Goal: sharper, stronger, better resistance
Plan: Your reed needs steeper tapers overall. Work mostly in the front third of the reed, toward the rails, and according to the quality of the cane (which is likely to be soft in this instance) and the reed’s natural break-in period.
Suggestions for Finer Work
- Is the critical point the correct thickness? (60-61 hundredths of a millimeter OR 24-25 thousandths of an inch)
- Is the reed the correct length? (29 mm from the top of the first wire to the tip)
- Are you playing on the correct side of the reed?
- Is the second wire snug?
- How is the tip opening? Can you round the tube?
- Are E3 and C#3 dropping in pitch? If so, round the tube.
- Close this window to return to the learning module for further tests you can run.
The material in this learning module comes from The Banana of Life: Peeling Away the Mysteries of Reed Making for the Bassoon by Rian Craypo and has been edited for clarity by Jessi Vandagriff. Please do not share or distribute this information to those not using the decision-based learning model. Used with permission.