The Only Reed Test

THE ONLY REED TEST YOU MAY EVER NEED!

There are as many ways to test a new reed as there are bassoonists, but so many of them don't tell you much. I'm always looking for ways to save time in reed making.

Here is the one test that I think tells you a lot about a reed's potential for success:

Choose three notes for trial; one each in the low, middle and high register. For new reeds, I don't test the highest part of the bassoon range, though. Just up to high G or so.

Play the "hairpin" long tone above on each of the three notes. A well balanced reed will allow both a pp ending and beginning as well as a good FF in the middle.  Be sure you can bring the pp down to a "clarinet" style diminuendo in particular.

The pitch and tone quality should remain consistent from beginning to end. 

If the reed passes this test, I think you will notice that it also does a lot of other things well. It will articulate easily, "problem" notes will be stable, it will slur large intervals smoothly, etc.

Why does this one test predict success in other areas so well? Because it tests how symmetrical the reed's tip opening remains under more or less lip and air pressure during the hairpin.

It's all about the tip opening, folks!!

A reed whose tip cannot be closed or reopened symmetrically during a dynamic change will fail in other areas as well. There is either something faulty about its construction or the cane is of poor quality.

Try this test for yourself! It will save you time. 

The Reed Desk

My reed desk is starting to fill up with blanks. I get a lot of questions about how to get good reeds from your reed making.

Assuming proper tools and good workmanship, when dealing with cane we are ultimately faced with the predestination of botany.

It is indeed humbling to admit that, after decades of research and effort, I still make some reeds that will never be usable. I've spent a lot of time in this blog and on my website and in countless lessons with students sharing my wisdom about reed making.

However, I have to admit (as we all should) that often your efforts are defeated by poor cane quality. Even with the methods I use for cane selection, there are still factors in the cane that elude my eye.

So, when someone asks me how I ensure that I always have a few presentable reeds in my box, I give the following advice:

1. Never rely upon one source of cane for good reeds.
2. Keep a stock cane from at least three different sources at all times.
3. Always have blanks available from several different cane sources.
4. Leave them on your drying rack for at least two weeks -- longer will yield more good reeds.
5. Fill your reed case with reeds from these different sources.
6. Rotate your reeds for day-to-day use.

No Coke -- (No) Pepsi!! -- No Brands of Cane?

This classic Saturday Night Live skit makes fun of the ubiquity and dominance of blockbuster brand names like Coke and Pepsi.

We have this in the world of cane dealers, as well.  There are bassoonists who are fiercely loyal to a particular brand of cane and will not try other types.

I believe brand loyalty in cane is vastly over-rated.

Here are some things to remember:

1. Cane growers and dealers are in business to make a profit like anyone else. These are not charities!
They try to sell as much cane as possible to keep in business.

3. Cane quality differs more from harvest to harvest than from brand to brand. Everyone who has purchased from one source year after year has experienced this, certainly. Like wine producers, weather plays a big role in quality.

4. The gouge plays as much of a role in whether or not you like the cane as does the brand.

5. Any performer facing the need to play many different kinds of music during a week or month of performances is smart to keep reeds made from several different sources in the reed box. Reliance upon one brand will narrow your expressive capability and hinder execution of the often disparate demands placed upon you!

Recently, Miller Marketing Co. began offering a selection of cane I've chosen based upon measurement for cane hardness and density.

If you've read my recent post announcing this new line, you may have wondered what kind of cane I'm measuring.

The answer is, I don't know! The large batches of cane I measure are generally unmarked. I'm not very concerned about this, either!

With this selection method we are trying something new. My selection of cane is not based upon where it is grown or how it is processed (although the gouge is mildly elliptical and of moderate thickness). Over the years, I have measured cane from France, Italy, Spain and California and found pieces to use from each region.

While it is hard to compare different brands of cane, given differences in gouge, length, and also in the general look and feel of the different types, measuring for hardness and density alone allows me to focus only on the objective physical characteristics of an individual piece of cane.

This is how I bridge any differences between brands and select pieces from any source which have the best chance for success on the bocal.

Buy Cane I Select

The Miller Marketing Company is now selling a line of cane that I've selected:   

Miller-Stees Gouged Bassoon Cane

This is gouged bassoon cane that I've tested in the following ways:

•  All pieces are straight (not warped in any direction). No cracked pieces.

