my instrumental teacher said i could be a bassoon in the school band. (there are no bassoons in the entire school band, including all the grades) i really want to be a bassoonist, but i`m wondering about the reeds. is it necessary to make your own reeds? or can i live without? i don`t think my teacher has the patience to teach me how to make a reed. my teacher said the band needs double-reeds though. should i accept?

I only play the cello, but this is the 21st century, why should you make a reed, couldn`t you just buy one? And if you want to play the Bassoon then just do it, especially since their is no others.

store bought reeds usually suck, and they crack in a month. plus they cost $8 to $30 for a good one. i might as well buy a horrible plastic one.

How long do they last?

a little while longer.

Jay, I am a bassoonist in High School right now and reeds suck. Believe me, just yesterday I was having a problem. Play bassoon, you will love it. if you are worried about reeds go to advantage-usa.com. They have good quality oboe, bassoon, and english horn reeds for cheap!!!!!!!! They also sell tools just in case you do want to learn how to make reeds. Just give it a shot, plus playing bassoon could be a good ticket into college if you are really good.

Look jay, i don`t know where you live or nething, but i live near London, England. With reeds i used to import ready made ones from germany, then my preference changed and i now go to Howarths in London about 4 times a year and choose my own reeds they have tons of professionally made reeds and they cater for all preferences. I have never made my own reeds and it is not true that shop bought reeds suck. True, if you go into any old store then they are gonna be really bad reeds, i had one that went mouldy once, but go somewhere that specialises in the bassoon and you will almost always find something you like, i promise you. And if you find good ones then try to get the address of the manufacturor, if you order them from there then they will be way cheaper and they`ll send them to your home!!

I find that my best reeds are the ones I make myself. However, I don`t generally have the time to make them so I buy them from a lady in MN. The thing about her reeds though is she doesnt finish them, she makes them to a certain point then you can fix them up however you like your reeds. Doing that doesn`t take all that long and a teacher could easily do it for you until you know how to do it yourself. If you want her email, email me or something.

if you can, try to get a private teacher, and he/she will make them for you and teach you how to make them. If you try to make reeds before you understand what affects the pitch and sound you will probably end up making a dud reed. The reeds that you buy from stores are REALLY bad qualitity

I think every student should learn to make their own reeds!! Reed making is a very satisfying art and one, which can be very useful! i.e. you can save yourself money and if you get good enough, you can make extra and sell them!

I was taught by a Mr Dominic Weir. Mr Weir has played in the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras for over 30 years now. He does not play professionally anymore as he is now retired.... Instead he makes bassoon reads. He supplies professional bassoonists in the USA and all over the world.

If you want what I would call the best reads in the World, you should drop him an email. I am sure he would not mind if you wanted some tips. Otherwise I am quite happy to give you some advice if you want to start to make reads ....I love read making!#

dom.weir@virgin.net

Making reeds isn`t a necessity. It`s useful, though. For my first year I bought Jones reeds, but my teacher wasn`t happy with them. Though, the "artist" Jones reeds are a good beginning tool. My second year, I bought reeds from my teacher. Now, I`m in college and I`m almost making reeds on my own. My new teacher is still helping, but I`m working on it. Also, the person who said that playing bassoon is a good tool for getting into college, was very right. I`ve played for 2 years, and I`m into college playing bassoon. It`s really cool, we`re few and far between! : )

Reeds from stores vary in quality. They are usually left thick so that the player can adjust them the way they feel, and occasionally there is a really thin reed only good for mulch. Now, I can`t remember if stiff reeds are flat or sharp, or soft reeds are flat or sharp, but I do remember that lip pressure increases pitch, as does breath pressure... you also have to realize that the opening of your reed (the tip) affects pitch also. Even more so, certain notes will be sharp, and certain notes will be flat no matter what you do, no matter what bassoon you play.

o yea, how long reeds last is up to how well you keep them. Never allow saliva to dry inside, as that will stiffen the blades and prevent vibration. More over, never water log reeds either, its very detrimental.

You can also tell how good a reed is by "crowing" it. I am assuming you all know how to crow a reed, so I won`t go into detail. Also, if you know how to shave reeds, then you can do that as you learn more about the reed... then you can go into making reeds.

It`s really useful if you could make your own reeds so you don`t really have to rely on someone to do it for you. The least you should know is how to adjust and scrape parts of your reed to remedy some problems. If you could find a reliable reed maker, all the better!

My friend Scott Vigder in California makes awesome reeds. I use them professionally. Yeah, I know how to make reeds, but I also have a day job as a graphic artist, so I don`t have the time to sit and scrape reeds all day.
He has different shapes and strengths, I mainly use the B shape reeds for Chamber Orchestra playing, but have used them in Symphony often.

http://www.tansit.com/reeds.html

(I will be updating his site within the next few weeks, where it will become www.vigderreeds.com)
Annette

I am in middle school and i have been playing the bassoon for about 2 1/2 years. Storebought reeds are okay but it pays off to learn how to make them.. If you choose not to make your own, at least learn how to shave the store bought ones so that you have better response and a better sounding reed than before.