BAGPIPE LESSON
  • Login
  • Beginner
    • Lesson 1: Introduction and Bagpipe History
    • Lesson 2: The Practice Chanter
    • Lesson 3: Practice Chanter Technique, Posture, and Blowing
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Music Theory 1
    • Lesson 5: Beginner Rhythm Exercises
    • Lesson 6: Bagpipe Low Hand Notes
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe High Hand Notes
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Scale
    • Lesson 9: Bagpipe Crossing Noises
    • Lesson 10: Easy Bagpipe Songs
  • Novice
    • Lesson 1: Time Signatures and Note Values in Bagpipe Music
    • Lesson 2: Dots, Cuts & Ties
    • Lesson 3: How to Practice Bagpipes
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Embellishments
    • Lesson 5: Bagpipe Grace Notes >
      • Bagpipe High G Grace Note
      • Bagpipe D Grace Note
      • Bagpipe E Grace Note
      • Grace Note Exercises
      • Songs With Grace Notes
    • Lesson 6: Bagpipe Strikes >
      • Bagpipe B Strike
      • Bagpipe C Strike
      • Bagpipe D Strike
      • Bagpipe Light D Strike
      • Bagpipe E Strike
      • Bagpipe F Strike
      • Bagpipe High G Strike
      • Bagpipe High A Strike
      • Bagpipe Strike Exercises
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe Doublings >
      • Bagpipe Low G Doubling
      • Bagpipe Low A Doubling
      • Bagpipe B Doubling
      • Bagpipe C Doubling
      • Bagpipe D Doubling
      • Bagpipe E Doubling
      • Bagpipe F Doubling
      • Bagpipe High G Doubling
      • Bagpipe High A Doubling
      • 7 Doubling Exercise
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Grip
    • Lesson 9: How to Learn a Bagpipe Tune >
      • First and Second Time Bars
      • Introductory Notes
      • Memorizing Bagpipe Tune
    • Lesson 10: The Practice Goose
  • Intermediate
    • Lesson 1: Buying a Set of Bagpipes
    • Lesson 2: Bagpipe D Throw
    • Lesson 3: Bagpipe Taorluath
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Birls >
      • Regular Birl
      • Low A Birl
      • High G Birl
    • Lesson 5: Bagpipe Triplet
    • Lesson 6: Intermediate Rhythm Exercises
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe Low G Grace Note
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Light D Throw
    • Lesson 9: Bagpipe High A Grace Note
    • Lesson 10: Pipe Band Terminology
  • Advanced
    • Lesson 1: How to Practice Bagpipes Efficiently
    • Lesson 2: Bagpipe Half Doublings >
      • Bagpipe Low G Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe Low A Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe B Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe C Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe D Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe E Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe F Half Doubling
      • 7 Half Doubling Exercise
    • Lesson 3: Bagpipe High G Strikes >
      • Bagpipe High G B Strike
      • Bagpipe High G C Strike
      • Bagpipe High G D Strike
      • Bagpipe High G Open D Strike
      • High G Strike Exercise
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Tachum
    • Lesson 5: Bagpipe Doubling Strikes >
      • Bagpipe B Doubling Strike
      • Bagpipe C Doubling Strike
      • Bagpipe D Doubling Strike
      • Bagpipe Open D Doubling Strike
    • Lesson 6: G-D-E Grace Note Movement
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe Strathspey Movement
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Music Categories and Tempo Guide
  • Maintenance/Tuning
    • Bagpipe Anatomy
    • Practice Chanter Maintenance and Tuning
    • Hemping Your Bagpipe
    • Bagpipe Pipe Bag
    • Bagpipe Blow Stick
    • Bagpipe Drones >
      • Drone Reeds
      • Drone Tuning
      • Drone Cords
      • Drone Problems, Solutions and Terminology
    • Bagpipe Chanter >
      • Bagpipe Chanter Reed
      • Bagpipe Chanter Reed Selection
      • Preparing your Chanter Reed
      • Making Reed Easier to Blow
      • Fix a Double Toning F
      • Taping Bagpipe Chanter
      • Cutting a Hole to Sharpen a Note
      • Pipe Chanter Pitch
      • Protecting Your Bagpipe Reed
      • Pitching Your Bagpipe Chanter
    • Bagpipe Case
    • Bagpipe Pitch and Tuning
    • Bagpipe Moisture Control
    • Bagpipe Stretching
  • Tunes
    • 2/4 Marches >
      • Mairi's Wedding
      • Brown Haired Maiden
      • Teribus
      • The Barren Rocks of Aden
      • High Road to Gairloch