•  All pieces fall within my personal acceptable range for hardness.

•  All pieces fall within my personal acceptable range for density.

I've used this method for over two years now. During this time, I've seen my yield of good reeds DOUBLE from previous!

The time taken to select out unacceptably hard/soft, dense/porous cane is more than made up for by the time saved later in the production process.

I now spend MUCH less time profiling, shaping, forming, wrapping, drying, and trying to finish reeds made from cane that wasn't destined to work anyway.

While my use of these methods will not identify a great piece of cane, they do help me select out most of the pieces in a batch that are marginal or poor in quality.

To purchase some of this cane, please visit Miller Marketing Company and order directly from them.

If you want to know more about my methods, please see this recent post and this one, too.

Combining Density and Hardness to Select Cane

Expanding My Zone


In this post, I'll explain why I use both measurements to select cane for use.

In two previous posts, I outlined my methods for finding the density and hardness of a piece of cane.

It is safe to generalize that most hard cane is also dense, and most soft cane is also more diffuse or porous.

However, in my years of trial combining these two methods, I've discovered that, from time to time, I'll select a piece of cane that is on the fringe of the "good zone" for hardness, but in the "good zone" for density or vice-versa, and I'll make a good reed out of that piece.

Thus, combining measurements using the two methods of selection allows a greater yield of good reeds from the same batch of cane.

Measuring Cane Density

How I Measure Cane Density

In a previous post, I outlined my method for measuring cane hardness. Although hardness and density are closely related (it makes sense that a hard piece of cane may be more dense compared to soft piece -- and my measurements mostly bear this out), I have found enough reason to measure both.

In this post, I'd like to describe my method and my findings for measuring cane density. I have been using this method in concert with measuring hardness for two years now. I feel I have amassed enough results to draw some solid conclusions from my efforts.

What I'm about to share with you is a way of selecting cane that has doubled my yield of good reeds made from blanks using this process.

Before this, I would average maybe 2 good reeds from 10 blanks. Pretty good, considering the standard I have to maintain given the musical crucible of The Cleveland Orchestra. Now I consistently get 4-5 out of 10!

First, I'd like to acknowledge the help I received in pursuing this idea from bassoonist, David Rachor and Jean-Marie Heinrich, a scientist who has devoted much of his research to the physics, botany and geometry of arundo donax (our cane).

Measuring Density

Density is commonly measured in relation to water, which is given a value of 1. Thus, something less dense than water (all cane in a dry state) will measure between 0 and 1.

D=   M 
        V (volume)

This is the equation used to determine the density of a substance.

A pycnometer is most commonly used in measuring density.

The density is measured by the amount of water displaced by a substance when it is immersed in a chamber filled with water. A more dense substance will displace a greater amount of water.

To determine the density of a piece of cane using this equation, you need a strictly constant volume of water and mass from trial to trial and piece of cane to piece of cane. Thus, the pieces of cane measured must be as close in mass to each other as possible (this would necessitate lots of minute trimming to the pieces of cane). Keeping a constant amount of water in a chamber while measuring many pieces of cane would probably prove too difficult for easy use. Just the act of taking a piece of wet cane out of the water when finished measuring would change the volume minutely, and, over time, skew the results a fair amount.

Measuring cane density this way is too fussy and time consuming.

The test I use does not directly measure the density of cane. What it measures is the specific gravity of a piece of cane and compares it with that of water.

I use a scale with a calibration of .01g. A tolerance this small is necessary to show the minute differences in density from piece to piece. A postal scale or a kitchen scale isn't accurate enough to detect differences in cane mass.


The Method

• First I weigh a dry piece of cane. It can be gouged, shaped, profiled, simply gouged or just a split piece of tube.

• I record the dry mass. (M1)

• Then I submerge the cane in a pan of water suspended over the scale by placing it under a rack that sits on the scale.

• I record the wet mass (M2) and remove the cane from the water. It spends just a few seconds in the water.

Next I use the following formula to ascertain the density of the piece of cane:

D= density, M1=dry mass, M2=wet mass

D =   M1   
      M1+M2

What I'm measuring is could also be described as buoyancy or porosity. Cane that exerts more upward force under water against the rack than that which doesn't is more buoyant. I'm measuring the mass of a piece of cane in two different media -- air and water.

Since dry, aged cane is composed of cellulose fiber and lots of air spaces, it is reasonable to assume therefore, that cane with more air spaces per square millimeter will be correspondingly less dense than cane with fewer spaces.

