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Re: Reed making

Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2007-10-26 14:51

I must have read the same books you have read, Jay, because I have been very intimidated by the prospect of making my own reeds.

I learned how to make reeds this summer, and I can tell you, it is not an arcane science. It is easier than I thought it would be. It is also a bit tedious and time consuming. If you are not at all "crafty" -- i.e., don't like working with your hands -- you may find reedmaking less than enjoyable. If you do like that sort of thing, it might even be pleasant.

The chief thing that keeps me going on my own reeds is the control you have over the kind of reed you end up with. I have found that in purchasing ready-made reeds, even the best of the handmade ones frequently need adjustment. That's just the way it is. If you make your own, you will still have to make playing adjustments after the reed is "finished". (I am tempted to say that most reeds are never truly "finished" until they are, well . . . FINISHED (as in "done for") They change from day to day, as they age and as the climate changes.)

It would help if at first you could sit down with an experienced reed maker and have them at least teach you to tie. In my case, I had been adjusting reeds long enough and substantially enough that the scraping part wasn't much of an issue -- scraping reeds is sort of like adjusting reeds, if within the category of "adjusting" you include virtually remaking a purchased reed that didn't suit you.

The biggest issue for me, and I think for a lot of reed makers, is keeping the knife sharp. Tieing is not hard. Keeping the knife sharp is what is hard. If I could keep my knife sharp enough (I'm working on that . . .), scraping wouldn't be much of an issue, either.

The available book about reedmaking that I like the best right now is the one by Joseph Shalita, available online. I really would like to have a copy of the Weber reed book, but due to some calamity at their warehouse, it has been out of print for most of the year. Does anyone know if it is scheduled to be back in print any time soon?

Susan

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