How to Hemp (or string) Bagpipe Joints! 

Outstanding, good teaching style and information relayed.

very handy tips. watching as i am giving my old Kintails a new bag and service. Thanks Matt.

Thank you Matt. You have a great way of teaching. This was very informative as I originally had someone else hemp my pipes. Now i'm going to give a whirl.

Hi Matt once again thanks for passing on your knowledge 👍👍

Fabulous video - very clear instructions

Thanks, Matt. I have never used hemp seal before. I have been very happy with the results using Teflon tape on tuning pin hemp. It makes for really smooth tuning. I've used it on Rosewood, Blackwood, Sheesham and Delrin Pipes. I have found also, if you always rotate your drone segments in the same direction, ie Clockwise when inserting the tuning pin, Anti-Clockwise when removing... Even though you're not actually cutting threads into the bore, somehow the hemp joint remembers that Clockwise shortens the drone, Anti-Clockwise lengthens it... Makes tuning on the fly really easy. I know many Pipers like to have their drones tuned in the fully extended position. Some even like to have a wind or two of hemp exposed. White Teflon tape may be a bit unsightly in that case, so, use Teflon tape for gas piping... It's yellow.

Thanks, Matt!

Thanks Matt, very informative, I'll definitely be prewaxing the tenons next time I rehemp my pipes.

Thanks. Seriously. Very helpful.

Each to their own and horses for courses at the end of the day whatever works for you. I do it a bit more simply, 90% yellow prewaxed hemp until there’s only about one or two layers until the joint would be tight then switch to unwaxed and apply until it is just a shade on the loose side of perfect. Moisture from playing will be enough to tighten everything up but as there is only a small amount of unwaxed it never gets too tight. Depends how often you play your pipes, if you don’t play them that often apply unwaxed until the joints are tight when they are dry, if you play them all the time have it so they are tight when they are moist. After starting from scratch with new waxed hemp you will of course need to reapply as things settle down and bed in, I have found rolling the joint doesn’t work, putting the waxed hemp on tight and neatly will minimise the shrinkage. I find if you cross thread the waxed hemp in different directions it bites into the wood more and you avoid the whole lot spinning if you haven’t played your pipes for ages and everything is bone dry, but of course we never do that do we…. 😳

Just tuned my old pipes back up. I was having a SUPER hard time picking them back up after 10years of not playing. Apparently all it took was doing a bit of maintenance properly 😂🤣

Hey Matt, love all your videos. It appears the audio is out of sync on this video; just wanted to let you know. Grateful for all your videos that helped me learn on the practice chanter and I'm now transitioning to the pipes. Your basic series has been an immense help! Keep up the great work

Hello Matt, just discovered your channel and love it. Thank you for making the bagpiping world more accessible. Your channel is truly a gem. That being said, as a non-English native speaker, I have found this very episode somehow difficult to follow, mostly due to the audio quality (e.g., I didn't really understand the division in thirds you made in order to explain the hemping and, as well, the different types of hemp string which goes with them). So I was wondering if you could perhaps post a new video using the new audio system which I have appreciated so much in other videos of yours. Also, have you thought about making a list with related hyperlinks for each of the items and/or accessories you mention/use in your videos? that would help to direct newbies like me (especially those who do not speak English as their first language: listening comprehension is the hardest to master for anyone approaching a new language). Just my two cents. Thank you again for putting together such a wonderful learning platform. Wishing you all the very best. Ciao, GP

Have you ever seen cork used instead of tread? I have seen recorders with cork and the maintenance is much much less, almost none. Constantly wrapping is a pain in the ..... I don’t want to spend too much time fiddling with pipes instead of playing. I think O rings are great improvement on the traditional method.

Hi Matt, just curious: what is the logic behind using waxed AND unwaxed yellow hemp together? Why not just use waxed?

Have you seen a flat hemping material befor?...its like flat braided wire