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MAINTENANCE

ADJUSTING DRONE REEDS

• REED'S PITCH IS TOO LOW OR THE DRONE IS TOO LOW ON THE PIN
• REED'S PITCH IS TOO HIGH OR THE DRONE IS TOO HIGH ON THE PIN
• PITCH IS UNSTABLE (SENSITIVE TO PRESSURE VARIATION)
• SOUND QUALITY IS TOO COARSE
• SOUND QUALITY IS TOO DULL
• REED IS TAKING TOO MUCH AIR
• DRONE VOLUME TOO LOUD
• DRONE VOLUME TOO QUIET
• FIRST TONE OF TENOR TOO STRONG
• TENOR SQUEALS ON STRIKE-IN
• REED STOPS
• BASS REED ROARS ON STRIKE-IN
• BASS REED MAKES A RATTLING SOUND

EFFECTS CAUSED BY ADJUSTMENTS

• SHORTENING THE TONGUE
• LENGTHENING THE TONGUE
• PUSHING THE PLUG INTO THE REED BODY
• PULLING THE PLUG OUT OF THE REED BODY
• POSITIONING THE REED FURTHER INTO THE REED SEAT
• POSITIONING THE REED FURTHER OUT OF THE REED SEAT
• INCREASING THE SPRING OF A TONGUE
• DECREASING THE SPRING OF A TONGUE
  

BALANCING DRONE REEDS


These notes apply to synthetic drone reeds with either synthetic or cane tongues. They are not intended for a specific make - most reeds will be compatible with some or perhaps all of these instructions. It is important to note that springing of the tongue can only be applied to reeds with cane tongues, short plastic tongues and Omega reeds. Short plastic tongues are quite fragile and any adjustment to the spring should be gentle in the extreme. Omega tongues cannot be sprung but have the feature of an adjustable bend in the body - simply apply "springing" to the body rather than the tongue. Under no circumstances should a carbon or glass fibre tongue be sprung.

Usually a combination of 2 or more adjustments will be necessary to achieve the best result when you need to alter the response of a drone reed. Adjusting a reed will often cause other unwanted side-effects that will need to be compensated for. The use of the term "plug" refers to the tuning pin or screw common to most synthetic reeds.


MAINTENANCE

• Ensure that your drone reeds are clean and free of dirt between the tongue and reed bed. Any foreign matter could well contribute to air leakage and instability.
  

• Regularly check that your drones reeds are firmly seated into the drones and that they are straight with no chance of them touching the interior of the stocks.
  

• Occasionally check reeds for airtightness. Excessive leaking may suggest dust between the tongue and body or perhaps damage to one or the other.

• Regularly check that your drone reeds are matched or balanced for stability. Refer to: Balancing Drone Reeds.

ADJUSTING DRONE REEDS

REED'S PITCH IS TOO LOW OR THE DRONE IS TOO LOW ON THE PIN

• Shorten the tongue by moving the bridle closer to the plug end of the reed.
  

• Push the plug in - be aware that this will make the sound louder and cause the reed to take more air.

• Position the reed further into the drone reed seat.

• If the reed is too strong, decrease the spring of the tongue.

REED'S PITCH IS TOO HIGH OR THE DRONE IS TOO HIGH ON THE PIN

• Lengthen the tongue by moving the bridle away from the plug end of the reed.

• Pull the plug out - be aware that this will make the tone smoother and quieter.

• Position the reed further out of the drone reed seat.  

• If the reed is too weak, increase the spring of the tongue.
  

PITCH IS UNSTABLE (SENSITIVE TO PRESSURE VARIATION)

• Increase the spring of the tongue.

• Shorten the tongue by moving the bridle closer to the plug end of the reed.

SOUND QUALITY IS TOO COARSE

• Shorten the tongue by moving the bridle closer to the plug end of the reed.

• Pull the plug out.

• If the reed is too strong, decrease the spring of the tongue.

• Position the reed further out of the drone reed seat.

SOUND QUALITY IS TOO DULL

• Lengthen the tongue by moving the bridle away from the plug end of the reed.

• Push the plug in.

• Increase the spring of the tongue towards the bridle and if possible, consider decreasing the spring towards the middle.

• Position the reed further into the drone reed seat.

• Ensure the contact between the tongue and reed body is free of dirt.
  

REED IS TAKING TOO MUCH AIR

• Check the reed for air-tightness and if necessary clean between the tongue and body.

• Check that the tongue is positioned squarely over the body.

• Ensure that the reed is firmly placed in the drone reed seat.

• Decrease the spring of the tongue.

• Shorten the tongue by moving the bridle closer to the plug end of the reed.

• Pull the plug out.

• Make sure the bridle isn’t too loose.
  

DRONE VOLUME TOO LOUD

• Pull the plug out.

• Shorten the tongue by moving the bridle closer to the plug end of the reed.

• If you can afford to weaken the reed, decrease the spring of the tongue.
  

