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Bagpipe Chanter Reed Selection
When choosing a reed you have many choices. There are different brands, different strengths and different types. Below are some guidelines for picking out a good reed to suite your needs. If you are a beginning piper and are in a pipe band ask your pipe major or any good piper in the band to help you find a reed that suites your playing. It is also important to remember that every piper will blow different and have different moisture issues so a reed that works for one person may not work for you.
Brands: There are many good brands of reeds out there. I have and the most luck with the 3 listed below. Anyone of these will be a good choice.
G1 Chanter Reed
Shephard Chanter Reed
Megarity Chanter Reed
Strengths: When you get a new reed you will have to decide on a strength either easy, medium or hard. DO NOT try to play a reed that is to hard for you. You are better off to play an easy reed you can handle than a hard reed that is to hard for you to play. Your much better off to gradually build up your stamina to blow a hard reed.
Easy- Recommended for beginners, the very young, the very old and people with a condition that makes it hard to blow. These reeds are easier to blow but don't sound as nice as harder reeds.
Medium- Recommended for most people, you can get a nice sound without killing your self blowing.
Hard- Recommended only if you have great tone and play in a competitive pipe band. I do not recommend these to the average player.
Easy- Recommended for beginners, the very young, the very old and people with a condition that makes it hard to blow. These reeds are easier to blow but don't sound as nice as harder reeds.
Medium- Recommended for most people, you can get a nice sound without killing your self blowing.
Hard- Recommended only if you have great tone and play in a competitive pipe band. I do not recommend these to the average player.
Types of Reeds: One type of reed is not better than the other. You will end up making a decision to play which ever reed ends up sounding better in your chanter. Neither type of reed have any benefit in regards to blowing strength or moisture control.
Molded Reed
These reeds have a gradual taper from the binding to the top of the reed. Due to their shape, a molded reed's blades get most of their support from the staple. These reeds are the most common. |
Ridge Cut Reed
These reeds have a distinct step at the shoulder. The blades of a ridge cut reed get most of their support from their thick base. These reeds are a little less common but are just as good. It’s all about personal preferance. |
Testing Reed in Chanter: A good chanter reed will produce a "crow" sound like the video below. While you listen to the crowing you should also be able to get a good sense of the strength of the reed. It's advisable to pick a reed that is a little to hard for you because over time it will become the perfect strength. If you pick a reed that is the perfect strength out of the box it will eventually become too easy to play and produce a less than satisfactory tone.