Make Your Bassoon Reeds Easier to Play | Reed Adjusting Tutorial

[@MusicLover7545]

Ah reeds, the bane of my existence. I love the idea of using pencil marks to keep track of where you're scraping, I'll definitely try that!

[@saimonmolinam.9826]

I also use the pencil marks, that really help me to have a balanced reed during the scraping and the final results are good!

[@dianedebruhl178]

Thanks again Natalie, for a great explanation and demonstration of adjusting reeds. The pencil-marking tip is very helpful. Again, who knew?? 😊Keep up the good work! You're a gem!

[@lisaberbig1051]

This is very helpful…not able to get the low notes out when needed. I keep your suggestion in mind and “go for it”. LOL and actually hear you saying it! LOL but if that doesn’t work I know it’s a reed problem …so I’m working on that too! 😅

[@saimonmolinam.9826]

Nice video!, Very easy to understand and very well explained. Good work!

[@lincolnhumphries79]

Hi, the link for the reed knife doesn't work. Do you have any suggestions for another one?

[@MOOOOCOW]

i love you for this 💕💕

[@katief4634]

Thanks

[@CharleneHerbert]

Awesome video.. my latest problem .. one of my current reeds plays middle c# flat.... everything else in tune... and plays well in low register... suggestions?

[@0630Part2]

Thanks for this helpful video. I have a question that I don‘t know when I should replace a reed.

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

It depends on how often you are playing and rotating your reeds (try to have at least 3 reeds in rotation at any given time to extend their life), but good reeds can last anywhere from 1-6 months. You can tell when you need to replace it because it is becoming more difficult to play/control the sound, the tone becomes a little bit more dull/muted

[@LT47401]

This is so helpful and you make such clear explanations, thank you. Do you have specific suggestions when a reed is not as responsive in the higher register?

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

This is more tricky, because generally if a reed is only not as responsive in the high register, it is too soft/too thin already and you aren't able to put cane back on the reed. When I'm making reeds and want my high register to be especially responsive, I'll leave more cane on the back of the blade (closest to the collar) to assist with this. That being said, if you are dealing with an unresponsive high register on a new reed, it will generally harden up as you play it in and the response may improve.

[@alirezaamirkoorjani876]

Very helpful, just fixed 5 reeds for my daughter, I just couldn't find the link for tools

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

They are in the video description just below the video - if you still have trouble finding them shoot me an email! [e-mail]

[@DavidSkis]

Thank you Natalie! Can that spine get relatively too thick compared to channels? What does that start to sound or feel like?

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

Yes - sometimes I will narrow the spine when I feel like the reed feels too stuffy and resistance and I’ve tried the other avenues of making it easier to play. Be careful not to go too far though as it can tank the reed if you remove too much of the spine

[@randyreynolds6645]

After I get my reed playing well and I play it a few times it gets hard to play again. Should I do the same thing again or is there a different way? Light overall sanding seems to work best for me.

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

Keep sanding! Usually it takes a few playing sessions for the reed to really settle down, so it’s normal for it to harden up again. Just keep adjusting as needed.

[@witchicken5077]

Hi, I just started the bassoon. Do you have any recommendations for good reeds?

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

You're welcome to give mine a try! buildingabassoonist.com/product/reeds/

[@tonyalamir1977]

👌👌👌

[@MackSuperb]

The same concepts apply to oboe and english horn reeds. I'm about to take my knife to two new reeds recently purchased from a professional bassoonist. Wish me luck.

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

How did it go??

[@MackSuperb]

@@BuildingaBassoonist Things are coming along. I learned the hard way long ago to GO SLOW. Reed #1 is now playable and I played on it yesterday for 70 minutes. Reed #2 is coming along, but needs a bit more adjustment. Both reeds still require more work. R1 has a dull woody tone in the upper register, and not as responsive as I would like. My assessment is to remove just a bit more wood from the "rooftop" and use a little sandpaper to bevel the tip. From there adjust wires a bit it the reed is still too open. R2 is behaving like R1 was so it will follow the same procedure. Both need more playing time to continue the break-in period. To be continued. It appears that this reed builder prefers to leave more wood on the reed leaving the rest for the musician to adjust to desired behavior.

[@MackSuperb]

@@BuildingaBassoonist Repeated the process with R1 as it is still too resistant. Played today about 1.5 hours. Note I also closed the tip by adjusting the first wires just a bit, maybe by 1/4 mm. Now far less resistant. Can play low Bb to high C. Will now put R1 in regular rotation with my favorite and only useable reed, so that is good. Next R2 gets another round of adjustments.

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

@@MackSuperb Sounds like things are coming along! It takes me 2-3 weeks of regular playing and adjusting before I feel like my personal reeds are fully broken in and at their peak in terms of tone and response. But it's different for everybody of course.

[@WastingTime8340]

I found using a diamond file easier than a knife. I never got the hang of the knife and my reeds ended up unbalanced.

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

I use files as well but only for specific instances where I need to blend areas of the reed! Using the knife definitely takes some getting used to, and it's more of a specific spot type of tool rather than a blending tool. There are some reed makers who hardly use the knife at all and only use files to finish the reed!