This indirect way of measuring cane density takes about 20 seconds

Measuring Cane Hardness

How I Measure Cane for Hardness


I have used a hardness tester for about 20 years. While this tool will not identify great pieces of cane, it will help you select out most of the ones that will never be made into good reeds.

For those of you not familiar with a hardness tester (or impact meter), this is how it works and how I use it.

The machine has a pin that is driven into the cane using a consistent amount of force for each test. The result is an extremely small indentation in the gouge of the cane.

The meter measures the pin's depth of penetration into the gouge. The deeper the penetration, the softer the cane.

This method of selection is simple and easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Some Lack of Consistency

Anyone who has used one of these machines knows that no piece of cane yields the same hardness measurement throughout the length of the gouge. Thus, I do a few things to ensure I come up with a measurement that most accurately captures the degree of hardness for the WHOLE piece of gouged cane without spending an inordinate amount of time in measurement.

1. I could share with you the hardness numbers that fall within my "acceptable" range. Unfortunately, the number range I use may be useless to you!  Even users of two machines of the same brand may find that the two machines vary in their assessments of hardness for the same piece of cane.

Therefore, some trial and error is necessary in coming up with a number range that is useable.

2. Any piece of cane will vary in hardness throughout its gouge. There are a few ways to even out this inconsistency, though.

Sand the gouge before measuring. Many commercial gouges are rough and uneven. Places on the gouge that are thicker than the rest will yield a higher (softer) measurement than those that are thinner. If the pin drops on a low point in the gouge thickness it may give a reading that is lower (harder) than if it were to fall on a high point.

A light sanding with 400 grade sandpaper will smooth out the peaks and valleys inherent in the grain of the cane and help ensure a more accurate reading.

3. The tip is the most sensitive, reactive part of any reed. Therefore, the most critical part of the gouge for a hardness measurement is in the middle area where the two reed blade tips will be profiled. Since I do not want to place a divot in the gouge in either of these areas, I measure the point exactly midway between the ends of the gouged piece (where the fold will be). This point is close enough to the tip areas to give me an idea of how hard the cane is in these two regions.

4. If the fold measurement doesn't fall within range, I reject those pieces that are too hard. Softer pieces can either be stored for later evaluation -- a year or two of storage is sometimes sufficient for the cane to harden up -- or the cane can be gouged thinner to produce a harder measurement.

5. If the fold measurement falls within the useable range, I will measure the hardness at both ends and average the three numbers to come up with an average hardness for the whole piece.  Because some ends have "gouger bites" or other imperfections in the gouge, I always measure in from the end at least a quarter inch.

6. I then write the hardness number on the gouged piece with pencil. Later, I'll write the number on the blade of the finished reed for identification in the reed case.

This method, which takes takes less than a minute for each piece, has saved me a lot of time during the finishing stage as I now work on many fewer questionable blanks. I also worry less that I might be throwing out pieces of cane that I could have used. 

You can also use this method for measuring cane that is already shaped. If the cane is profiled as well, simply skip the fold measurement and measure the two ends and average.

Choosing Reeds -- Reed Hoarding

Hoarding the Reed

Willard Elliot also spoke about how he hoarded particular reeds. (from "Season with Solti" by William Barry Furlong)

For the tour week, for example, he'd been hoarding a particular reed to play during Beethoven's Third Symphony, the Eroica, in Carnegie Hall.  He though it was finished "but somehow it came back and I used it on our recording sessions for the Beethoven symphonies.  Then I put the reed aside and saved it because I was going to use it for the Carnegie Hall performance."  He did not use it in rehearsal, he did not use it in the Youth Concerts, he did not use it in the programs of the Mahler Sixth Symphony.  ("I used another reed for that because the requirements of the Sixth Symphony are not quite so great.")  The reasons he treasured this reed are embedded in the demands of the Eroica on the principal bassoon player.

I try to do much the same thing.  If I identify a reed I want to use for a particular piece or concert, I'll try not to use it on the dress rehearsal and probably won't play on it the day before.  The reed will be tired and less vibrant and responsive if I don't give it a rest.

A Pitching Rotation

I use an approach similar to that of a pitching coach in Major League Baseball.  I try to have three or four reeds that I could use for the week's repertoire available.  I do not use one reed for the whole week's rehearsals and concerts.   In addition, I have a "farm system" of reeds that I break in during the week that I could use the following week.  I also have some "veterans" on hand for use in a pinch.

