1.
Start with gouged bassoon cane. Soak it until it sinks (This will take
at least several hours. I am comfortable
leaving it in the water for several days if I’m working on reeds during that
time. Change the water every day to keep it clean. It will get gross if you
don’t.)
2.
Sand the
inside of the cane with fine grit wet-dry sandpaper. Sand in the direction
of the grain. (The part that is going to be the inside of the reed. You want this to be smooth and you won’t be
able to adjust it once you form the blank.)
3.
Shape the
cane. (I use a Fox #3 straight shaper, which is one of the wider shapes
available on the market). Be careful to always
cut from largest to smallest width in the shape. Cut away cane until the edge
feels smooth and like a continuation of the shaper edge.
a.
Completely shape one side before doing the other
side so that if you make a mistake, you can still make an attempt to save the
piece of cane by shifting it over slightly and reshaping to remove the mistake.
4.
Profile
the cane on a profiling machine.
a.
Be sure the cane is centered both left and right
and up and down.
b.
Take off only what the weight of the machine
will take naturally. Do not press down as you slide the blade.
c.
Flip the cane over regularly as you go. Take off
just one more layer each time (don’t do one side completely and then the
other).
d.
Do not pull fibers off that stick up. File or
sand them off.
e.
Regularly clean the blade with a dry paintbrush
to keep it clear of debris.
f.
Be sure the blade is dry and clean before you
store the machine.
5.
Fold the
cane over in the middle.
a.
Measure and mark to be sure that you know where
the center really is. Use an easel to mark this.
b.
Fold over a straight edge. Use a knife or ruler
to start the fold so that it is nice and
straight. Then remove the guide and fold the cane the rest of the way.
6.
Sand the edges
of the cane while folded over. (many bassoonists bevel the butt end of the cane
at this point. I do not.)
7.
Make note
of where the second wire will be applied from the end (17mm)
a.
I like to keep a finished reed that I know I
like next to me as I’m working on reeds. Even though I measure and mark each
step, I like to double check those marking against a finished reed to be sure I
haven’t made a mistake.
8.
Cut slits
in the cane from this point down to the butt end.
a.
I use an xacto knife and cutting block for this
step.
b.
Hold the butt end of the cane, while folded
over, firmly on the cutting block
(sticking straight up).
c.
Stab the xacto knife into the cane at the point
where the second wire will go.
d.
Cut down through the cane to the butt end. (yes,
cut all the way through!)
e.
Make 5 to 8 cuts on each side.
9.
Attach
the first wire 26mm from the end.
a.
It is important for your wires to be neat and
tight.
b.
Start by centering the piece of wire on the cane
on the side where you want the twist to be.
c.
Wrap it around each side and cross the right
side over the left side so that when you bring it all back around to the front
you can twist the wire together clockwise to tighten it (keeping with the lefty-loosey-righty-tightey
concept).
d.
Shift the wire into position so that your
measurement for the wires is the line between the two wires.
e.
When you tighten the wire, you need to pull
slack out while supporting the reed near the wire, and then twisting gently.
Repeat.
f.
Tighten this first wire until it crimps the
edges of the cane slightly and absolutely no space shows at any point under the
wire, especially where the twist is (this is the point where most people get a
crack when forming the tube if they have not tightened enough).
10.
Attach
the second wire 17mm from the end.
a.
Make sure the twist is on the side opposite the
twist of the first wire.
b.
Do not tighten this as much as the first wire.
It should be very snug, but not pinching the cane.
11. Attach the third wire near the end
(distance isn’t important at this point).
a.
Tighten it only by hand. It will be loose.
b.
Wrap it 3 times rather than just 2.
c.
It does not matter which side the twist is on.
When you are done forming the tube, this wire will be perfectly round and will
be able to be rotated into position.
12. Some
people wrap the reed with a wet shoestring or rubber bands at this point. I
find that if I have applied the first wire tightly enough that I do not need to
do so. If in doubt, wrap the reed with a wet shoestring at this point. We don’t
want any cracks creeping up into the blade.
13. Insert the mandrel into the end of the
reed. Gently push and twist as far in as you comfortably can using just your
fingers.
14. Use
pliers to gently squeeze the reed open
at the sides of the second wire as well as slightly at the first wire.
15. Insert
the mandrel further.
16. Repeat until you have inserted the mandrel
to the mark you have made that indicates how far in it needs to be (you
will need to do some experimentation as you learn to make reeds to figure out
how far on your mandrel the reed should go. When you know where that point is,
use a file to mark your mandrel. I use a fox forming mandrel and take the reed
down to a mark I made that is 44mm from the tip)
17. Massage and mash the cane from the
second wire down with your pliers.
a.
