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 |
|---|---|---|
| TIP | more resistant, sharper | less resistant, flatter |
| BACK | more 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 |