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Home/Library/Community & Extras/Open Session: Reed Strength, Performance Tempo and Steady Drones
🎬 Class ReplayAll LevelsFree Preview📅 Posted November 4, 2026· 55m

Open Session: Reed Strength, Performance Tempo and Steady Drones

⚡ The Short Version

Adjust a chanter reed's strength by changing the opening, not by removing cane. A small rubber band, no higher than a third of the way up, closes the blades and makes the reed easier. A tapered round poker opens them and makes it harder. Both are reversible, and scraping is not.
Poke a little at a time, using your thumb as the stop. Push the poker in until it stops, set your thumb a millimeter or two up, and push to your thumb. Test the reed, and poke again if you need to. A good poke means you blow the same as before and the reed is no longer too easy.
Pick the tempo you can hold together, and always choose clean over fast. Test tempos in rehearsal, find the fastest one you can play comfortably and correctly, and work toward your goal tempo from there. Missed doublings are a deal breaker. A slightly slower tempo is not.
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Open Session: Reed Strength, Performance Tempo and Steady Drones
55m · Full class available to Inner Circle members

⏱️ In this class

00:19your session: bring questions Open🔒
01:08chanter to reed on rubber Where a put band a🔒
05:23low too and easy on reed G: rattles Squeaks a that's🔒
07:06the much: spot sweet too Poked reed's🔒
09:27staple how Inside the the and a reed: poke works🔒
12:01change how new rubber reeds on a A and band brand reed,🔒
16:05a sets what reed's strength Don't scrape:🔒
17:32poking My reed a for method thumb🔒
20:03a Picking a for performance tempo🔒
22:30psoemt: caeln satbe toiCietpnom tsfa🔒
27:32skip first tone that the Drones🔒
32:24lab drones Troubleshoot a like🔒
34:54reed and extenders Drone pitch🔒
42:03unstuck and chanter pipes, getting vs. Practice🔒
45:18niel: tisoptng rdeson blewbo tciph dtfri thta or eTh🔒
49:20Why on tune I A high🔒
51:28out the drones chanter with cut Tuning🔒
52:54Flowers the the Next week: of Forest🔒

About this class

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

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