Conclusion

For most situations, a reed that satisfies the criteria listed in my previous post, "Choosing Reeds -- Some Criteria" will be fine.  However, in some cases, demands placed on us by conductors, repertoire, ourselves, etc. make use of a good, everyday "Omnireed" insufficient to the task at hand. 

For those special situations I use the above process to select reeds that have certain inherent qualities that are different from the rest of the pack.  I try to enhance those characteristics through adjustments in one or more of the parameters listed on my website.  I then hoard these reeds (sometimes a month in advance!) and use them only for the piece for which they were intended.

Remember that you must have a large quantity of blanks available as it's probably impossible to predict what a reed's special qualities will be until you begin scraping.  Also, very few reeds (maybe 1 or 2 out of 20) will commend themselves to you as "high note specialty" or other "extreme" types of reeds.

The selection process is worth it, however.  The feeling of comfort afforded by playing a difficult excerpt on a reed chosen especially for it takes your playing to another level and enhances the impression of ease for the listener.   

Never let them see you sweat!!

Choosing Reeds -- An Example

 

An Example

Recently we played a concert at Blossom that featured Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto and Shostakovich Symphony #10.

The Beethoven contains a beautiful duet with the flute in the second movement.  For this I chose a reed that had a clear, warm tone and great smoothness and steadiness of pitch in the tenor range.

The Shostakovich contains two solo sections in the first and 4th movement.  For these solos you need a reed that has a big dynamic range, is capable of lots of color contrast and has a good "p".  My Beethoven reed had a beautful, clear sound, but wasn't dramatic enough for these solos, so I went with something else.

The solo in the fast section of the last movement features mainly low staccato notes.  Neither the Beethoven nor the reed for the other Shostakovich had great low note articulation, but I found another one in my box that did.

My Selection Process

OK, so you're probably wondering how does he actually identify reeds with particular characteristics and how does he enhance those characteristics so they can be used for the most demanding repertoire!

Given the same shape, gouge and same preliminary scrape some reeds exhibit have unusual strengths in one area or another.  For instance, though of the same thickness, some reeds will respond better than others.  These may be good for particularly soft passages like those in Brahms 4th, 2nd mvt.

Other reeds may exhibit an ease of response in the low register and good pitch in that range.  These may be useful for the opening of Tchaikovsky 6th, for instance.

Others may have an extremely vibrant, rich tone.  Good for Shostakovich 9th?

For instance, though of the same thickness, some reeds will respond better than others.  These may be good for particularly soft passages like those in Brahms 4th, 2nd mvt. 

Tests 

I test these reeds (as I do all reeds) by playing long tones, making a mental note of the reed's characteristics.  I also try playing scales at full volume to check for resonance and evenness throughout the range.  Then I'll try playing the scale in a subtone to check for ease of response and smoothness at "pp".  Then I'll test the reed by playing something challenging that I'm performing in the coming weeks to see how it does.

Enhancing Good Qualities

Next I finish the reed with the specific goal of performance of a particular piece in mind.  I usually do this just before or during the first rehearsal for that piece.  The reed is finished in most ways, to within a couple thousands of an inch thickness along the spine.  My profiler leaves much more cane on in the rails and channels.  Though I must remove a lot of cane in these areas when finishing the reed, I believe this allows me more leeway in customizing the reed, enhancing its strengths, de-emphasizing its weaknesses.

Next I use my knowledge of the various parameters of the reed's construction and scrape to nudge the reed in the right direction.  For a comprehensive list of these areas for adjustment please see my website.

For instance, if I want to further enhance a reed's low register I might trim the area near the collar thinner, ream it deeper than usual, removing cane from under the first wire and/or make the second wire more oval.

Remember that you need a large number of reeds to choose from in order to do this sort of customization as few reeds will exhibit exactly the right qualities you are looking for.

Also remember that it's OK if a specialty reed doesn't perform certain tasks acceptably.   The reed that is best for the opening of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony doesn't need to have a stable E in the staff, for instance!

In my next post, I'll discuss how I rotate reeds in rehearsal and performance.

