The Great Highland Bagpipes

The bagpipe is first attested in Scotland around 1400 A.D., having previously appeared in European artwork in Spain in the 1200s. The earliest references to Scottish bagpipes are in a military context, and it is in that context that the Great Highland Bagpipe became established in the British military and achieved the widespread prominence it enjoys today, whereas other bagpipe traditions throughout Europe, ranging from Spain to Russia, almost universally went into decline by the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though widely famous for its role in military and civilian pipe bands, the Great Highland Bagpipe is also used for a solo virtuosi style called pibroch.

Though popular belief sets varying dates for the introduction of bagpipes to Scotland, concrete evidence is limited until approximately the 15th Century. The Clan Menzies still owns a remnant of a set of bagpipes said to have been carried at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, though the veracity of this claim is debated.

Although bagpipes are by no means unique to Scotland, the Great Highland Bagpipe—or Piob Mhór as it is known in Scots Gaelic—is undoubtedly the best-known bagpipe in the world. It has been played in Scotland in one form or another for the past 600 years.
(found at wikipedia.org)

Synthetic versus organic

If we are talking synthetic "anything" when it comes to the Highland Bagpipes, (and how long it has taken any of it to catch on), lets start with the Synthetic Bag versus the Hide Bag. It was the high maintenance that forced most pipers, no matter how traditional they wanted to be to head to synthetic. The hide bag with constant required seasoning, complex tie-ins, little internal access, and stock placement, has done nothing beyond "barely perceptible" to enhance the sound over gortex. Still...it takes time for pipers as a whole to embrace something/anything new, regardless of how it may simplify their life.

The first reeds (drone and chanter) were made of phragmites australis, the native cane of Europe. The problem was that this type of cane was, and is very sensitive to humidity. Another type of cane, arundo donax, native to mediterranean areas, was introduced to temperate regions, has been used in modern times. This drone reed is considered to be the best sounding. Unfortunately, cane can be very unpredictable in different weather conditions, hence the push for the development of more stable synthetic reeds.

Due to this unpredictable element, pipers have had to become "cane" technicians just to be able to use them. Wedging hair under the tongues, sealing tips with wax, and ultimately shaving or reshaping the chanter reed became necessary to make it perform to the pipers standards.

Enter the synthetic drone reed,made from a tube of vulcanite with a vibrating tongue. The year was 1908, over a century ago! Several attempts were made to make a synthetic reed that would be widely accepted but it was Ross Reeds from Geoff Ross of Australia that introduced the first "modern" synthetic drone reed back in 1985. That opened the door, and though it doesn't exist in the same form, today you will find that most pipers are using some type of synthetic drone reed made by any number of quality reed makers. (found at www.bagpipejourney.com)

Synthetic Chanter Reeds have not caught on as quickly (if a century of experimenting is quick). Several reed makers have attempted to make a useable synthetic reed, yet no one has been able to come close to the warm sound of cane, and that has turned most pipers off to the possibility of a synthetic chanter reed ever being possible. Until now...

The McLaren Synthetic Chanter Reed

Concerning the reed, Cory Dale writes:

The McLaren Synthetic Chanter Reed is the culmination of 15 years' research and development by Malcolm McLaren of Brisbane, Australia. It represents a monumental leap in piping technology, finally offering an alternative to cane chanter reeds without sacrificing tone and volume. In my humble opinion these reeds are by far the best of the synthetic chanter reeds available to date. They have been played by many pipers ( some "A" grade ) in solo competitions and demonstrations here (and overseas ) and have not been picked as a plastic reed, as the tone is so close to that of a traditional cane reed, only the most well trained ear can pick it. They offer stability and reliability in tone and tuning..... as you can see, even dunking it in water will not change it. This reed is the ultimate for those who play at weddings and funerals as it does not change in pitch. It also offers great volume for pressure and is available in strengths from 13 (really easy) -20 (hard) the reed played was a "medium " of 17

Synthetic reeds have been available in recent times for a variety of woodwind instruments but until the introduction of the McLaren Synthetic Reed, development to suit Highland Bagpipe chanters to obtain the correct tone and response has been difficult.
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 condition, 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, but because these reeds are almost indistinguishable in performance and sound with a cane reed there are many pipers who use them to get the most satisfaction from their playing without the manipulation

This is an incredibly reliable reed, and it's sound is warm without the thin sound often associated with a synthetic. The McLaren Synthetic Chanter Reed is tomorrows reed for nearly every piper...and it is available today.

Slainte!