396 - Finding Your Perfect Drone Reed Setup (Dojo Conversations Ep 66)

Should you use cane or synthetic drone reeds? Is it good or bad to mix and match them? Does ‘perfect bagpipe tone’ exist? Can you achieve it if your band plays different reed setups? And does a bit of imperfection in your sound actually make your tone better? This week, we’re talking all things drone reeds! Drone reeds are an integral part of our instrument’s sound, stability, and tone, and yet knowing how and when to use the different makes and materials is something most pipers don’t understand. Cane or synthetic? Inverted or standard? Uniformity or mix and match? Join us as we delve into the details on drone reeds… Got a question for a future episode? Leave a comment or email us at [email protected]! Here’s a summary of what we cover this episode: 00:00 Pumpkin’s Fancy Shirt 00:40 The Journey from Synthetic to Mixed Material Drone Reeds 01:30 Exploring the Nuances of Drone Reeds 04:12 The Quest for the Perfect Drone Reed Combination 09:32 The Superiority of Cane Drone Reeds Explored 16:48 Rethinking Band Uniformity: Drone Reeds and Chanters 24:29 The Philosophy of Bagpipe Sound: Complexity and Preference