Media

Píobaire, An, Volume 1, Issue 2, Page 4

Píobaire, An, Volume 1, Issue 2, Page 4
1 views

Properties

periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Píobaire, An
volume Number
1
issue Content
(13)The thickness of the head blanks should be uniform from end to end. The curve on the inside of theblank is determined by the thickness and the width of the blank. The length and width will varywith individual makers, I find 15/3r to - in width and 4 in length a good size. That allowsan inch or more head to work with after tying on the staple. The ends should be shaped to allow thesides to close when tying on the head so that the thread does not extend more than 1/8 past the endof the staple. The closer the thread ends to the end of the staple the better the reed, Excessivethread beyond the end of the staple dulls the reed, It acts like a mute on the violin strings; thecollar being metal does not have this effect. If you can close the sides before the thread passes theend of the staple, all the better. You can do this but the cane has a tendency to split on the sides.It is important to close the sides airtight by the tension of the thread alone. Never apply any glueor wax to do this for you. Airtight sides area must to making a good reed. The air passes throughthe front of the blades and the sound is carried down through the staple info the chanter, Any leakin the sides will mean loss of tone.After you have shaped the blank and before cutting it in half, thin down the ends to half their thickness, thus making a recess for the staple to fit into, This will being the blades together sooner whenyou start tying and so lessen the risk of their splitting. I have found if you place the staple up intothe head, when tying on the head, so they extend i/32 past the side or corner of the staple, thatthis will allow the sides of the blades to start closing earlier and they should be completely closed bythe time the thread has passed the end of the staple by 1/16 .. (That 1/16 will not affect the toneof the reed). When preparing the ends for tying bevel or slope the edges the thread will be covering.Also bevel or slope the end to allow the thread to climb up on the cane this will prevent the threadfrom cutting and it will look much neater.When tying on the head pull the thread tightly and always towards itself. This will assure an airtightwinding. If you are using a waxed thread never lead the thread away from itself when tying. Alwaysdouble wind the part of the staple the cane lies on to ensure an airtight winding. When you cut thehead blank in half and put the two blades together wrap them with thread 3/4ths, of the length of thehead to keep them straight when you put them in place on the staple. When you put them in place onthe staple wrap a short piece of thread around them to keep them in place when you start tying.Remove this thread as you come up with the binding thread, Leave the top tying on until you areready to start shaving the head. When shaving the blades be careful not to get the corners of theblades too thin as they are thinner than the centre to start with, If they are too weak it will affectthe vibration of the blades or tongues; the result will be an erratic reed when it receives warm air,Clipping the corners in an angle will help to correct this. When clipping the blades do not use ahammer to hit the knife or razor: the chance of missing the knife and hitting the reed is too great.Instead use a long object like the handle of the hammer and make contact at an angle of 90 . Hithard enough to cut the reed with one whack.When you start shaving the blades keep in mind that to make a good reed both blades must beidentical in thickness and width or shape as the sound is made by the air vibrating the tongues. Ifthey are not identical the vibration response will be different and the tone will change. Startshaving at the front and work back, Do not get the front edges too thin as this will affect the topD. Keep checking both blades as you go along for uniformity. The blades should be shaped in theform of a or U, depending on how wide you want the tongue. The wider you make the tonguethe shorter it will have to be, The wider and longer you make the tongue the more vibration area youare creating and consequently the flatter and weaker the reed wll be. The shorter the tongue thestronger the reed and the more wind it will take to sound it and the more vibrato it will have.Always leave a reed on the strong side and break it in. Give it plenty of playing for a month or soand then refine it to suit. If you do this the reed will last a long time, On the other hand, if youmake a new reed weak at the start, it will not last long. A good reed properly broken in should lastfor many years, particularly if the cane has been seasoned. A fresh cane reed will change to a largerdegree because it is being seasoned in the playing. It is advisable to do the shaving in two or threesteps as the heat and moisture from your hand will affect the cane at the time, making the tonguesweaker and the tone flatter, Then when you put it aside for a time and go to play it again it willhave changed. Remember that ours are dry reeds and only get whatever heat and moisture is in the air.They do not receive hot moist air from the mo ith like reeds in other instruments so they should be madein the same conditions in which they are played.
issue Number
2
page Number
4
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
1972-05-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Píobaire, An, Volume 1, Issue 2

Related Keywords