Barrick Stees, Bassoon

Making Reeds

BASSOON REED ADJUSTING

SYSTEM #1: WIRES

  ROUND OVAL FORWARD BACK TIGHTER
#1 open tip, flat, more resistant closed tip, sharp, more responsive sharper, favors high notes flatter, favors low register more stable, tighter sound
#2 closed tip, sharp, favors high register, dark, more resistant open tip, flat, favors lows, brighter, more projecting, more responsive same as above same as above more stable, focused sound
#3 NA NA less leverage in blades more leverage, better lows NA

SYSTEM #2: SCRAPE

CHANGE OF THICKNESS MORE LESS
SIDE-CENTER-SIDE darker, favors highs brighter, favors lows

AREA THICK THIN
TIPmore resistant, sharper less resistant, flatter
BACKmore resistant low register, sharper less resistant low register, flatter
RAILS brighter, favors lows darker, favors highs
CHANNELS sharper pitch F#2-B3, rough attacks in this range, more closed tip flatter pitch F#2-B3, clear sound and attacks, more open tip
WINGS
(corners of tip)
brighter sound, favors lows darker sound, favors highs

SYSTEM #3: SHAPE

CHARACTERISTIC MORE LESS
SURFACE AREA flat, favors low register sharp, favors high register
FLAIR brighter, less focused darker, more focused
TIP WIDTH more lows fewer lows
THROAT WIDTH less focused more focused
REVERSE FLAIR IN TUBE more beveling less beveling

SYSTEM #4: BEVEL

SHORT (to 2nd wire) favors low notes, more open tip
LONG (to 1st wire) favors high notes, opens tip less

SYSTEM #5: GOUGE

DESCRIPTION CHARACTERISTIC USE WITH
THICK darker thicker scrape
THIN brighter thinner scrape
ELLIPTICAL better high notes softer cane
CONCENTRIC warmer tone harder cane
SMALL DIAMETER (24mm or less) more arched tip opening, darker sound, favors high notes softer cane
LARGE DIAMETER 25mm or more) less arched tip opening, brighter sound, favors low notes harder cane

SYSTEM #6: CANE HARDNESS

HARD brighter sound, thinner scrape, good high notes, flatter pitch
SOFT darker sound, thicker scrape, good low notes, sharper pitch