Bagpipes, and the accessories that go along with them, have changed little over the last 100 years or more. The way we set up and care for our instruments today is nearly the same as what G.S. MacLennan did back in his heyday. But there are a few additions to the modern bagpipe setup that have slipped their way in to become a standard part of the tradition—and vastly improved the piper’s life in the process.
If you’ve been playing Highland bagpipes at all, it’s likely you’ve got a “chanter cap†or, what is essentially a “mock stock†to put over the reed when you pack away your instrument. These items are a boon to the longevity and performance of your chanter reed. An even bigger boon to chanter reed performance is the chanter cap–humidifier combination that many pipers swear by. Keeping a good reed moisture-free using something like the Chanter Cap Reed Dryer is OK for preservation, but not so much for active playing. It is actually a good thing to have some amount of moisture in the reed to keep it performing consistently. The dry-wet-dry cycle a chanter reed typically goes through will do more to degrade a reed over time than any amount of moisture the reed is exposed to. Keeping the reed slightly humidified at a level that prevents radical changes can actually extend the lifetime performance of a solid reed. Here is a handy DIY chanter cap and reed humidifier combination that should keep your good reeds staying good for a long while. Read More
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