How to Tune the Bagpipe Chanter

Video Transcript

"MAN: I'm going to talk about how to tune the chanter. Basically, it's a fixed tuning in sort of an A sharp at about 475 cycles per second. That's sharper than the concert pitch A of 440. It's almost a B flat. The chanter reed sets into the throat of the chanter and it's a very small adjustment that allows you to tune in to a low A, which in this case is. You can make slight adjustments, flattening the pitch on each of these holes by putting a little black tape over the top of the holes. Right now, I've got tape on G, A, B, C, F, and G, and the high A. You can also adjust the pitch by moving the chanter reed slightly out to flatten it a bit, or slightly in. You might be able to see also, I've got a little rubber band around this reed. It makes it a little easier to blow and by pushing the rubber band up, it will sharpen the pitch slightly. So, there are a couple ways to change the pitch, but you can't really change this chanter to play in C or D. It plays in the key of basically A Sharp."