ugh! I just started bassoon after playing flute for 3 years. I bought a reed at my local music and arts store and has lasted me like 3 weeks so far. But then I bought another one there and it cracked in a week. I didn`t even play it. I thought what if my reed breaks, then i`ll need a backup one. Why do they break?! They`re soooooo expensive 2. I`ve looked online and at other forums and they say store bought reeds stink. I know nothing about reeds (well actually a little. lol) because I`m a beginner and im really frustrated. I looked online and it says some stuff about plastic reeds. Are they worth it? Theyre like $20! Anyway, if you know any good reeds email me or if you make your own and sell them for cheap. What`s a good reed for a beginner who is teaching thenselves? Thanks

Kaity

I`m in the same predicament, kinda. I switched to bassoon last year after playing flute for 6 years. Quite a change. Different clef, type of instrument, and plus, my hands are REALLY REALLY small. Something that I have found to work that my director showed me. After soaking the reed for a few minutes, if you snip the corners of the reed, it tends to be more resistant to cracking, chipping and breaking. I did this to my favorite reed, and it has lasted almost 6 months now. Actually, it is probably shot, but I can`t bare to part with it!
Store bought reeds are crap, but unless you know someone who can make them, probably a proffesional. They would be very expensive, but well worth the money.
Ive never heard of plastic bassoon reeds, but every other instrument I`ve heard with them sounds pretty bad. It doesn`t have the same quality of sound. I wouldn`t.
Anyways, hope this helped!

thanks!

If you know how to shave reeds, then go ahead and buy store reeds. They are usually left thick so that the player can adjust to his needs. If you don`t know how to shave reeds, or don`t know how to know if a reed is good or not, then you should learn as quickly as possible.

Hi.. Ive been playing the bassoon for 4 years going on 5 now.. to answer your question... there are plastic reeds.. I had one.. but broke it when my baritone sax friend accidently hit it (sure.. it was an *accident*)(rolls eyes). Some reeds do last longer than others.. if store bought: some reeds last longer than others, some levels of hardness last longer than others and then finally how you store them greatly effects how long they last. I suggest getting a good case that you keep only reeds in.

Hi i`m just goin` to start playin the bassoon net thursday as well as the flute. I`ve just bought my first reed for £7.50 from a store. I hope it lasts long. I`ve heard of synthetic ones, they seem to be quite cheap and you don`t have to soak them. Well I`m not sure because I havn`t even held the basson yet.

O.K. First, do NOT buy a plastic reed. They make anyone sound horrible. These are mostly for kids who can`t handle a cane reed. Plus they are more durable. I would definitely try Fox reeds. You can order them from wwbw.com (woodwind brasswind) for $8.75. They really are good for the price. I`ve been playing for two years and they are what I`ve been using.

I dont necessarily agree with the whole dont get any plastic reeds-- it depends who made the plastic reed to begin with-- I dont have any currently but I did try one out before and it was decent-- not the best but definitly not horrible. If youre just gonna be playing for yourself you might as well go plastic cause you`ll save money-- if maybe when youre first learning and arent going to be playing in front of people for a while so you can learn notes, etc. plastic might come in handy *shrugs shoulders* theyre getting better at making them

Plastic reeds are okay, but not as good as your normal cane ones. They may last longer, but the sound quality is not that great.

I like to use cane reeds for concerts and plus my director would not let me use fibercane reeds, but i use fibercan reedds for everything else because it last a lot longer and i don`t need to buy it so much plus i play clarinet so even though they are cheap i break a lot of them, but the down fall is that it does make the sound quality suck

i`m a profesional bassoonist and i use only cane reeds,are great,very warm sound,do the same.

if your worried about cost you can find some reeds for 3 for $15 on eBay. dont buy the ones that are like 2 for $7.50 and come in a square plastic box... those were sooo bad. admittedly those were my 1st but they had the worst quality my dad kept saying you get what you pay for and all these were probally made in China.

the sound quality and life of the reed all depends on the cane. when i made my own reeds (it`s really not that hard), i would hand pick my blanks, and shave them to my preferences. these reeds lasted several months with care,and had a nice warm tone. for personnal technic practice and goofing around, i would use a fibercane that would last almost forever. it all depends on the care you give the reed.

any1 try the fox renard polymer reeds?

I dont necessarily agree with the whole dont get any plastic reeds-- it depends who made the plastic reed to begin with-- I dont have any currently but I did try one out before and it was decent-- not the best but definitly not horrible. If youre just gonna be playing for yourself you might as well go plastic cause you`ll save money-- if maybe when youre first learning and arent going to be playing in front of people for a while so you can learn notes, etc. plastic might come in handy *shrugs shoulders* theyre getting better at making them

DON`T USE PLASTIC REEDS!!!!!!

I know some people will say they are ok but trust me when I say this. I have been playing for about 7 years now and i am going to college with a minor in music and a music scholarship (thank you bassoon). I used a plastic reed for about 3-4 months in the 8th grade. First off they make you sound like complete crap. They give your bassoon a buzzy sound. Not only that but because i used a plastic reed for a couple months and then switched back to cane reed I had a hard time re-adjusting. When you learn on cane reeds your mouth grows and strengthens muscles that you use when you are playing. When i went off the cane and then went back on a couple months later i had lost a lot of that muscle and had to have all my can reeds softer than i had originally. Because you are just starting out this is especially a problem. Half the battle of progressing with the bassoon is building stamina. I can hold notes longer and with more power behind them than most other bassoonists because my bassoon teacher from the begining taught me to hold notes as my warm-up and to continue to up the strength of reeds when ever possible. If you start out on plastic reeds you will never improve on your length you can hold a note, power and most important tone quality.

Stick with cane reeds. Its not coincidence that every real bassoonist uses them.