air flow trouble

[klthomson]

OK......got my bag sealed, drones tuned (best as I can tell) and a med/soft reed. I'm not getting enough air through the chanter reed to get any sound. Dont know if theres something obvious that I'm doing wrong and just missing it or what. Been a bit of a trial and error process so far.

[Bagpiper]

Hello and welcome to our website.

It sounds like you took a few proper steps to ensure some playability.

I would remove the drones and the chanter and replace them with large rubber corks inside the stocks.

Leave the blowstick in place and blow up the bag. Does it take air and hold it ?

Now leave the bag sit there and see how long it takes before the air escapes. This should not be a quick process with a properly sealed and corked bag.

Next check the blow stick for any leaks if you are losing air.

If the bag stays inflated for a reasonable amount of time, then you can start testing your chanter.

Blow a few notes on the chanter outside the bag to make sure its playable.

Place the bagpipe chanter back inside the chanter stock of the pipe bag, leave the drones corked and blow up the bag. With the bag inflated, add a bit more pressure to get the chanter to sound.

If the air pressure is good and the chanter is not sounding, then you either need to get a new reed or practice your breathing a bit more.

If there is a significant difference in blowing up the bag with the chanter inside the bag, check your hemp on the chanter and blowstick.

Good luck !