When it comes to reeds this is a serious matter as we all want perfection, and I imagine most of us have got some “vintage” or copy of vintage pipes we would like to obtain the best in terms of sound, colour, and harmonics.
Let me state at the outset: I have no business interest in what I am recommending here, but I wanted to share with you - I have been using for years cane drones reeds made by my good friend “McTy”. They are steady, and well-made. I have used them everyday for years without any problem.
And nothing to compare with synthetic…
Yves Tison “McTy” is a well-known piper, former piper to the British Embassy in Paris, and has got a great collection of vintage pipes and eventually will make “made-to-measure” drone and chanter reeds adapted to the strength you require and your instrument.
This is not a business advertisement, but just to say there is someone somewhere who can make things you’ve been looking for years and Yves has got real passion for piobaireachd, and reeds are in his veins.
Here are two sound files so you can imagine the results with your pipes. First is with “The Blue Sound” cane reeds in a Duncan MacDougall and Sinclair chanter (the record is quite old, sorry):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4tsfqcql7g78i7k/Glen%20is%20Mine.mp3?dl=0
The second one is shorter and modern (last week) with a Muir Wood bagpipe (original circa 1800) and a Donald MacDonald chanter (copy from 1815 or so) and elder drone reeds:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wlposqykvzblz9e/Muir%20Wood.wav?dl=0
If you are in need of real good cane reeds, you can contact me here:
And I will give you “McTy” contact with pleasure.
Cheers,
Phil
I read somewhere that traditionally the Spanish cane came to Scotland as a waste product. Portuguese barrels of ‘port’ had the cane wrapped around them to help protect these barrels from damage. After the barrels were unloaded from sailing vessels the cane was used by pipers to make reeds.
Did that cane undergoing a process by being close to strong alcohol and in the damp storage of a sailing vessel. Did the cane, being wrapped around a barrel, assist in creating a ‘curvature’ which would assist in keeping the flow of air moving over the tongue?