CHANTER TUNING
- Cork off or switch off all the drones and using a chromatic tuner calibrated to 440 Hz, tune low and high A’s
- Then tune the other 7 notes of the scale namely Low G, B, C#, D, E, F# and High G
- Use modifications in depth of chanter reed seating and if necessary, taping of chanter holes to obtain an accurate tuning of all the notes in the scale
DRONE/CHANTER TUNING
- Cork off the baritone or middle drone and the long bass drone
- Then tune the short tenor drone to the chanter high A and also its low A, just as on the Highland pipes.
- Then bring in the bass tenor, keeping the baritone drone corked at this stage and tune the bass to the tenor and the high A and low A on the chanter.
- Finally, uncork the baritone drone and tune it to the tenor, the bass and the chanter.
- Adjust drone reeds to tune near end of hemp on tuning pin by using end drone adjusters and/or depth of drone seating
BAG INFLATION
Tips for playing bellows pipes are :
- Get a slow, smooth action with the right arm whilst keeping the left arm firm but obviously not too tight on the bag
- Same as on the Highland pipes, firm but not too tight
- Play slow airs or long notes, for a month or so in order to develop a steady and constant pressure.