Command Your Bagpipe: Don't Fight Your Pipes! - Bagpipe Lessons

[@mattmiller5014]

In 1998 I got a set of Henderson synthetic Drone Reeds. I am still playing them today in 2021. Wow. This is a shout out for the Quality of Henderson Reeds.

[@SJQuirke]

Hello Matt I am resurrecting a set of pipes after a good decade of neglect (I am sorry to say) The bugs had bitten a tiny hole through the hide (yes - I hang my head - but time to move on) So I found a long thin bolt, reamed a washer down to a size that would fit down the drone stock. I also cut a leather washer for inside the bag. So I fitted the steel washer then the leather washer on the bolt and put the bolt into the bag through one of the drone stocks. I then pushed the bolt from the inside out of through the hole. Then fitted a second leather washer, a steel washer and fastened it with a nut looks kind of 'bionic' but works well. When the economy starts moving - I would like to replace this set. But for now I am learning more than I ever did long (long) ago in the band Now I am playing at least once a day to build up my muscle in my mouth and slowly dealing with all the niggles to get the music going Thanks for your channel man S

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

That's quite the repair there!

[@LesliePiper]

Very interesting and not boring at all

[@johnnickpappanastos3382]

Agreed! Even as a piper of several years, I still find this highly useful.

[@clemclem5931]

Hey Matt Nice videos !!! Is it possible in the future to make a complete video of how to perfectly set and tune drone reeds and chanter together ??? I manage to tune them but still got issue with it, and by seeing your videos, for sure i'll understand it better Take care ;)

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Thank you! Yes, there will eventually be videos on drone reed setup, chanter reed setup, and overall bagpipe balance. Stay tuned!

[@clemclem5931]

@@MattWillisBagpiper Thanks a lot mate ;) I've got wallace bagpipe but i wish mine sounds like yours. quite difficult. see ya

[@ltridge504]

Thanks for the series. I'm finding the videos helpful. See you at KTA next year!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

You’re welcome! SMS should have another 30+ videos up by next KTA!

[@tobiasjohansson4268]

hi Matt im new on the pipes and my set vas leaking in the top soo it vas great to learn the tejp trick

[@drumcrazy72]

Thanks Matt. I used Mares Liquid Patch (tube of black liquid pvc) from a scuba diving store, to fix a leak on a Ross suede bag between the collar base and the bag. Cost around $20 AUD so a decent temporary fix for a difficult area to mend. Not sure how long it will last but it’s good to know that the product works for a repair that would normally require bag replacement at much greater cost.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Thank you for sharing! I’ll keep that mind should I need to patch a synth bag. Cheers!

[@adamwiggins9865]

I actually just repaired a busted out zipper on an older(black) Ross canister bag with E6000 industrial adhesive... luckily the closed end was the end that leaked. I cleaned and dried the leaking spot on the zipper and used hot glue to fill in the outside and fill in the leather flaps and let it dry well.... that stopped 97% of the air loss... I then I opened the zipper to where the hot glue is... and I applied the E6000 on the inside over the zipper area liberally..... I then (with corks) inflated it to pressure and set it leak side down...I noticed the open end was losing a tiny bit... so I put a big glob off petroleum gel on the inside of that side and put it to pressure again... after ten Minutes the vasoline has pushed through the zipper as much as it was going to and it was keeping very good pressure.... (I literally just dumped my extra money into new SL2 McRaes... no more money for a new bag...

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

A leaky bag is one of the worst things that can happen with our instrument. I'm glad you were able to get yours under control!

[@kevinlawson8642]

Truly top notch tutorial . keep up the great work. Very informative precise and always on point (without any unnecessary ramblings so common in most other videos) posativaly professional.. THUMPER

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Much appreciated! I have enough words coming out of my mouth without getting off topic!

[@Chuni8558]

Exactly 👍

[@marklatham2417]

A bit of Ivory soap is useful as a sealant/lubricant on hemp.

[@pemacal57]

Actually instructive and very useful advices

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@timsharon5518]

great stuff Matt

[@TnBagpiper68]

The T-zip folks recommend that zipper be closed before stowing the pipes in a case. An open zipper can be damaged by anything pressing on the open zipper. The T-zip can get a leak at the area of the zipper stop. That small square piece of rubber at one end of the zipper. Open zipper and it is the piece the zipper backs up to. It may leak under arm pressure. If it leaks clean area with denatured alcohol then apply Aquaseal all around the zipper stop base. Repair will last the life of the bag If done properly.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Good info! That said, in nearly 20 years of dealing with zipper bags, I have not had one fail from the teeth being damaged from being stored in the open position. I'm generally more concerned I feel about keeping my synth bags dry than anything else (to reduce mold growth and such).

[@TnBagpiper68]

Matt Willis Bagpiper being in a band setting I have seen I have seen a few issues more related to crowded cases. The T-zip zipper stop has been the greatest issue. One such leaky caused a whistling sound rather than a hiss. I will check my photos for a photo of the area of concern. By the way I find your videos of great help and I refer students to your videos.

[@jazzman1626]

My goodness, I never knew about leaks at the ring caps. I have a loose ring cap on one of my Lauries tenor drones.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Definitely with looking into getting it properly repaired. Seems many pipes, old and new, have issues with leaking tops. I find it odd this isn't tested in the shops or factories. Coming from other woodwinds, having the instrument as airtight as possible is paramount. We seem to only worry about the bag being airtight, but it all effects the sound and efficiency.

[@lamantisatea]

Hi Matt! it would be great if you make a video about drone reed adjustment. Greetings from Mexico!

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Definitely on the list of upcoming videos!

