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Home/Library/Setup & Maintenance/Tuning Your Pipe Chanter: Adjusting the Reed and Using Tape
🎬 Class ReplayAll LevelsFree Preview📅 Posted August 5, 2026· 57m

Tuning Your Pipe Chanter: Adjusting the Reed and Using Tape

The Short Version

Great reeds are born, not made. A good reed from a good maker is great the day you take possession of it. You can ruin a great reed with fiddling, but you cannot turn a bad reed into a good one — choose well and leave it alone.
Let the Bagpipe Gauge set your strength. Most pipers belong between 25 and 35 on the Bagpipe Gauge. A comfortable, efficient reed sounds better and blows steadier than a hard one — the hard-reed era is over.
Sink the reed first, then tape. Get every note in tune or slightly sharp by pushing the reed in or pulling it out, then tape the sharp notes. Up to a third of a hole covered is no problem at all.
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Tuning Your Pipe Chanter: Adjusting the Reed and Using Tape
57m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
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⏱️ In this class

00:30reed tuned The chanter plan: to case🔒
02:41band B-flat, standards: pitch Pitch A440,🔒
05:58Right reed Bagpipe strength: Gauge 25-35 on the🔒
10:04fixed born, are not reeds Great🔒
14:56stamina, and break-in Comfort, old-school🔒
16:56pressure reed The chanter the bag sets🔒
19:48to The matching Reed drones chanter Tester:🔒
23:08a Picking test mouth-blow reed: the🔒
26:32like reed bad a sounds What🔒
28:38tuner and check: floss First wraps hemp🔒
32:37sink or tuner: the tape Reading the reed🔒
37:06is tape essential; the tuning Why Argyll🔒
44:47Fixing tape one flat limits note;🔒
47:03rescues, the reeds, dying summary Poker and🔒

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About this class

🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this class are part of the members’ page.

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