      • Highland Laddie
      • The Earl of Mansfield
      • The 79th Farwell to Gibraltar
      • 42nd Highland Division
      • Sweet Maid of Glendaruel
      • 72nd's Farewell to Aberdeen
      • Liberton Boys Polka
    • 3/4 Marches >
      • Balmoral
      • Castle Dangerous
      • Green Hills of Tyrol
      • When the Battles Over
      • Colins Cattle
      • Bloody Fields of Flanders
      • Lochanside
      • Dream Valley of Glendaruel
    • 4/4 Marches >
      • Robin Adair
      • Scots Wha Hae
      • Scotland the Brave
      • Rowan Tree
      • Wings
      • Blue Bells of Scotland
      • Minstrel Boy
      • Were No Awa Tae Bide Awa
      • Lord Lovat's Lament
    • 6/8 Marches >
      • A Hundred Pipers
      • Bonnie Dundee
      • Steam Boat
      • Glendaruel Highlanders
      • Mucking of Georgie's Byre
      • Atholl Highlanders
    • Airs >
      • Amazing Grace
      • Mist Covered Mountains
      • Skye Boat Song
      • Going Home
      • Suo Gan
      • MacPhersons Lament
      • The Mingulay Boat Song
      • Road to the Isles
      • Loch Rannoch
    • Jigs >
      • Hag at the Churn
      • Rocking the Baby
      • Kesh Jig
      • Tripping up the Stairs
      • Old Hag at the Kiln
      • Paddy's Leather Breeches
      • Galician Jig
      • Paddy be Easy
      • Old Wife of Mill Dust
      • Floating the Flambeau
    • Reels >
      • Piper of Drummond
      • Sleepy Maggie
      • High Road to Linton
      • Gravel Walk
      • Jenny Dang the Weaver
      • The Owl
      • Itchy Fingers
      • Willie Davie
      • Crooked Bridge
      • The Wise Maid
      • Olive Branch
    • Strathspeys >
      • Loudons Bonnie Woods and Braes
      • Orange and Blue
      • A.A Cameron
      • Captain Horn
      • The Campbeltown Kiltie Band
    • Hornpipes >
      • Jolly Beggerman
      • Paddy MacGinty's Goat
      • Moving Cloud
      • The Boys of Blue Hill
    • Songs >
      • Auld Lang Syne
      • London Bridges Falling Down
      • Happy Birthday
      • Yankee Doodle
      • Flower of Scotland
      • America the Beautiful
      • Bridal March
      • O' Danny Boy
  • Contact
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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.


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. 

Picture
 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. 

Picture
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. 
  • Login
  • Beginner
    • Lesson 1: Introduction and Bagpipe History
    • Lesson 2: The Practice Chanter
    • Lesson 3: Practice Chanter Technique, Posture, and Blowing
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Music Theory 1
    • Lesson 5: Beginner Rhythm Exercises
    • Lesson 6: Bagpipe Low Hand Notes
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe High Hand Notes
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Scale
    • Lesson 9: Bagpipe Crossing Noises
    • Lesson 10: Easy Bagpipe Songs
  • Novice
    • Lesson 1: Time Signatures and Note Values in Bagpipe Music
    • Lesson 2: Dots, Cuts & Ties
    • Lesson 3: How to Practice Bagpipes
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Embellishments
    • Lesson 5: Bagpipe Grace Notes >
      • Bagpipe High G Grace Note
      • Bagpipe D Grace Note
      • Bagpipe E Grace Note
      • Grace Note Exercises
      • Songs With Grace Notes
    • Lesson 6: Bagpipe Strikes >
      • Bagpipe B Strike
      • Bagpipe C Strike
      • Bagpipe D Strike
      • Bagpipe Light D Strike
      • Bagpipe E Strike
      • Bagpipe F Strike
      • Bagpipe High G Strike
      • Bagpipe High A Strike
      • Bagpipe Strike Exercises
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe Doublings >
      • Bagpipe Low G Doubling
      • Bagpipe Low A Doubling
      • Bagpipe B Doubling
      • Bagpipe C Doubling
      • Bagpipe D Doubling
      • Bagpipe E Doubling
      • Bagpipe F Doubling
      • Bagpipe High G Doubling
      • Bagpipe High A Doubling
      • 7 Doubling Exercise
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Grip
    • Lesson 9: How to Learn a Bagpipe Tune >
      • First and Second Time Bars
      • Introductory Notes
      • Memorizing Bagpipe Tune
    • Lesson 10: The Practice Goose
  • Intermediate
    • Lesson 1: Buying a Set of Bagpipes
    • Lesson 2: Bagpipe D Throw
    • Lesson 3: Bagpipe Taorluath
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Birls >
      • Regular Birl