Let the third wire be free and move it up and
down to get it out of the way so that you can work all of the area from the
second wire down.
b.
Use lots of strength against the mandrel and
really mash the cane up. You are taking something that was flat and you are
making it round!
18. Tighten the third wire at the point
where you want it for your wrap.
a.
The butt should be perfectly round when you take
it off of the mandrel. If it isn’t, you need to put it back on and mash it more
with your pliers until it is.
b.
Location will depend upon what type of wrap you
intend to use. I place it slightly higher when I’m going to use a traditional
turban wrap and lower when I intend to use electrical shrink wrap.
c.
Don’t tighten it so much that you can’t get the
reed off of the mandrel easily.
19. Snugly
place the reed on a drying rack and
allow it to dry for at least a day.
20. Take
the dry reed off of the rack, put the reed on your mandrel, and gently tighten the wires so that the reed is
held together with no space on the sides (the reed will shrink and wires will
become loose during the drying).
21. Clip
the wires so that they are the length you will want for the finished reed.
22. Use
clear nail polish and seal the sides of the reed between the first and second
wires and paint all of the reed from the second wire down, including the butt
end.
23. Wrap the reed. It is fine (and actually
a little easier) to apply a turban wrap while the nail polish is still a little
wet. If you are going to use shrink wrap and apply heat, wait until the nail
polish is dry so that it does not catch on fire.
a.
If you use a string turban wrap, you need to coat
the string with nail polish or a glue such as duco cement and allowing it to
dry before going on to the next step.
b.
At this point, I allow my reeds to sit for six
months to several years before finishing them. The longer the blank rests, the better. You will not have this
luxury as you start your reed-making process, but eventually make enough reed
blanks ahead of time so that they can sit and stabilize over a long period of
time.
24. Soak the reed for a few minutes.
25. Score the cane with an xacto knife or edge
of a small file above the first wire. The score mark should be parallel
with the wire and as far above the wire as is the width of the wires themselves
(the shoulder should end up being about 28.5mm from the butt end). Do one side
and then flip the reed over and make sure the other side lines up with each
edge of your score mark.
26. Place your thumbnail in the score mark and
cut towards it with the xacto knife to make a neat ledge. Do this for the
whole length of the score mark on both sides. You want to make a nice 90 degree
ledge/shoulder. The cut should follow the contour of the cane so that it is
continuous and smooth.
27. Mark the tip of the reed 55 mm from the
butt end.
28. Clip
the reed a smidge longer than this mark.
a.
I usually end up clipping again as I go back and
forth between thinning and balancing the tip.
29. Crow
the reed. It should sound even though it is thick. It is now time to finish the
blades.
30. Rewet the reed, sharpen your knife and
let’s finish the tip.
31. Insert
a plaque (guitar pick) into the tip and using your thumbnail as a guide, so
that you don’t drift away from the very tip, sand a ledge across the tip of the reed with a sanding stick,
taking the very tip down to a think ledge that is about 1mm wide and very thin.
a.
You can take this REALLY thin, since you clipped
the tip a little bit on the long side and thus have wiggle room to clip again
if you make a mistake.
32. Take
your knife and blend the thumbnail
regions of the reed into this very thin edge.
a.
Use a fanning motion.
b.
Keep the knife sharp. Don’t gouge out holes or
catch and tear the cane.
c.
Scoop and drag cane off, don’t push cane off.
33. Use
your knife to smooth the channels, take excessive cane from the heart and spine
and balance the reed as needed. This
is an art form that takes practice to learn. See the attached guide for areas
of adjustment.
a.
When you look at the reed from the side, no part
of the profile should be bumpy (if there is a bump in the spine, do remove
it…though you do want to maintain a spine and be careful to not cut too much
out of it).
b.
If any part of the sides of the reed look thick
and then suddenly thin, they need to be blended. The thickness should be a
smooth, continuous taper on the sides.
c.
The more difference you have between the
channels and the spine, the darker your sound will be.
d.
If the thinness of the tip goes back too far,
your E and C# will sink and be unstable and flat. Be careful that you do not
thin the tip back too far in the center. If you do, you will need to clip the
tip to maintain balance.
e.
We often leave too much cane in the back of the
reed, which hampers response in the low register. I often find I need to take
cane out of the back, especially on the sides.
This reed making procedure is a combination of styles from
Dr. Peterson’s teachers and her own experience. These teachers include:
- Mary Beth Minnis (Central Michigan University:
studied with Robert Barris)
- Marc Goldberg (Hartt School of Music, Julliard:
studied with Harold Goltzer)
- Michael Burns (University of North Carolina at
Greensboro: studied with William
Winstead and Leonard Sharrow)
