Seivane Manual De Instrucciones página 46

• You should never grab the chanter by the bell end or by its body to turn it or to try and remove it as it
is very easy to break it. One good operating method consists of holding the chanter's stock with the left
hand and the bridge of the chanter with the right hand. With the thumb on the right hand putting some
pressure on the stock, turn and, at the same time pull the chanter out with a lot of care until the end of
the cork. The thumb on the right hand should coordinate both hands so that the chanter comes out
straight and, as a result, the chanter reed will not graze the edges of the chanter stock.
• Be very careful with knocks and grazes, as they can help the wood to crack as well as producing a gen-
eral deterioration in the instrument.
• Check that the chanter and drone reeds are inserted firmly in their slots to ensure they are airtight.
• When you inflate the bag, try to ensure that you do so in a way that introduces as little humidity as pos-
sible. Once the necessary pressure for the acoustic functioning of the gaita has been achieved, try to
keep this constant with the help of your arm (tempering). Make reasonable use of the air held inside the
bag and avoid over inflating the bag as this will only create an excess of humidity. Remember that the
bag is a reserve of air which you have to know how to manage.
• If any of drone reeds stop or if the chanter reed does not sound, do not use excess force on the bag as
this may damage them. It is better to take the gaita apart and try and find out the cause of the malfunc-
tion. The drone reed is calibrated for average pressure. If it stops, a finger must be put on the clamps
to avoid breaking them and the reed must be raised by slightly forcing it. If the pitch is lowered, move
the clamp until the right pitch is found.
• If you are not going to use your gaita for a prolonged period of time, dismantle all parts of the gaita so
that, as far as possible, the corks recover their initial elasticity. Remove the chanter and drone reeds and
circulate air through the bag to dry out its interior. Once you have ensured there is no longer any
humidity, wrap each part of the gaita separately to avoid any scratches and store them in the protective
carry case.
• This habit of dismantling all parts of the gaita is good advice in short periods of two to three days, in
order to achieve a longer life for the corks.
46