      • Low A Birl
      • High G Birl
    • Lesson 5: Bagpipe Triplet
    • Lesson 6: Intermediate Rhythm Exercises
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe Low G Grace Note
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Light D Throw
    • Lesson 9: Bagpipe High A Grace Note
    • Lesson 10: Pipe Band Terminology
  • Advanced
    • Lesson 1: How to Practice Bagpipes Efficiently
    • Lesson 2: Bagpipe Half Doublings >
      • Bagpipe Low G Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe Low A Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe B Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe C Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe D Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe E Half Doubling
      • Bagpipe F Half Doubling
      • 7 Half Doubling Exercise
    • Lesson 3: Bagpipe High G Strikes >
      • Bagpipe High G B Strike
      • Bagpipe High G C Strike
      • Bagpipe High G D Strike
      • Bagpipe High G Open D Strike
      • High G Strike Exercise
    • Lesson 4: Bagpipe Tachum
    • Lesson 5: Bagpipe Doubling Strikes >
      • Bagpipe B Doubling Strike
      • Bagpipe C Doubling Strike
      • Bagpipe D Doubling Strike
      • Bagpipe Open D Doubling Strike
    • Lesson 6: G-D-E Grace Note Movement
    • Lesson 7: Bagpipe Strathspey Movement
    • Lesson 8: Bagpipe Music Categories and Tempo Guide
  • Maintenance/Tuning
    • Bagpipe Anatomy
    • Practice Chanter Maintenance and Tuning
    • Hemping Your Bagpipe
    • Bagpipe Pipe Bag
    • Bagpipe Blow Stick
    • Bagpipe Drones >
      • Drone Reeds
      • Drone Tuning
      • Drone Cords
      • Drone Problems, Solutions and Terminology
    • Bagpipe Chanter >
      • Bagpipe Chanter Reed
      • Bagpipe Chanter Reed Selection
      • Preparing your Chanter Reed
      • Making Reed Easier to Blow
      • Fix a Double Toning F
      • Taping Bagpipe Chanter
      • Cutting a Hole to Sharpen a Note
      • Pipe Chanter Pitch
      • Protecting Your Bagpipe Reed
      • Pitching Your Bagpipe Chanter
    • Bagpipe Case
    • Bagpipe Pitch and Tuning
    • Bagpipe Moisture Control
    • Bagpipe Stretching
  • Tunes
    • 2/4 Marches >
      • Mairi's Wedding
      • Brown Haired Maiden
      • Teribus
      • The Barren Rocks of Aden
      • High Road to Gairloch
      • Highland Laddie
      • The Earl of Mansfield
      • The 79th Farwell to Gibraltar
      • 42nd Highland Division
      • Sweet Maid of Glendaruel
      • 72nd's Farewell to Aberdeen
      • Liberton Boys Polka
    • 3/4 Marches >
      • Balmoral
      • Castle Dangerous
      • Green Hills of Tyrol
      • When the Battles Over
      • Colins Cattle
      • Bloody Fields of Flanders
      • Lochanside
      • Dream Valley of Glendaruel
    • 4/4 Marches >
      • Robin Adair
      • Scots Wha Hae
      • Scotland the Brave
      • Rowan Tree
      • Wings
      • Blue Bells of Scotland
      • Minstrel Boy
      • Were No Awa Tae Bide Awa
      • Lord Lovat's Lament
    • 6/8 Marches >
      • A Hundred Pipers
      • Bonnie Dundee
      • Steam Boat
      • Glendaruel Highlanders
      • Mucking of Georgie's Byre
      • Atholl Highlanders
    • Airs >
      • Amazing Grace
      • Mist Covered Mountains
      • Skye Boat Song
      • Going Home
      • Suo Gan
      • MacPhersons Lament
      • The Mingulay Boat Song
      • Road to the Isles
      • Loch Rannoch
    • Jigs >
      • Hag at the Churn
      • Rocking the Baby
      • Kesh Jig
      • Tripping up the Stairs
      • Old Hag at the Kiln
      • Paddy's Leather Breeches
      • Galician Jig
      • Paddy be Easy
      • Old Wife of Mill Dust
      • Floating the Flambeau
    • Reels >
      • Piper of Drummond
      • Sleepy Maggie
      • High Road to Linton
      • Gravel Walk
      • Jenny Dang the Weaver
      • The Owl
      • Itchy Fingers
      • Willie Davie
      • Crooked Bridge
      • The Wise Maid
      • Olive Branch
    • Strathspeys >
      • Loudons Bonnie Woods and Braes
      • Orange and Blue
      • A.A Cameron
      • Captain Horn
      • The Campbeltown Kiltie Band
    • Hornpipes >
      • Jolly Beggerman
      • Paddy MacGinty's Goat
      • Moving Cloud
      • The Boys of Blue Hill
    • Songs >
      • Auld Lang Syne
      • London Bridges Falling Down
      • Happy Birthday
      • Yankee Doodle
      • Flower of Scotland
      • America the Beautiful
      • Bridal March
      • O' Danny Boy
  • Contact