Choosing Reeds -- Beyond the "Omnireed"

Willard Elliot

My inspiration for branching out from the "Omnireed" originally came from Willard Elliot, Principal Bassoon with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1964-1997. Willard used his reedbox like a painter uses a palette.  He chose different reeds for different tasks, different reeds for particular composers and compositions. 

Here is his description of some of his reed choices (All quotations are from "Season with Solti" by William Barry Furlong):

In many of the Beethoven symphonies, for example, we need a very dark, "covered" sound but capable of a wide dynamic range.  For Tchaikovsky, I like to have a fairly thick sound because of the nature of the writing of Tchaikovsky, especially when we are doing his Sixth Symphony, the Pathetique, which is so somber at the beginning.  It also depends on the nature of the writing for the bassoon because playing in the high register for the Stravinsky Rite of Spring will take a different kind of reed than playing the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony, or Pathetique.

In my lessons with Willard I noticed that he used several different shapes and made reeds from several different cane sources.  These were all meticulously marked on the wrapping of the reed. 

While he did use different shapes, he also believed it wasn't possible to pre-determine the qualities of a particular reed.

I don't try to predetermine what the reed is going to be, because I think the cane dictates more what the reed is going to be than what you do with it.  So in making up a lot of reeds, I make up a lot of blanks in different shapes.  The different shapes will have different tendencies so I will start working with those shapes in regard to what is coming up (repertoire), and then the cane will tell me what it is going to do -- whether it is going to be deficient in the high register.  And if it is, I try not to go too much against the natural tendencies of the cane because very often you will ruin the reed completely by trying to put something in it that is not there.  Either that happens or you go so slowly on the reed that you never get it to work.  This is something one of my teachers taught me, that it is a waste of time to piddle around with a reed for fear of ruining the sound, because the sound is in the cane.  Go ahead and get that reed to working, take the wood off, and get it to vibrating.  And if the sound is not good, you haven't wasted that much time.  Just go on to another one. 

When reading this, it's important to note that Elliot made enough blanks so that he could afford to customize the ones he finds promising in certain ways.  If you are working with just 4 or 5 reeds, this technique won't be available to you!

I firmly believe what he says about the tone being in the cane and not wasting time trying to turn a reed into something it's not destined to be.  My success rate with reeds is between 20-25%.  This comports with what others tell me.  Don't be shy about throwing out a lot of cane!

In my next post, I'll give an examples from music I performed recently, detailing how I used three different reeds for the repertoire in one concert.

Choosing Reeds -- Some Criteria

Today I'm going to get really nerdy and talk about reeds!

The bassoon reed is the medium that connects the instrument to your breath. It is the most finicky, sensitive part of the bassoon.  With a bad reed a seasoned professional can sound like a beginner!

I have devoted much of my website to the process of reed making.  Perhaps some of you have found it helpful.

I want to talk about something not discussed on the website, though -- that is, how I choose reeds for concerts, auditions, etc.

First of all, the reeds I choose for public exposure must all do certainly things well:

1. They must respond easily and predictably in all registers at all dynamics.
2. The tone must be homogeneous throughout the range of the bassoon.
3. They must have a true "pp" throughout the range. This may seem redundant with #1, but in the Cleveland Orchestra, "pp" is an especially important dynamic, so I put a high value on this quality.
4. The pitch level of the reed must match with A=440 and individual pitches must lock in place easily.
5. The tone must also be resonant and beautiful.

At first glance, my list seems to skew towards reeds that play softly but don't have a full tone.  On the contrary, I find that when I have a reed that responds easily and plays softly it usually has a full tone when that is what is demanded of it.  I believe the wide dynamic range comes from several things:

1. A reed with well-balanced blades and symmetrical tip opening
2. Cane of a medium/hard density
3. A scrape that leaves strength in areas of structural support, but is rather thin in areas of response and resonance
4. Good beveling and attention to the leverage provided by the wires and tube formation

The "Omnireed"

When first learning to make reeds, most bassoonists spend a lot of time trying to reproduce a certain type of reed as exactly as possible.  Usually it's the teacher's style.  This is extremely important, since, in reed making, quantity builds quality.

This "Omnireed" can do a lot of things (see list above).  I still rely on producing such reeds 75% of the time. However, as the player progresses and as more demands are placed upon the player by conductors, colleagues and the repertoire, identifying and enhancing a reed's particular strengths becomes more important than trying to make it do everything that is asked of it.

In my next post, I'll discuss the need for specialty reeds and how I develop them.