About every two months, a new reed for the chanter of the highland pipes must be broken in. A reed, when it gets old and has been frequently played, begins to rise in pitch, squeak on certain notes, and is even more temperamental than usual. Frequent playing in hot dry climates accelerates the decay; the concert in Woodburn marked the end of the road for this old reed. This reed has seen me through teaching at the Monterey and Santa Cruz music workshops, fourth of July in Iowa, the Montana trip, and half of this Oregon adventure so it’s served it time.
Breaking in a new reed is not something most people would enjoy hearing , even when done by an accomplished piper.... and not knowing the Salem area, I set off in search of the nearest abandoned field. I thought I’d found one but it turned out that this field bordered the common ground of the Oregon State Penitentiary--not an ideal audience for such an activity. Luckily I found a large field further down, where I proceeded to serenade the Marion County Fire Station. Some passer-by’s also stopped to listen (once I got the reed sounding good anyway!).
It then takes some time, under normal circumstances, to get to know the personality of the reed but I had to hope this new reed would behave as I was already running late to the nights show.
We arrived at Sam Bonds Garage in Eugene and began to set up. The Garage is a cozy, low-key pub with soft colorful lighting that reminded me of a few places I’d been to in Australia so right away I felt at home. A very eclectic audience gathered once we began playing--filling the front room. It was a great night of fiery fast tunes and nicely tuned bagpipes! Success...my efforts on the new reed had paid off. After the show we chatted with the regulars for a bit and indulged in free sushi given to me by a nice couple in the parking lot.
And a late, late night fades into an early, early morning....time for the next show!
David
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