[@monicamayfield1948]

Hello Matt! I just came upon your site. Great, informative videos even for a beginning piper. With all the spare time I've had recently because of the lockdown, I thought I'd take time to fix some issues I've had with leaks. The middle section on my base drone "rocks" back and forth on the pin. I think this may be a problem that occurred during manufacturing, so I'm trying to rehemp to see if that fixes it. Then again, it could also be due to the dry conditions here in west Texas. I'll have to see. I had someone tell me once that to get the best sound from the base drone, the top section should be at the bottom of the hemp line. I was also told that the tuning joints on all three drones should be equally tuning at about two fingers width not just for appearance but also for the proper adjustment and optimal sound production. How high/low on the tuning pins should the hemp line be? Where is the optimal point on the pin to get the best sound from the drones?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Hello! For that "rocking" motion, I often have to add a bit of hemp to the pin itself (below where the rest of the hemp is). Tends to happen when the receiving chamber is a bit too wide vs. the pin diameter. Are these Naill pipes? As for tuning, the old story is the tenors should be showing just a bit of hemp, as well as the bass top, and the middle joint should be about 2 fingers above the mount. I don't know if it's true, though I do chose to try and tune my pipes this way. Haven't experimented with other arrangements.

[@monicamayfield1948]

@@MattWillisBagpiper I appreciate the quick response. To answer your question, no, my pipes are not Naills. They are a used set of basic ABW Pettigrews that are fully combed and beaded. The components seem to be sound, IE no cracks that I have noticed. The projection mounts and ring caps are made of imitation ivory that is badly chipped. The tuning pins are plain and they have nickel ferrels that are very loose and come off easily. It has a telescoping blow stick with a flapper valve, Ash plugs in the drones, Omega reeds, and a Ross canister bag and moisture control system. The chanter has been replaced with a basic plastic McCallum. The original chanter and blowstick that came with the pipes are missing. Living here in west Texas (Lubbock) is like living in a piping wasteland....no pipe bands to practice with and pipers are a rare thing. Even on St Patrick's Day you can't find one. Pipers that I have met here are mostly in it for themselves or are too busy and not into teaching especially older students, like myself. My goal is that eventually I would like to try to reach the competency level to be able to play with accuracy, musicality and confidence to compete in grade 4, and a secondary goal of having the knowledge and proficiency to play in public maybe for hire. I have already downloaded some of your practice files to work from towards this goal. Could you possibly put together a lesson on how to properly hemp a joint so that it prevents air leakage, provides stability in the pipe, and yet is easy to manipulate when tuning? Lastly, could you put together a list of tune suggestions for beginning pipers that can be used in the various music categories in a grade 4 competition? Thanks again, Monica

[@davindaire]

Matt, excellent video. I just mouthtested my stocks and didn't have suction on ANY of my drone tops!!! Where do you buy that 3M hemp seal you use?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

The hemp seal is just the wax ring a toilet sits on. You can get one from a home improvement store for like $1.50 and put some in a small resealable container. Sorry to hear your tops are leaking!

[@kerry00]

I just discovered your channel! Loving it! Could you do a video on humidity? When I moved from Scotland to California, my pipes were not happy and the joints went very slack. How do I keep my pipes happy in a hot dry climate?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Glad you found the channel! Share it with any piping friends you might have! As for the pipes, there will always be a certain amount of movement when changing climates, but much can be minimized by oiling your pipes, which I cover in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqa9qHZsf5ecg9E

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

What type of string/material do you have on your bagpipe joints?

[@kerry00]

Matt Willis Bagpiper my pipes are actually SSP so I’m not sure if I should lol them or not. Currently I use non waxed hemp.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

@@kerry00 AH yes, SSP... Bellows driven? If so, oiling is much less important because there isn't moist air being regularly introduced to them. That said, oiling would still help keep them from moving as much with weather.

[@kerry00]

Matt Willis Bagpiper yeah. Since things are a bit slacker I’ve but a bit of sewing thread and in more extreme areas, some plumbers tape. But I think I’ll have to rehemp at some point. Would normal bore oil work? Ps, any tips for a too slack chanter in the stock?

[@computergraham]

Hey Matt, quick question...... I hope? How can I build up my muscles to keep my lips tight around the blow pipe so I can play longer and not loose air literally due to "loose lips" LOL?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

More playing! That's about the only way to improve your facial muscles.

[@JeffMcCarthy-fu8jy]

Matt how often should you oil your pipes and the best oil to use?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

VIdeo on that topic here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqa9qHZsf5ecg9E

[@BruceKort]

Bedankt

[@danielsciacaluga]

How does a hairline crack in the drone stock, chanter stock, and drone Reed seat affect the pipes in regards to airtightness and tone quality etc please ? As I seem to have these. Is there a temporary fix I can make wood glue etc? And what has cause them?

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

Man, that’s a lot of cracks. So sorry! Do you have a zipper bag? If so, you could stopped up the cracked stocks from the inside of the bag and do the suction test to see if they’re leaking. Same basic idea with the drone bottom with the cracked reed seat, but you could just seal one end with a finger and do the suction test (remove the reed!). If they fail, I’d contract the maker (if they’re still around) or a bagpipe repair ship and see what it would take to repair them. That is beyond my level of skill.

[@MattWillisBagpiper]

As for cause... were the pipes left in a car during a hot (or cold) day? I find temperature swings and extremes cause many of the hairline cracks. Improperly seasoned wood can do that to, though most all makers these days use quality seasoned wood.

[@danielsciacaluga]

@@MattWillisBagpiper thanks Matt, not left in a car, but for a few years I was travelling a lot from hot humid Gibraltar to cold UK every 4 weeks I wonder if that will have caused it. I will try the suction test. I've already replaced the blowstock a few years ago. Thanks for your reply.

[@gunnsmoke357]

Guilty