects tuning to mix and match old chanters and new reeds, and also at before a left turn into the implications of rising pitch for competitions (for better or worse). Plus, will we ever figure out the magic pitch that will help us make first contact with aliens? Listen in to find out!

This week, we cover:
00:00 Opening Thoughts on Competition and Aliens
00:21 A Morning Chat: From Sickness to Bagpipes
01:09 Listener's Query: The Sharpness of Bagpipes
02:31 Exploring Bagpipe History and Pitch Evolution
07:50 The Science and History of Musical Pitch
16:17 The Bagpipe Pitch Debate: Tradition vs. Modernity
20:51 Judging Bagpipe Competitions: Pitch Preferences
28:54 Concluding Thoughts on Bagpipe Pitch and Future Directions