A number of years ago (mid-80's, I think), my father bought a practice chanter at a Scottish gathering. It was a boxed set, came with a book, and a cassette. The only clue as to who made the chanter was the box, which said "manufactured by Harp & Lion Press 197 Main St. Annapolis, MD." He never really played it, and had no real interest in learning to play the pipes.

Yesterday, he gave the chanter to me.

Now, I don't know that I will ever take up the pipes (I'm not discounting the possibility, though, and my step-son is interested). I do have some questions, though.

How do you tell the quality of a chanter?

Where do I get additional reeds for it?

How do I tell if a reed needs replaced?

How much effort should it take to put air through it?

I'll probably come up with more questions, and I'm sure that a pipe instructor could answer these, should we decide to actually learn to play.