Highland Chanter Reeds

Synthetic reeds have become available for a range of woodwind instruments in recent years. However, achieving the correct tone and response in Highland bagpipe chanters has remained difficult until the introduction of the McLaren Synthetic Reed.

The advantages of McLaren Synthetic Reeds over traditional cane reeds are their ability to play in conditions where cane reeds can be unreliable, particularly in severe weather conditions such as humidity, heat and cold.

Because they are almost instantly in tune when correctly set up, there is very little tune-up time, and they are very useful in situations when they are needed to be playable straight out of the box.

McLaren Synthetic Reeds are not intended to be a replacement for a good cane reed in the competition scene. However, because these reeds are almost indistinguishable in performance and sound from a cane reed, many pipers use them to get the most satisfaction from their playing without the manipulation that is sometimes required with cane reeds.

Testimonials from satisfied pipers confirm the McLaren Synthetic Reed is a viable alternative that allows more pleasurable playing. See the videos page for testimonials and listen to the results.

McLaren Synthetic Reeds can be played at a much lower pressure while still retaining good volume. This makes it possible to play an easy set of pipes with satisfactory results.

For beginners and older pipers, the McLaren Synthetic Reed offers a usable alternative to sometimes troublesome cane reeds.

Further technical information

Detailed technical information, including reed strength comparisons and setup guidance, is available on the Technical Info page.

A range comparison chart is also available, showing how McLaren reed strengths align with inches of water or mm of mercury.