 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Alexey
Date: 2026-03-17 13:37
Hi!
I came across a video about reed adjustments:
https://youtu.be/7AjofKlhPf0?si=yZdCftFhCoCxkDbp
I believe that Hanstoni Kaufmann is a very experienced reed maker, and he is also excellent at reed adjustments. In this video, I learned an interesting and new trick.
What really caught my attention, though, was his diagram showing how different parts of the reed affect specific ranges and aspects of the sound. It seemed a bit unusual to me. So my question is: does anyone know the physics behind how different parts of the reed influence vibration in particular registers or notes?
I don’t have a formal background in this area, but from my experience, almost every part of the reed affects nearly every note or register. It usually comes down to finding the right balance between the vibrating and resisting parts of the reed (or, in other words, between the more “transparent” and darker areas of the reed).
Post Edited (2026-03-17 13:43)
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-03-17 22:52
Sounds like BS to me. I don't know how he could possibly prove that. The rest of the video was interesting. Reminds me of why I just pick a different reed rather than work on them for hours on end.
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Author: donald
Date: 2026-03-18 16:25
Both my ex partner and my current wife (both pro players with years of experience performing in USA and Europe) have exclusively used reeds that I have balanced/adjusted. The concept that different areas of the reed affect different pitches, and testing this this informs your adjustment, is the most widely accepted principle shared by experienced "adjusters". The article in The Clarinet by Henry Larson "The Reed Connection" (published in the 1990s) isn't particularly scientific, but provides a simplified explanation of this.
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-03-18 18:42
The reality is, any change at all is going to affect all notes to some degree. The idea that removing material where the vamp meets the bark only affects the low register or removing material at the tip only affects the high register is ridiculous.
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Author: Alexey
Date: 2026-03-19 01:42
Hi Donald,
Thank you for your response.
I would consider myself an experienced “adjuster,” which is why I’m interested in the physics behind the idea that specific parts of the reed influence particular notes or ranges.
I’ll come back to that later, but my main question concerns the scheme proposed by Hanstoni. It differs significantly from the more common approach, which assumes that the lower parts of the reed affect the low register and the upper parts affect the high register. At least to me, Hanstoni’s perspective feels quite unique and interesting.
Coming back to the practical side, my concerns (or rather open questions) relate to how the reed actually functions, and whether its behavior is really as straightforward as we often assume. This is also why I find the Hanstoni scheme interesting.
1. If I scrape the lower part of the reed, I can improve the low notes, sometimes making them quite beautiful. However, this can suddenly compromise the altissimo, which may become too flat or even nearly unplayable. I assume this happens because the reed’s core loses some of its ability to resist the vibration of the tip.
2. If I scrape the tip to improve the altissimo, the reed can become unstable overall, with an unpredictable response. I suspect this is due to an imbalance in the transition between the tip and the heart.
3. In general, if a reed feels unbalanced (right to left), it often makes sense to work along the entire length of the harder side, regardless of whether the issue is more noticeable in the low or high register.
In simple terms, a reed seems to consist of “lighter” and “darker” areas, along with transitions between them.
Broadly speaking:
Lighter areas influence:
1. Response
2. The ability to play softly
Darker areas influence:
1. Stability
2. Hold when playing loudly
3. Overall reed stability
What remains open to debate:
Whether lighter areas primarily affect higher notes
Whether darker areas primarily affect lower notes
(By “darker,” do we mean the thickest parts of the reed, closer to the bark and the center? or still light parts that are darker than the tip itself)
At this point, the only conclusion I can state with some confidence is that removing cane from any part of the reed makes it softer, more flexible, and easier to play and control. Probably that's why there are many types of reed adjustments that work - removing a tiny bit here and there makes the reed a bit more flexible and easier to control. Of course, it’s also possible to make it too soft.
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Author: donald
Date: 2026-03-19 05:51
I haven't watched that video, but no one I've ever met thought....
"The idea that removing material where the vamp meets the bark only affects the low register or removing material at the tip only affects the high register is ridiculous."
And if you read what I wrote, I never said it either... I said that the different areas/pitches could inform or guide your alterations. I have no idea what that VIDEO says, but given the evidence of your posts above (Lydia), it could be that you've misunderstood that as well.
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Author: kurth83
Date: 2026-03-19 14:02
I watched the video, great information, I would add to it Tom Ridenour's contribution that most reeds benefit from removing imperfections in the taper, making them uniform without dips or bumps (intended to fix individual notes for example). His ATG system is designed to go that route and make it super easy. Removing stuff near the tip or the back is compatible with ATG and Tom talks about that too, but this video was more clear to me as to why you do that. When Tom corrects balance, he does the entire side of the reed that needs to be softened, I think that's a pretty crucial thing for getting a well-balanced reed.
I appreciated the recommendation for sanding the back of reeds for smoothness and flatness, something I have always done as my teacher taught me that.
I appreciated the guy who plays d'addario evolutions, as that is my favorite reed these days too.
I loved all the talk of how to spot imperfections in reeds by examining the grain and uniformity of the reed.
I was a bit surprised at all the talk about the raw cane at the beginning, but it was really useful once he got into it, a really great video. Thanks!
Aging classical trumpet player learning clarinet as a second.
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Author: Alexey
Date: 2026-03-19 14:03
Hi Donald, thanks for pointing me to Henry Larson’s articles; they are definitely worth reading.
Post Edited (2026-03-19 17:31)
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Author: Alexey
Date: 2026-03-19 14:03
Deleted as a duplicate of the above
Post Edited (2026-03-19 17:30)
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Author: lydian
Date: 2026-03-19 18:43
donald wrote:
> I haven't watched that video, but no one I've ever met
> thought....
> "The idea that removing material where the vamp meets the bark
> only affects the low register or removing material at the tip
> only affects the high register is ridiculous."
> And if you read what I wrote, I never said it either... I said
> that the different areas/pitches could inform or guide your
> alterations. I have no idea what that VIDEO says, but given the
> evidence of your posts above (Lydia), it could be that you've
> misunderstood that as well.
That's what the video says. No misunderstanding on my part. What you're saying is reasonable.
Besides that, the video is very factual and informative.
BTW, it's Lydian, like the musical mode. No, that's not my real name.
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Author: GML
Date: 2026-03-20 14:50
I work on my reeds (purchased) with this method since two years i had discovered the book from Hanstoni Kaufman "Adjusting Single Reeds". This is the best method i ever applied.
There are other "reed area approaches" e.g. from David Liebman i worked on, but it's not as methodical.
These are only minimal adjustments. If you have to sand down one entire side too much the reed is a lost case. You can make a good reed better - that' s all.
But this only works if the reed isn't warped. I'm not sanding the flat side, i am pinching the fibers down so that flat side is slightly concav. This is reversible when the fibers get wet.
So i control before every playing flatness, balance over the range and make adjustments if necessary.
Gerhard
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