How to improve your reed?
"My reed is too low"
"My reed is too high"
"My reed is too hard"
"My reed is too easy"
"The sound of my reed is too clear"
"The sound of my reed is too round"
Here's what to do when:
"My reed is too low"
1 - Mill lightly and little by little.
You will mount just enough tuning fork.
- Milling = Removing wood from inside the reed tube using a tool called a “milling cutter”. If you don't have a cutter, here is the list of my tools including that of several cutters → Click here
2 - Round the rings
1. Using your pliers, press the lateral sides of the 1st ring to begin. The opening should open slightly.
- The harder the reed of your reed, the more it will have to press. And the weaker the reed, the less it will be necessary to press. Rely on the size of your opening.
2. Then press the side sides of the 2nd ring. The opening should close and return to its initial opening.
3 - Slightly tighten the rings
1. Start by checking to see if your rings are tight.
2. Raise the stem of the 2 rings, push up and down with your fingers, and see if the ring moves.
3. If the ring moves, tighten it slightly, an 1/8 turn is enough.*
- When tightening the ring, do not pull the ring, hold the brass end firmly with your pliers and twist slowly.
3bis. If both rings are tight but one ring is wider than the other, tighten the larger ring 1/8 turn.*
- Be careful, do not cut the tip with a chisel, because by cutting, you risk raising your pitch too much, irreversibly and because by cutting, you will thicken your tip, which will prevent you from making beautiful and serene attacks.
“My reed is too high”
1 - Flatten the rings
1. Using your pliers, press on the upper and lower side of the first ring. The opening of your reed will close.
2.Continue with the 2nd ring, the opening will reopen and return to its initial state.
2 - Take a peak**
On your reed, using a pencil or just your head, draw this:
Adopt slow and sure gestures. You should see very thin shavings of reed at the end of your blade. It is better to scrape too little than too much at once!
- Warning: In addition to lowering the pitch, this will make your reed easier. So be careful not to scrape too much if your reed is already easy!!
Video summary → Click here
“My reed is too hard”
1 - Flatten the rings
Using your pliers, press lightly on the upper and lower side of the 1st ring. You can also close the opening by opening the 2nd ring, by pressing on the sides of the 2nd ring.*
- It is also possible to slightly close the opening by pressing with your fingers on the upper and lower side of the middle of the pallet. Depending on the density of the reed, it will be more or less easy for you to do this. Conversely, you can open the opening by pressing with your fingers lightly on the lateral sides of the pallet.
2 - Take a peak**
See “My reed is too high” / 2 - Take a peak
- Warning:** As you saw in the “My reed is too high” section, tipping also lowers the pitch, in addition to making your reed easier. So be careful not to scratch too much if your reed is already low!
3 - Remove the step**
This technique has the merit of slightly facilitating the issue. It also lowers the pitch slightly so be careful if your reed is already low.
See the video → Click here
4 - Scratch lightly everywhere**
By lightly scratching the entire palette, you will facilitate your emission in all registers.
- Caution: This quickly clears up the sound. This is a particularly sensitive operation so take it easy.
See the video → Click here
5 - Scratch at eye level**
This technique makes your reed easier and also rounds out the sound.
See the video → Click here
“My reed is too easy”
1 - Enlarge the opening
Rounding the 1st ring: Using your pliers, press on the lateral sides of the 1st ring to enlarge the opening of your reed.
OR Flatten the 2nd ring: You can open the opening by flattening the 2nd ring. Press on the upper and lower side of the 2nd ring with your pliers.
When to round the 1st ring and when to flatten the 2nd ring?
Flatten the 1st ring when your reed is on a high trend and round the 2nd ring when your reed is on a low trend.
2 - Tighten the rings + enlarge the opening
As you lift the shank of each ring, if you see the ring move, it may be a good idea to tighten it. With your pliers, firmly grasp the rod and turn 1/8 turn clockwise. Repeat if necessary until the ring is still.
- Reminder: It is better to tighten a little than to tighten too much.
"The sound of my reed is too clear"
1 - Take a “stroke”
Take a file and lightly scrape the end of the 2 blades.*
- Here is the list of tools including that of several files → Click here https://sarazinbasson.com/pages/quels-outils-buy "List of tools"
2 - Take a peak**
See “My reed is too high”/ 1 - Make a point*
- By removing wood from the tip, you will create a "cliff" of wood which will create resistance and it is this resistance which will prevent impurities in the clean sound from occurring.
“The sound of my reed is too round”
1 - Flatten the rings
See "My reed is too high" / 1 - Flatten the rings
- Caution: Flattening the rings also lowers the pitch slightly.
2 - Scrape very lightly in front and in the middle**
This operation is not often recommended but if your sound is really too round, it is dreadful. Fearsome in every sense of the word, the reed is very sensitive in this area, so remove very little wood.
See the video → Click here