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Re: Reed Adjustment -

Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-05-30 01:49

Sorry it took me so long to prepare the post mostly because it's been busy at work, but also because I tied a bunch of reeds a few weeks ago and wanted to wait 'til I scrape them to write down the info. These tricks apply to European scrape (long or short, but no windows!) with no slipping.

Note 1: I usually use the crow (reed fully in mouth) as a diagnostic, but this is too hard to explain in writing.

Note 2:
some grades of cane (usually hard) seem to make fantastic reeds no matter what you do!

Note 3:
some problems might be better solved with wire, but I never learned it right, so I can't discuss it.

RESPONSIVENESS: does not 'speak' well, but everything else is fine.
1. dust the tip to remove any trace of bumps - work the rear-side-corners of the tip
2. do the same on the heart
3. sharpen the step between the heart and the tip.
COUNTER-RESULTS: clarifies (shrills) the tone. If too thin, the reed can go unstable.
NOTE: some grades of cane (usually too spongy) just don't want to speak no matter what you do.
ALTERNATE: the blades might be slipping. This is usually trouble! Some reeds can be realigned by inserting a placque, twisting and then securing with cellophane (fishkin etc.). Most reeds are not flexible enough and become both flat and unstable.

UNSTABLE REED: some notes just go "wholph" and tuning is hard to control
1. cut a bit of the tip off
2. if becomes too hard (and still unstable), back-up the blend and cut the tip a lot
Counter-results: this usually works well, but the reed can go sharp and the tone color can go shrill.

ALTISSIMO REGISTER DIFFICULT:
1. thin down the tip
COUTER-RESULTS:

JUST PLAIN HARD - assuming not too open:
1. work the tip a little bit
2. thin down the heart near the tip
3. thin-down the spine
4. without backing-up the heart, work its rear and sides
COUNTER-RESULTS:
a) Thinning the heart to similarly to the tip can make the reed irreparably unstable.
b) Overly thinning the spine, especially in the heart, brightens the sound.

SOUNDS TOO BRIGHT - but not buzzy
1. thin the sides of the heart and the front of the heart (near the tip)
=> from the very-edge to about 1/4 way to the center
COUNTER-RESULTS: might reduce responsiveness and/or flatten pitch

SOUNDS BUZZY
1. cut the tip
2. ease the step between heart and tip.
COUNTER-RESULTS: might reduce responsiveness and/or harden reed

REED TOO CLOSED:
1. soak it more
2. pinch the sides
NOTE: in cold, dry weather, there seems to be nothing that can be done apart from increasing the humidity in the house with a power-humidifier.
COUNTER-RESULTS: unstable reed, flattening pitch and risk of breaking the reed.

REED TOO OPEN:
*** NOTE: in hot humid weather, nothing seems to fix this!
*** if consistent, may need to tie longer or use thinner gouge cane
0. if not too hard, first try soaking well and pinching the blades hard together in the middle, heading towards the thread
1. if too hard, follow steps for "Just plain hard"
2. otherwise, back-up the heart in a slender W pattern
3. thin down rails and spine of that new W until it closes.
4. in extreme cases (you might identify this quickly), don't actually work the heart at all, just remove all the bark from 4mm past the thread. If still too open, remove all the bark.
5. if too hard after #4, LIGHTLY thin down everywhere you removed the bark.
COUNTER-RESULTS: unstable reed and flattening pitch.

CHOKING REED: sometimes starts out playing (and crowing) well, but ends up not taking air (and crowing like a mouse wheezing to death).
1. Typical of tying past the end of the staple. In some cases, re-tying has worked.
2. Equally often due to "green" cane (possibly not ripe, possibly too high sugar content): never had any luck fixing that!

LEAKS AIR:
1. soak more (often helps)
2. do buzzing exercises and or oboe warm-up: concave cane often separates the blades, yet the reed might still be excellent.
3. wrap cellophane or fishkin (gold beater's skin) around about the bottom half of the reed and part of the thread.
COUNTER-RESULTS: should not be any, but overly wrapping might constrain the reed's freedom to vibrate.

Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music

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