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Re: first reed

Author: jhoyla
Date: 2015-04-16 11:24

Hmm, I remember starting out all by myself, 30+ years ago. Sounds like you are doing amzingly well for a beginner! Here (unbidden and probably unneeded) are some of my reedmaking thoughts. YMMV, and if you or your teacher don't like this advice feel free to ignore it.

Quote:

Sharpen your knife
Make no mistakes
Adjust for function (not for tone)
(c) Martin Schuring - ASU

Is your reed sealing well, all the way up to the tip? When wrapping - that should be what you focus on.

Even though the tip needs to be very thin, you must not give it ANY excuse to go off and do its own thing!
Any part of the tip that can be used as a fulcrum or that is heavier than the rest will allow parts of the tip to vibrate at their own pet frequency instead of being in step with the rest of the reed. This is your whistle.

Long, light strokes from blend to corners, straightening up just before you go off the edge, can fix an unruly tip. I call this motion "dusting the tip" and really it is exactly that. If you remove anything other than the finest dust you are pressing too hard.

The blend is the gateway to the heart of the reed. Smooth, even, well-balanced transition into the heart.

The blend is where you may need a contoured plaque, but for the tip always use a flat plaque. Don't TOUCH the tip with your knife without a flat plaque.

Take too much out of the heart and you lose everything - leave too much there and you are playing on two planks of wood placed side by side. "Between a sock and a hard place".

Balance is the key. At this point in your reedmaking development, count strokes of the knife and always perform exactly the same action on all four quadrants of the reed.

Long strokes come from the the opposing thumb, short from the knife wrist. Use the weight of the blade instead of downward pressure.

Sharpen your knife - and welcome to the long road!

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