New Kaba Gaida in the Netherlands

[Koen van Egmond]

Dear people, fellow Gaida enthusiasts,

I am  Koen van Egmond. 23 years old. Flute player in three very different folk project and I have received my Kaba Gaida in D a couple of days ago and I am in love with the instrument. But it's not an easy relationship, I have found. I did not expect it to be. But I find myself at a loss.

I've taken off the drone as recommended for beginning Gaida players. I have read all I could on the instrument and I have watched lots of video's. I even have a Bulgarian friend who can hook me up with some tips. But I still really don't know how to begin. I can create a steady tone no problem. But the tuning remains a huge problem. It keeps going off tune. It keeps going higher and shifting the threads on the reeds doesn't seem to be doing anything. One minute it can be in tune and one minute it can be nowhere close to being in tune. Could you perhaps from the kindness of your hard hook me up with some sort of 10 step plan/ guide for a complete Gaida newbie all the way in the Netherlands. It would be so very much appreciated. I can't wait to blow away everyone here with the beauty of this instrument.
Kind regards,

Koen van Egmond

[Koen van Egmond]

Oh and there's something else. My low G something goes wild and makes a high squeaking note instead of the serene low G. What am I doing wrong there? Is it the position of the reed?

Op donderdag 25 juli 2013 13:29:29 UTC+2 schreef Koen van Egmond het volgende:

[Dimitar Vassilev]

1. Get a tuner
2. pick a tuning scale D or E
3. Tune the main tone
4. Check up the rest holes and see how they sound like and if they match the scale you picked in point 2.
5. Depending on results from point 4 shift reed position and the strings, add/remove tallow. The airflow for the reed should resemble the moon in the flags of Turkey, Morocco and etc.
6. If position of the reeds, shifting them and tallow/wax doesn't help you need to send the whole instrument including the spare reeds to the master.
Cheers,

2013/7/25 Koen van Egmond via Kaba Gaida <kabagaida+noreply-APn2wQeLLNmwvO...@googlegroups.com>

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[Цветелин Андреев]

Hi Koen,

Good to know that you have already started playing. If you record a video, it will be helpfull.

Currently we at kabagaida.com are writing a hanbook with 10 steps newbie giude. Unfortunatelly we are wiring it in bulgarian and it is only a draft (not checked by the old kaba gaida players). This is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AGIsU62eKHRsIQMfzA80iMxkexTnLrhjvwbm7rybqM8/edit# (Настройване на гайдуницата).There are more that 15 advices.

The reeds are brand new and could be pretty unstable. Give it a chance for couple of more days/weeks. It is hard to play untuned but keep trying.

Don't bother about the low G when the reed settles this should not be present.

Cvetelin Andreev
+359 889 651 656 

http://www.kabagaida.com 

On Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 2:29 PM, Koen van Egmond via Kaba Gaida <kabagaida+noreply-APn2wQeLLNmwvO...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Dear people, fellow Gaida enthusiasts,

I am  Koen van Egmond. 23 years old. Flute player in three very different folk project and I have received my Kaba Gaida in D a couple of days ago and I am in love with the instrument. But it's not an easy relationship, I have found. I did not expect it to be. But I find myself at a loss.

I've taken off the drone as recommended for beginning Gaida players. I have read all I could on the instrument and I have watched lots of video's. I even have a Bulgarian friend who can hook me up with some tips. But I still really don't know how to begin. I can create a steady tone no problem. But the tuning remains a huge problem. It keeps going off tune. It keeps going higher and shifting the threads on the reeds doesn't seem to be doing anything. One minute it can be in tune and one minute it can be nowhere close to being in tune. Could you perhaps from the kindness of your hard hook me up with some sort of 10 step plan/ guide for a complete Gaida newbie all the way in the Netherlands. It would be so very much appreciated. I can't wait to blow away everyone here with the beauty of this instrument.
Kind regards,

Koen van Egmond

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Cvetelin Andreev
+359 889 651 656 

http://www.kabagaida.com 

[Julian Russbach]

Cvetelin is correct. New reeds have to be broken in, and it can take a few weeks of playing. Make sure you use suet or tallow. As part of your beginning training, try to play one note and have an even tone. The tone of the gaida is also heavily dependent on how much pressure you put on the bag. Cvetelin made a video about this. Its definitely harder than it looks. Don't get discouraged. This instrument needs care and playing, it does not provide immediate gratification.

[Kostadin Gerdjikov]

Hi Koen,

I will allow myself to give a bit of advice. Do you play with the drone "turned on"? If so, that may add to the instability you are talking about because, one need a bit of practice and experience to keep an even, unchanging tone  playing with the drone. Here in Bulgaria, those who start the kabapagpipe and have no previous experience with such instruments play about six months without the drone. 

In short, check the chanter without the drone on some occasion.

It is perfectly normal for a new reed to go high. In course of time the the grains of the reed will get more and more lax and the reed will play lower. For now much more important as for tuning is not to have the bagpipe exactly in D but to keep the notes/holes intact.

Finally, If you have time make a video and send it to me. Thus, it's gonna be much easier for me to give a valuable piece of advice.

Keep on and don't despair,

Kostadin