Once youвЂ™re happy with them, try a different set of reeds and see if youвЂ™re still as happy. Take your time with them listen carefully get a second opinion. Ask if you can get the pipes on approval (you will probably have to offer some security).

That way if something is wrong itвЂ™s unlikely the reed thatвЂ™s causing it. If this occurred a pipe with lined drones was still playable.В In the UK and other wet climes they can be a condensation nightmare for wet blowers, though modern moisture control can offset the worst.Д«efore you finally decide on a set of pipes, try them with reeds you know go well. Bagpipe makers, notably MacDougall of Aberfeldy, added these to protect against cracking in the tropics. Variations on the other drone joints can indicate that a particular part has had to be replaced.ДonвЂ™t get too hung up on brass lined drones. Well worn and you know that the pipe is indeed as old as the seller says it is. It can be like the accelerator pedal on a car. Look at the combing on the bass bottom joint. You may get some pointers as to the town of manufacture from that. If there is silver, have the hallmarking examined by a silversmith. Look for signs of authenticity (a name under the cord stops of the drones). You could be buying someone elseвЂ™s trouble.

Anything over 120 years old may not be up to the job irrespective of who made it even less so if the bagpipe in question is one of the lesser sets made by these expert craftsmen of yesteryear.Д«e very careful, therefore, when buying a second hand set. The fact is though, they are becoming rarer all the time.ДЄ bagpipe has a limited shelf life. If you come across a set you may be quidвЂ™s in. Many of the top competitors today play on these instruments. So which bagpipe should you go for? Second-hand or new? Everyone wants an old set of silver and ivory Lawries, Hendersons, or MacDougalls. Moreover, youвЂ™d be hard pressed to find any of the top bands or soloists who havenвЂ™t had to tape and cut the holes of their chanters at some time to get that perfect scale and pitch. That said, chanters do vary tremendously depending on the reeds used in them. Generally speaking, the harder it is to set up a chanter вЂ“ the more tape you need, the more you need to use the knife on the holes вЂ“ then the less satisfactory it is going to be. If in doubt seek a second opinion or consult an expert. Listen for brightness and trueness of scale. Test them with a reed you know works well. Nowadays it is certainly well over concert Bb.ДЄs far as chanters are concerned, these too should be easily reeded. Bass drones in older sets may need a new bottom section to accommodate the modern bagpipe pitch commonly heard on the competition platform. It is not always the reed that is at fault. They should tune at the bottom of the hemp on the tuning pins, no lower. Do they stay for the length of a piobaireachd, a seven-minute selection or twice through an MSR, or are you constantly stopping to tune?ДЄ fundamentally unsteady set of drones will never go well no matter how good the reeds are that you put in them вЂ“ or how much time you spend fiddling with the bridles.Д¬heck the drone tops. The next thing to look for is steadiness in the drones. Well then, how do we determine what a good instrument is? One rule of thumb is this: is it easy to reed? Invariably when this is the case you can be sure that the pipe has passed the first hurdle. WhatвЂ™s more, when you have that sound your confidence grows, you relax, the fingers are lighter on the chanter, the blowingвЂ™s steadier everything improves.ДЇor all these reasons spare no time, and spend as much as you can afford, on getting the best instrument possible.

When the pipe is going well the tuning notes themselves can mesmerise. Conversely, the average player with a beautifully toned pipe can turn heads in any company. A poor pipe and it matters not that you play like Patrick Og MacCrimmon it still sounds terrible. Explain the problem, keep it for a beginner and get a new instrument.ДЄs you progress up the grades you will more and more realise that tone is 90% of the battle. If the family bagpipe is the worse for wear, donвЂ™t persevere for fear of suffering the wrath of your relations. Sentiment is nice but it is also expensive. In short, a friend for life.Д®very piper should play on the very best possible instrument they can afford. Get it right, and you can have hours of musical satisfaction from an instrument that is easy to reed, steady, and an all round pleasure to play. Get it wrong and face years of wasteful and expensive plumbing trying to make something out of a very bad situation. The most important decision a piper has to make is in the instrument he/she buys.

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