Bassoon Reeds

[spopepro]

I know there are some music enthusiasts here and figured that it might be fun to outline the process that all of us double reed players have to go through as part of playing our instruments. I hope that there aren't any accomplished players lurking... I'm by no means a pro at this.

I buy my cane (species: arundo donax) already gouged, shaped and profiled. The tools to do these steps cost upwards of $6k so only the most committed do these themselves. Pieces come flat ready to be formed into blanks.

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After soaking the pieces, the cane is folded and wires are wrapped to hold the tube shape and allow for adjustment later.

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Thread helps support the cane as a mandrel is used to bend the two flat pieces into a round tube. About 1 out of every 10 or so just splits and is lost.

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After the tube is formed, the lower reed is sealed using clear nail polish and then wrapped with thread. The fancy wrapped thread is kind of a nod to tradition, as waxed thread would be used to seal the tube 100 years ago. Now it just gives some support and a nice place to hold, but I couldn't imagine making a reed without the wrap.

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The blank is finished and will sit for 3 weeks to settle.

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The finishing of the reed controls the tone and response. A ledge is cut to make a clear divider between tube (not vibrating) and beak (vibrating).

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After some rough filing to get the shape close, the tip is cut to make the opening.

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Knives are used to to fine work to remove cane from specific parts to enable correct response. Since no two pieces of cane are the same density throughout, there is no measurement that can be replicated here. Scrape some cane, check for seal, crow (the noise the reed makes when played alone tells much about how the reed will play on the instrument) and repeat until it's all good. My prized tools are my 4" double hollow ground blades.

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The reed is now "finished" but won't be ready for public performance for another month or so. The cane will settle, the xylem will get plugged and collapse a little and the reed will play into shape. I could make a reed that sounds good right away, but it would only be good for a week or so. A good reed will last me about 6 months in rotation.

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[zetroc]

Nice job. Being a brass player I had no idea that double reed instruments took that kind of dedication.

[Too Tall]

Busted ;) I played Bassoon starting in 5th grade thru college and 1/2 yr. in DC symphony orchestra. I've still got a well loved roll of soft brass wire and some old tools that get used for other things these days. I played a modified Puchner and heckler bocals. My funny old teacher insisted that I learn how to make reeds early on and like yourself always had a rack of 12 to 15 marching around my peg rack!!! My best reeds were kept in a shirt pocket in a velvet lined hard leather case. Jayzus dewd you are taking me way back. You work looks nice :)

[soupless]

I love double reeds. Especially English Horn, you got one of those?

[Too Tall]

I love double reeds. Especially English Horn, you got one of those?

Double reed players spend alot of time in O2 debt. They be a bit tetched in the head ;)

[dashDustin]

Damn. Impressive.

I played sax, and got to the point where I'd buy stock 3.5 Vandorens and tweak them as needed. Always wanted to learn how to make my own, but never got around to it.

[Too Tall]

Damn. Impressive.

I played sax, and got to the point where I'd buy stock 3.5 Vandorens and tweak them as needed. Always wanted to learn how to make my own, but never got around to it.

You cats had it easy (kidding) for a mere $600 you can copy and make reeds with a machine.....ouch!!!!

[spopepro]

Dude... $600 for a profiler?!? Where can I sign up! Oh... that's right, it's for *single* reeds. I'd sure like one of these:


But it's 4x the price of the single reed machine shown.

TT: that's awesome. I suspect they looked for the one kid that wouldn't complain about the RH reach, provided you have always been, in fact, too tall. I'm sure we could clear this place out fast by talking crow pitch, the merits of a "double curve" german scrape and whether it's supposed to be a D natural or Db in the firebird solo. The horn pictured is a fox 601 with a heckel CCXL-N. I haven't played a ton since undergraduate school, but with a recent job switch, and more time, am trying to work back up to a level where I don't mind people hearing me.

[Too Tall]

Dude... $600 for a profiler?!? Where can I sign up! Oh... that's right, it's for *single* reeds. I'd sure like one of these:


But it's 4x the price of the single reed machine shown.

TT: that's awesome. I suspect they looked for the one kid that wouldn't complain about the RH reach, provided you have always been, in fact, too tall. I'm sure we could clear this place out fast by talking crow pitch, the merits of a "double curve" german scrape and whether it's supposed to be a D natural or Db in the firebird solo. The horn pictured is a fox 601 with a heckel CCXL-N. I haven't played a ton since undergraduate school, but with a recent job switch, and more time, am trying to work back up to a level where I don't mind people hearing me.

....where I don't mind people hearing me

And that my friend was why I quit, sold the bassoon and bought a pickup truck. Maintaining a decent embouchure was cutting into my party life and bicycle riding. I went out on a high note, literally, finishing to my satisfaction Mozarts Bassoon Concerto altho in hinsight that really made me want to learn tuba....seriously....tuba.

[Eric Estlund]

I'm always impressed when people make things with clean hands!

[Vancouverdave]

The whole reed-making thing is interesting. My wife is an amateur violist and violinist. During a break in a recent rehearsal of her orchestra, she saw the two oboists poring over a coffee-table book of reedmaking--Golden Age of Handmade Oboe Reeds?

[Bob Ross]

I hope that there aren't any accomplished players lurking... I'm by no means a pro at this.

It's funny you mention that. My only direct experience with bassoon players has been with accomplished players (during grad school at the conservatory and then various professional performances thereafter) and I always just presumed that the only people with the patience & dedication to be bassoonists already had achieved a pretty high level of musical accomplishment on some other instrument before they even became bassoonists. It never occurred to me that someone starting out would be able to deal with the idiosyncracies of playing the damn thing, much less having to make your own reeds! And so (sadly) I've never met a beginner or amateur bassoonist before...it's encouraging to learn they don't just spring fully formed from Zeus' forehead...or from bored clarinetists. :)

[Too Tall]

No kidding Bob. One of my teachers was recently profiled in the Washington Post because he is now playing a recently perfected contra-bassoon. Very interesting stuff for ah uh maybe 10 people in the entire universe ;) Now I'm interested in learning to play piano badly.

[rmplum]

I love me some Paul Hansen. Not your traditional bassoonist.





FCTi
-bought food/beer in college by playing sax every friday and saturday night.