• Position the reed further out of the drone reed seat.
  

DRONE VOLUME TOO QUIET

• Lengthen the tongue by moving the bridle away from the plug end of the reed.

• Push the plug in.

• If the reed is too weak, increase the spring of the tongue.

• Position the reed further into the drone reed seat.
  

FIRST TONE OF TENOR TOO STRONG

• Shorten the tongue by moving the bridle closer to the plug end of the reed.

• Decrease the spring of the tongue - particularly towards the middle.
  

TENOR SQUEALS ON STRIKE-IN

• Lengthen the tongue by moving the bridle away from the plug end of the reed.

• Decrease spring towards the middle of the tongue and re-spring towards the back if the reed is now too weak.

• Check that the blade isn't twisted in relation the the bed or body of the reed.

• Ensure that the bridle isn't too tight.
  

 REED STOPS

• Lengthen the tongue by moving the bridle away from the plug end of the reed.
  

• Increase the spring of the tongue.
  

BASS REED ROARS ON STRIKE-IN

• Ensure the top section of the drone is at least up to the hemp line or slightly above - up to half an inch is acceptable. The bottom joint should tune about an inch and a half above the projecting mount. This is a general guide as some drones will be more forgiving in this regard due to internal design.

• Lengthen the tongue by moving the bridle away from the plug end of the reed.

• If you can afford to weaken the reed, decrease the spring of the tongue - particularly towards the middle.

• Pull the plug out.

• Ensure the bridle isn't too tight.
  

BASS REED MAKES A RATTLING SOUND

• Usually caused by the bass drone tuning too low on the pins. In my experience, shortening the tongue has the most success with this problem - however increasing the spring of the tongue may be necessary to compensate.

• Push the plug in.

• Position the reed further into the drone reed seat.

EFFECTS CAUSED BY ADJUSTMENTS

SHORTENING THE TONGUE

• Raise the pitch.

• Increase stability.

• Make the sound smoother.

• Make the sound quieter.

• Cause the reed to take less air.

• Increase the chance of the reed stopping.

• Weaken the first tone of tenor drones.

• Possibly cause the tenor drone to squeal when striking in.

• Possibly cause the bass drone to roar when striking in.
  

LENGTHENING THE TONGUE

• Lower the pitch.

• Decrease stability.

• Make the sound coarser.

• Make the sound louder.

• Cause the reed to take more air.

• Decrease the chance of the reed stopping.

• Strengthen the first tone of tenor drones.

• Possibly help eliminate tenor drone squealing when striking in.

PUSHING THE PLUG INTO THE REED BODY

• Raise the pitch.

• Make the sound coarser.

• Make the sound louder.

• Cause the reed to take more air.

PULLING THE PLUG OUT OF THE REED BODY

• Lower the pitch.

• Make the sound smoother.

• Make the sound quieter.

• Cause the reed to take less air.

POSITIONING THE REED FURTHER INTO THE REED SEAT

• Raise the pitch.

• Make the sound coarser.

• Make the sound louder.

POSITIONING THE REED FURTHER OUT OF THE REED SEAT

• Lower the pitch.

• Make the sound smoother.

• Make the sound quieter.

INCREASING THE SPRING OF A TONGUE

• Lower the pitch.

• Increase stability.

• Make the sound coarser.

• Make the sound louder.

• Cause the reed to take more air.

• Decrease the chance of the reed stopping.

• Strengthen the first tone of tenor drones.

• Possibly cause the bass drone to roar on strike-in.

DECREASING THE SPRING OF A TONGUE

• Raise the pitch.

• Decrease stability.

• Make the sound smoother.

• Make the sound quieter.

• Cause the reed to take less air.

• Increase the chance of the reed stopping.

• Weaken the first tone of tenor drones.

• Cause the reed to take less air.

BALANCING DRONE REEDS

Unbalanced drone reeds are a major cause of difficulty when it comes to tuning drones. The reeds should be set-up so that if you vary your blowing pressure, the drones stay in tune to themselves, even if the overall pitch varies a little. The following method is useful for balancing or matching drone reeds and assumes that at least one tenor is correctly set up with regard to strength and pitch.

• While blowing slightly under your average pressure, stop your bass drone and tune the tenors. 
  

• Once you have done this, increase your blowing to slightly above your average pressure. If the drones stay in tune to themselves, then they are matched. If the sound begins to waver, this means one drone is less stable than the other. 

• If this happens, hold the increased pressure and re-tune the drones by locating the one you have to lengthen. This is the least stable drone as it has reacted the most to the change in pressure. Refer to your reed's instructions to increase the stability of a reed. Generally you will either shorten the tongue and or strengthen the spring of the tongue.

• Once the tenors are matched - bring in the bass drone and repeat the above steps with one or both tenors operating.

While it is important for the three drones to be balanced - they do not have to be perfectly matched over a wide range of blowing pressure - just a little below and a little above your average pressure is enough.