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Post by bohemianbagpipes on Apr 9, 2015 20:47:18 GMT
Hello, I have just started playing the Bohemian Bagpipes, Bohemischer Bock, Czech Dudy or Pukl. Today in fact. I have had them made and let them acclimatise for 2 weeks. Today when I started playing, for the first time, I noticed that unless I play really hard and pump like mad I do not get a sound, all I do get is a honking noise. Can anyone help me get started or point out what I need to do to make the Bagpipes sound easily. The air just rushes out of the pipes which no sound otherwise.
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Post by smokenpipes on Apr 13, 2015 7:13:19 GMT
One of the issues here is we are speaking of Fuji apples and Your talking about Courtland Apples sure they both Have similar differances.... I Played The GHB begining in 1990 as well as a Mouth Blown Set of Scottish smallpipes, I recently Joined an group of folks who are interested in the Irish Pipes which are closer to yours In that they are bellows blown, and In that capacity it was asked and answered the same questions You asked and Further with the additional abilities of what they refer to as a 1/2 set or 3/4 or Full set, in which, you have "regulators" and keys to change the range.... when one changes "keys" ie: stepping Up each step requires MORE intense Air into the reeds...
I would suggest you begin a) checking each of the Parts is free to pass air, if The bells and drone pipe and play pipe/chanter are "open and free" the next thing I would check is Each reed.. I know Nothing about YOUR pipes as far as wooden or Plastic or how they are put together, But a "DOUBLE reed (Like a bassoon, Oboe, Grt Highland Bagpipe Chanter of 2 pieces of Cane tied together as a double reed may need to be worked into a broken in condition, but you need some experiance before you begin abusing reeds without damaging any of them,.. on a single blade (drone) using a "Bridle" to clamp down at one point and forcing the away end open more or less depending on where the bridle is placed... the Bridle could be a piece of string tied around the reed (blade & base) tight enough to draw either the cane or Plastic reed blade in so it "should" pull away from the base at the open end, IF this does NOT happen a) you can CAREFULLY assist the open end open... (experiance and gentleness is MAJOR HERE!! Caution at all times, diddling around 100 nopes is better then Ah crap, of over doing it taking the spring out or worse Breaking the reed... one could also use a piece of String to slip between the REED Base and The actual reed Blade, again one would need to manipulate its best location... a double chanter reed looking towards the Bag towards the outside () might be too open or not open enough so tieing a bridle or using a orthodontic sized rubber band double or Tripled and set towards the lips will pull them closer, with finese one can change strength of the reed, revive a a hard dieing reed make a hard read playable..etc but your also changing the configuration and "Balance" or tuneability... this also includes the drone reed... I would even suggest Google searching Bagpipe reed Bridles and do some reading to begin....
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Post by greginlondon on Jul 11, 2016 11:10:45 GMT
The reeds on these pipes will probably be different to GHB - quite possibly single reed and more like our drone reeds, only smaller. I've played these pipes and have friends that play them (though we only meet every two years at best). As smokenpipes said, you'd need to check the joints, but if they'd just been made and sent, they should have been good to go. I presume they came from the maker and not a shop/Ebay seller ?
With any bellows blown pipe you'll need to do a fair bit of pumping and they will use less air once you're playing, but unlike Northumbrian or Uillean pipes you can't just bring them to pressure and hold them there with the end of the chanter closed and all fingers on - you need to inflate and strike in like GHB - just with one arm pumping to make the octopus harder to handle. At least the air needed and pressure is less. Once you've mastered it you can sing and even drink at the same time ;-)
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