I haven’t played (fought with, more like) my pipes for a good few years. Hard reeds and the “blow it in” nonsense put me off. If I get back to them, I might try the Colin MacLellan senior reeds. A comfortable reed makes piping a real pleasure and it’s better for your skill progress. I always feel I played much better the all too few times I had the most comfortable reeds. A really good tight as a drum bag is just as important imho. Nothing saps the confidence as fast as a soft, saggy bag and hard reed. In the early 80s, Pipe Major Ian Mac Fadyen was playing in a hotel in Skye and I asked him whose reeds he was playing and he gave me an address in Ireland which was a filling station if my memory serves me correctly, and they were Warnock reeds. They were good for a while. Maybe I’m just getting too old for it all.

Very interesting I do remember the dread in my younger days of having to "blow-in" a new reed ... a bit like having to go back to the gym after a long absence, you just know it is not going to be fun. As an aside I recently found some chanter reeds that were my dads, there are "new/un-used" but at least 30 years old. Should I bother trying to get them going?

Question: Chris, After a new reed settles, will it blow easier over time? I’m new and confused. However, thanks for all you do here. Very helpful. I got on pipes in January. The reed was poor; high A was thin, shrill and flat. High G was too sharp. Overall it was too easy. Got a new reed from PM last Monday. Nice tone, almost perfect balance without any tape. However, it is a hard reed. Cheers, Mike