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This section contains information for people who play the bassoon a few hours a week. If you follow the suggestions described
below, you can expect six reeds to last about a year. There are three points to pay attention to with respect to both reed longevity
and having your reeds perform as well as possible:
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Before playing, soak your reeds for about one minute in water that is room temperature or slightly above. If you have to use cold
water, that will work too, but the reed will be a bit buzzy until it warms up to the temperature of your mouth. I prefer to soak the
whole reed. If you soak only the blade, then increase the soaking time to two minutes. Soaking only the blade (for one minute) will
leave the rest of the reed too dry, then water will diffuse from the blade, leaving the blade drier than desirable.
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Make sure that your reeds dry out after use. A reed that remains wet for long periods of time will grow mold even in dry climates.
Mold and enzymes from saliva will gradually break down the reed fibres, causing the reed to wear out. If you allow reeds to dry when
not in use, you will retard the action of mold and enzymes, and your reeds will last longer. If you have a safe place to set your
reed case, then leave it open for an hour or so after playing. If you don't have a safe place, then make sure there are airholes
in your reed case, and keep it outside of your instrument case for a couple of hours after playing. Some bassoonists actually go to
the trouble of storing their dry reeds in a refrigerator, which further retards reed fibre breakdown. Reeds will eventually wear out
no matter what precautions you take, as the vibration of playing also causes fibre breakdown. Taking care to let reeds dry out
after playing will roughly double their lifespan.
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Rotate your reeds. If you have say, six reeds, it is better to use them all in a round-robin fashion than to use the first until it
is worn out, then use the second, and so on. Also, this scheme gives you the advantage of being able to select the best reed for a
particular day, situation, performance, or piece. Reeds are affected by climatic conditions (temperature, humidity, pressure, air
content, etc.) and you might find that one reed will work best in certain weather, or in a certain building or even room. You can soak
up some or all of your reeds, and while warming up, pick the one that seems to be working best. You will probably find that your reeds
get at least partially rotated if you do this. The ones that don't get rotated in for rehearsals and performances can then be purposely
selected for practice. Also don't be afraid to use a reed that works better for a particular piece. Take advantage of the fact that each
reed is a little bit different.
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If following the reed rotation scheme proposed in the Casual Use section, casual players should only need a pair of
needle-nosed pliers to make any
necessary adjustments to their reeds. If you can't play loudly enough, or can't put enough air into the instrument, then the tip
may need to be opened. If you can't seem to play softly, or feel that you need to use too much embouchure and/or air pressure to control
the reed, then the tip may need to be closed. There are four adjustments, two to open and two to close the tip, that can be made with
the pliers. When making these adjustments, be careful not to squeeze too hard, and watch the tip to see how much it is opening or
closing. Just to clarify terminology, the blade wire is the wire closest to the blade (the part of the reed you put in your mouth),
and the middle wire is the one up against the wrapping. (It is called the middle wire becasue there is actually a third wire hidden under
the wrapping.) The four adjustments are as follows:
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If you squeeze the blade wire on the sides, the tip will open in a way that will favour the middle and upper registers of the bassoon.
This adjustment will add blowing resistance to the reed and will decrease buzziness a bit.
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If you squeeze the middle wire top and bottom, the tip will open in a way that will favour the lower register of the bassoon. To get
the desired effect, you may have to pinch the sides of the blade wire with your fingers while squeezing the middle wire to prevent
the blade wire from closing as well. This adjustment will add minimal blowing resistance to the reed, but will allow you to put more
air into the instrument.
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If you squeeze the blade wire top and bottom, the tip will close, favouring the lower register, decreasing blowing resistance and making
the reed more buzzy.
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If you squeeze the middle wire on the sides, the tip will close, favouring the middle and upper registers. You may need to pich the blade
wire top and bottom with your fingers while squezing the middle wire. Blowing resistance will decreased slightly, and buzziness should
not be increased.
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This section is intended for bassoonists that are playing, on average, several hours every day. The information presented below is based on
the actual experience of professional bassoonists who are using my reeds as their principal source. Most of these bassoonists appreciate
the reduced time and worry associated with reedmaking. One of my aims is to allow them to focus more on playing the bassoon and less on
reedmaking.
My assumption is that a professional will be playing between 30 and 40 hours a week, and that one of my reeds will last approximately
the same number of hours, hence reeds will be consumed at the rate of about one per week. The usage factor, that is, the percentage of
reeds that are suitable for rehearsal and performance, seems to vary from about 33% to over 90%, depending on the individual. Almost all
of the the reeds not used for rehearsal and performance are reported to be suitable for practice and for student use.
The first stage in being able to use my reeds, is to determine one or more reed models that are right for you. I feel confident that
through following the methods outlined in the Model Selection page, the majority of bassoonists will be able to find a model that suits
them. When in this stage, I advise testing a maximum of three different models at a time, and introducing them to critical situations
cautiously.
Once decided on one or more models, the system employed by most bassoonists using my reeds involves buying the reeds in batches that
will suffice for about a year. This will mean buying roughly 50 to 150 reeds, depending on usage factor. I advise playing on all the reeds
in a batch as soon as possible after you receive them. I don't have scientific proof for this, but I believe that the act of playing on a
new reed initiates some sort of break-in/aging of the cane.
