That was a clever experiment. They are all loud enough that the neighbors will hear you practicing!

My impression was they issued hard band reeds so the drones would be steadier. New players simply blew and squeezed as hard as they possibly could at all times, just to sound the chanter. Didn't do much for timing, expression, or fingering but the point was to keep them from varying drone pressure while they struggle and to stay on the beat and remember the notes under the strain.

I’ve never understood the need for louder reeds in something like a pipe band. Isn’t one of the main characteristics of the bagpipe, that it is a loud instrument? Nowadays, pipe bands are much bigger than they used to be. You don’t see pipe bands of 6 pipers(once the minimum) now they’re regularly about 20 pipers. Why would you need to have the loudest reeds for that many pipers? Who’s that deaf that they wouldn’t hear them?😂😂😂