Get Started Making Your Own Bassoon Reeds

In this video, I show you an overview of the reed making process and give you some tips for how to get started making your own reeds.
🔗 Download my bassoon fingering chart here: buildingabassoonist.ck.page/f...
🎶 Take a lesson with me, I'd love to help! buildingabassoonist.com/produ...
🎶 Purchase my reeds here: buildingabassoonist.com/produ...
00:00 Intro
01:57 Should You Make Bassoon Reeds?
08:36 Forming the Blank
18:06 Finishing the Reed
29:22 Get Started Making Reeds
🛠 Equipment I Used in this Video:
Barton Cane (I buy Fox 1, Rigotti cane): www.bartoncane.com/shop/fox-1...
Razor Blades: amzn.to/3JiRgBr
Cotton thread: amzn.to/3p9hYG0
Removable forming mandrel set: millermarketingco.com/product...
Cheaper option: amzn.to/42NKvOW (drying rack); amzn.to/468Sjhe (forming mandrel)
Reed Soaker: amzn.to/3qaQcsS
Reed Pliers: amzn.to/3OEcuNK
Reed Mandrel: amzn.to/3IGw2gM
Reed Knife (I use a different one in the video but definitely recommend a double hollow ground style knife for most students): amzn.to/3qvrzXY
Cheaper knife option: amzn.to/3CyPQ23
Reed Plaque: amzn.to/3MTsjhb
Dowel: www.mmimports.com/product/fox...
22 Gauge Brass Wire: amzn.to/3PciJsu
220 Grit Sandpaper: amzn.to/3Nf9fKb
Tip Cutter: millermarketingco.com/product...
Dial Indicator: nexuswoodwind.com/shop/ols/pr...
Tool kits: www.forrestsmusic.com/toolkit...
🙎🏼‍♀️ About Natalie:
Dr. Natalie Law is an active bassoonist and educator based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As an orchestral musician, she has most recently performed with the the Lansing Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and West Michigan Symphony. Natalie is a founding member of the Lansing-based woodwind quintet, Pure Winds, which was recently named a finalist for The American Prize and released an album under the Orpheus Classical music label. She has toured the United States as a performing artist and clinician at numerous institutions and conferences such as the Midwest Clinic and the International Double Reed Society Conference. Natalie received her DMA from Michigan State University, where she also obtained her Master's degree in bassoon performance. She completed her Bachelor's degrees in both bassoon performance and music education at the University of Montana. Her primary teachers have included Michael Kroth, Dorian Antipa, Elizabeth Crawford, and Jennifer Cavanaugh.
Natalie is passionate about teaching bassoonists. Having grown up in a rural area without a bassoon teacher for hundreds of miles, she understands the need for high quality and accessible online resources. That's why she founded and created Building a Bassoonist: to help students feel confident, successful, and enjoy learning this unique instrument!
💌 Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email at [e-mail]
Some of the links above are affiliate, thanks for all your support! ❤️

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

What questions do you have about making reeds? I'd love to know!

[@alexaarnold4200]

A few questions: Do you know of any good places to buy string/thread? How much space would you recommend to designate for reed making? Is there an efficient way to clip the reed without your little contraption?

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

@@alexaarnold4200 Awesome questions! Because I use regular cotton thread, you can find that at any place that sells thread/yarn. If you use nylon thread, it's easier to find that at a double reed retailer like Forests. My reed making takes up my entire desk, but I have a shelf storage system that I put everything back in place when I'm not actively using tools. You can get a reed tip cutter, it's like a pair of pliers but has blades instead of jaws, and you can find that at any double reed retailer. You can also use a sharp knife or razor and a cutting block. You just have to be very careful with both methods to make sure that you cut straight!

[@shkedovb]

Thank you for sharing precious knowledge

[@MusicLover7545]

Another great video! My process is a mixture of at least three bassoonists' processes, I'll pull a few things from yours to try, as well! Unrelated question: I have a Hercules bassoon stand and never know how high to set it so that it doesn't interfere with any of the keyword on the wing and long joints. What's your advice on the ideal spot for it? (I notice yours is set higher than I've tried mine)

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

I have found that I need to set it pretty high to not interfere with keywork! I also feel like it is more stable and less likely to be knocked over on accident if it is supported more along the full length of the bassoon. I just set it has high as it needs to be so that there's no rods/pads resting against it.

[@atreyu1219]

Hey, just wondering how much does typically 1 bassoon reed cost to make (without the price of tools)? Aka just how much do materials cost per reed. Thank you!

[@austinsopoci5802]

I love your content you helped me a lot and thanks for not making your reeds too expensive one question I have is why are my reeds not sealing

[@austinsopoci5802]

I have been watching your content for a while now

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

Are you making your own reeds? If so, it could have to do with your forming process and how you're beveling (or not beveling) the sides. If you're ordering reeds and find that this is a consistent issue, you might try tightening the second wire (after soaking the reed) and see if that solves the issue. Otherwise, if your reed is leaking air (or air/water), there's not a whole lot you can do on a finished reed.

[@ale-dw5so]

Hii, some of the pro reeds my band director gets me from bocal majority i struggle to get a sound on, should i scrape them down to make them more playable?

[@newlife1036]

The next video will be "Get Started Making Your Own Bassoon"

[@yaako5191]

Hey, this is more of an advanced bassoon question, but I saw a video where someone went to f below the staff on bassoon and was wondering if you had any fingering charts or anything? A lot of the time I try to play songs one octave lower or higher as practice and I’ve encountered a lot of difficulty doing so because of this issue. Apparently it is possible with a regular bassoon (Mine is a Renard Used Wooden one borrowed from school), I just don’t know enough about bassoon to produce my own accurate fingerings. (The video is called something like expanded lower register on bassoon)

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

Here's a link to my standard fingering chart: buildingabassoonist.ck.page/fingeringchart Definitely refer to this when trying to play in different octaves as the fingerings can change drastically between certain octaves!

[@ellenxu6847]

How to score the bark by myself？I felt my cane sometimes can't be formed into the tube well

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

I use the corner of a razor and draw 6 parallel lines along the length of the bark. You may not be scoring deep enough if you don't feel like your tube is forming well? That, or you might not be crimping (squeezing with the pliers) as completely as is needed.

[@josegutierrezmartinez512]

Off topic question, but what’s the name of the piece at the very end of the video?

[@josegutierrezmartinez512]

At 35:17