Media

Píobaire, An, Volume 8, Issue 2, Page 12

Píobaire, An, Volume 8, Issue 2, Page 12
0 views

Properties

periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
An Píobaire
volume Number
2
issue Content
Píobaire, An 8 2 12 20120411 12 tion along the grain. This operation may or may not be needed at both sides of the lips. When the distortion is nearly eliminated, switch to the in-out motion to finish. The 3rd technique is used with all the narrower cylinders, farther inside the blade. They must be used only at their ends, or else all of the outer, previously shaped sections will be distorted. For the 2nd and later cylinders, hold the blade at a slight angle with gentle pressure, and sand in and out. Each cylinder should be used over about a 10 mm long zone. The 2nd cylinder should be brought to within about 3-4 mm of the tip. The other cylinders should overlap very approxi- mately 5 mm, but the natural progression of curves of the blade is the determining factor. If you sand too far towards the staple, the cylinder will cut into the edges and create or worsen leaky gaps. Examine the edges as well as the surface quality each time you break to inspect. Sanding should be very minimal, only a few strokes between inspections. If one side is more warped than the other it should be gently favored with slightly greater pressure. Stop as soon as the curve in the zone has been repaired all the way to each exact edge for at least the outer 6-7 mm of each zone. Work with successively smaller cylinders ending half to 2/3 the distance from lips to the position of the eye. It seems best to use at least 4 cylinders on any reed resurfaced. To finish, go back to the widest tip-end cylin- der. The 4th technique is to hold the top 10mm of the blade once again down flat, but this time press firmly and make a very few strokes. Con- sider using extremely fine sandpaper. This will help “feather” or blend a smoother transition between the outermost 2 curves. I’m not sure this is always necessary but it will create a more natural surface shape in all directions. When re-assembling a resurfaced reed, it’s not unusual for gaps to appear along the edges be- tween the position of the bridle and the tip. Don’t panic; put the bridle back, adjust the el- evation to the highest expected for playing, and staunch any remaining leaks with bees’ wax. If you’ve removed a large amount of cane, the blades may have been weakened enough to have a flat crow and flat pitch in the chanter or regulator, especially chanter back D, and so re- quire a slightly higher position for the bridle to restore working blade stiffness. The rate of the progression of curvatures from the tip down some half way toward the staple eye can alter the tone and response, as well as intonation. For example, a rapid increase in curve below the lips can give a stiffer back D, and a more gradual increase can give an easier hard D while possibly weakening the back D. There’s opportunity to experiment with differ- ent progression of curvatures by varying the lengths of the zones to see if there are other tone or intonation effects. There may even be principles behind this very mechanical process that might help lead to a high quality artificial reed. A video demonstration of this procedure is posted on YOUTUBE at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhZeMpwbZfc
issue Number
8
page Number
12
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
2012-04-21T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

An Píobaire, Volume 8, Issue 2

Related Keywords