On initial playing, some of the reeds will feel like they are ready for service right away. These should be set aside for further
testing. The only adjustments I recommend at this stage are to the tip opening, and clipping the tip. The tip should be clipped in
increments of a sliver at a time. (If you always find yourself having to clip, then this can be noted, and I can make appropriate
adjustments when I'm finishing your reeds.) If you find yourself having to scrape, then I would say that either I am clipping the tip
too much for your needs, or that you don't have the model that is best for you. The reeds that doen't seem ready yet should be put away
for aging. Upon further testing of the ones that seem ready, you should find at least four to six that really are ready. Four to six
performance-quality reeds, in my opinion, will make a good rotation to give you options when encountering different weather conditions,
performance situations and pieces with special requirements. If you are using more than one model, you should try for about four reeds
per model in the rotation. This rotation should last approximately one week per reed, assuming equal use of different models.
My customers have reported that there is relatively little change in my reeds during the breaking-in period, and that adjustment made by
scraping or clipping the tip seems to have a more noticeable effect than expected. If at all possible, resist the temptation to remove any
cane. After a short, and relatively minor break-in, a reed should return to feeling as it did originally. If the reed becomes flat, or e
falls, then clip the tip, but in increments as small as you can.
About a week before a particular reed rotation is due to be retired, bring out the reeds that have been aging. You should find that a
suitable number of reeds are ready, allowing you to pick a new rotation. Repeat this process every time a new rotation is needed. At some
point in picking a new rotation, you may find that a bit of sanding and/or scraping is necessary. Just remember to do so in small amounts,
and be very careful about maintaining the symmetry and balance of the profile. The smooth profiles (MTP, PLL, FTP) should be lightly
sanded/scraped all over. When working on the profiles with raised features (TRW, SPN), stay away from the raised features. When working
on profiles with sunken features (TRW, CHN) start by deepening the sunken features a bit, then remove cane evenly all over (except to
avoid any raised feature, if present).
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Blanks, regardless of the model, will have a blade length that is 2.5mm longer than the expected blade length for that model. Start
the finishing process by clipping 1.5mm from the tip of the blank. Soak the whole reed for about two minutes in warm water. For the vast
majority of blanks, the finishing process will only involve clipping to the best blade length and adjusting the tip opening. Part of the
success of these reeds is the fact that they are well balanced and symetrical, due to the functioning of my reed machine. Removing cane
may upset this balance and symmetry.
In the normal case, the reed will now be flat and buzzy. Adjust the tip opening to your liking and test. Clip in small increments until
the pitch is good, adjusting the throat and tip opening to give the right feel. At this point, treat the reed as described in the
Serious Use section.
If after the initial clipping, the reed is not flat and buzzy, then I advise adjusting the throat and tip opening to suit you, playing
on the reed for ten minutes or so. then setting it aside to age. Play on the reed periodically (every month, say) for a few minutes. If
after six months, the reed is not functioning to your liking, then it is time to sand and/or scrape according to the recommendations in
the Serious Use section.
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Bocal Fit Problems
Note that a selection of bocal fitting is available. For more information, see the Bocal Fit section of the Model Data page.
If a reed is too loose on your bocal, you can start by kneading the ball (end of the reed that goes on the bocal) between your thumb and
forefinger. In this way, you can cause the cane to collapse a little and get a bit tighter fit. If this does not make enough of a difference,
then try the following: Soak the reed in hot water (about the temperature from a hot water faucet) for about 10 minutes. Drain the water
and place the still-wet reed in a transparent airtight glass container - a mason jar works well for both the soaking and the next stage.
Place the container under a reading lamp for about 20 minutes (or more) such that it heats the container and gives the reed a sauna bath.
The reed will emerge looking very water-logged, but no harm will have been done to it's playing characteristics. The cane in the area where
the bocal is inserted will have puffed up, and will stay that way, making for a tighter bocal fit. It is possible that this will make the
fit too tight, in which case you should follow the advice in the paragraph below.
If a reed is too tight on your bocal or does not go on 9mm, then it will have to be reamed. My advice is that the best reamer is a
drill bit, as most commercial reamers will detroy the ridge inside the reed at the bocal penetration limit. (The ridge is meant to mate
with the bocal tip and make for a smooth transition from the inside of the reed to the inside of the bocal.) The drill bits required are
those in the numbered wire sizes: #7, #8, #9 and #10. The larger numbers are a smaller diameter, that is, #10 is smaller than #9. Theses
drill bits should be available at any industrial supply & equipment company, and should cost in the vicinity of a few dollars (CDN) each.
Once you have the drill bits, wrap them with about a dozen layers of masking tape such that they will penetrate a reed exactly 9mm. Only
ream a dry reed. (Reaming a wet reed will make a horrible mess inside). Use the shaft end of the drill bits to probe the reed and find
the smallest size that won't penetrate to the inside ridge. Ream the reed with this size. There is no need to mount the drill
bit in a drill or handle, as it should be easy enough just to grab by the tape and turn. Clean up the inside with a small rat-tail file.
Soak the reed and check the fit. If the reed is still too tight, then dry the reed out thoroughly and repeat with the next bigger size
drill bit. If you are having trouble finding wire-sized drill bits and/or an appropriate rat-tail file, please be in contact and I'll
try to send them to you.
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