Is there a trick to making the pipes or chanter play?

The reed should sit firmly in the reed seat of the bottom part of the chanter. The top part should then fit over the reed and form a firm fit over the yellow hemp. The chanter is now ready to play.

If you just blow through the top of the chanter, you should get a high pitched noise - this is actually the High A note of the chanter. If you don’t get this noise, the reed is damaged and needs replacing. If this is OK, you then need to cover all the holes on the chanter, inc. the one at the back (thumb of the left hand) and you should get a low noise when you blow (LOW G note).

As you then lift up the fingers in accordance with the book, you will hear each different note sound. If you have been missing a hole covering, you will get a continuous high note as this is creating a false note, so it is vital you cover all holes to begin with.

Also, a lot of people tend to blow too hard when they try to change from one note to another and blowing too hard will cause the reed to cut out. The reed does not need to be wet to be played.