this elicited no takers in the earlier thread about gouges, so I’ll bump it to the fore:
"So, what in your collective judgement does it take to make a reed that isn’t an arm-buster (opened way up, which is how I have to play my C reeds here in the high/dry Rockies)? As soon as I try closing it down, or squeezing the bridle a bit, the lower octave chokes off. I have a D reed, in contrast, that comes from the east coast and is very easy to play and adjust.
Which are the key factors in making a reed that is easier to play:
width of the scrape (how much bark in the sides)
thickness of the blades / how thin to scrape the blades
qualities of the cane (hardness)
overall length of the reed (blades / staple)
larger bag in tandem with reed design
other ideas?"
Two separate issues, really, tweaking an existing reed vs. how to make one that avoids this problem in the first place. RE curing an existing reed that requires too much pressure to comfortably play, I know, I know, RTFM (Hegarty, Quinn, etc.); however, as mentioned above, any closing of the reed causes it to lose volume and puts a hairball in the first octave. My current C reed was already wanting to play with the lips more open and then, mea culpa, I also chopped a tiny bit off the end because of a sinking / weak back D, making it a tetch worse. So, is overall sanding / thinning of the reed head (I presume UNIFORMLY) the next step in the mutilation process?
As for making them to play easily here in the first place (ave. indoor humidity 25-35% in winter), any thoughts ya’ll??
Puh-lease, Homeys, any sage advice at all on the above reedmaking question would be welcome. I’m beginning to think I must be asking a question that’s either a) too involved, b) unanswerable because of the variables involved, or c) I smell like chopped liver.
Mark, if you haven’t caught on from other threads yet, no-one agrees on anything here, especially about reeds. You can make a reed more easily played by thinning the lips, or by scraping the edges down near the lips. Also, Geoff Woof recommends taking a curved knife and defining the edge of the scrape, so that the bark side of this edge is higher than the scraped part. He calls this “the hinge”, and says it makes the upper octave easier to reach.
The problem with any of these methods is that you are one scrape or one swipe with the sandpaper away from screwing your reed at any time. Have you read Hegarty’s or Quinn’s books on reed-making? Also, don’t discount the effects of just playing in a tough reed. Tough reeds will usually soften with a month of constant use, and the really good ones will settle after that and last a long time.
To help preserve your reeds in dry climates you can try oiling them. Some recommend soaking them, some recommend just painting the oil on from the outside, and just on the exposed parts of the blades. Different opinions on oils, some say neatsfoot oil (for leather) some say linseed (flaxseed) oil. If you try linseed, make sure it is not boiled or processed in any way, which makes the oil extremely toxic and combustible. Wait a minute … is that … do I detect … LIVER? Eeeewww!
I would avoid linseed oil as it is very hard to get the raw kind that doesn’t polymerize and glue everything together permanantly.
Neetsfoot and pharm grade almond oil I have seen recommended. Benedict Koehler ('97, I saw him apply some to his chanter reed) used lanolin on the outside of his reed.
My reeds usually end up with a “scoop” in them as I think thicker lips give a more solid back D.
A thiner blade will vibrate easier, so I would thin the blade overall, avoiding the centerline and the very end of the lips.
Go until you think it could use just a little more scraping and play that for a week or two.
Never get the reed just right after the last scrape as it will probably quit when it “plays in”. Leave it somewhat tough and with a few weather changes, is should be pretty good.
I too found that raw linseed oil is very hard to find. You would expect fine artist supply stores to carry it, but they almost all carry just the processed kind. But the reason I mentioned that linseed oil is also called flaxseed oil is that you can find this in any health food store.
Raw linseed oil is often used in the woodfinishing business.
You should be able to find it at a specialty paint or hardware store, unlike Lowes or Home Depot, many hardware stores carry odd items like this.
Thanks for the input guys. Judging from past threads I’ll probably avoid oiling the reed, but may apply some of the judicious mutilation methods recommended above. Good point about leaving them a bit on the hard side and/or playing them in, although I’ve had this particular reed since August (chanter odometers would be useful).
DJM - that ‘hinge’ idea is new to me - did you get this from a workshop somewhere? Will definitely give that one a try when I start making reeds.
Saute chopped liver in oil with onions, apples and a sprinkling of caraway seeds. Tasty and nutritious.
Interesting question here - Mark has had this reed for a while and while it was playing in fairly well at first, it went south a bit after he had already had it for a while. If you are altering a reed which has already been broken in, or at least played for a reasonable while - does it need to be broken in again??
Brian, I would guess that part of breaking in a new reed is not only the wear that you generate by playing it, but also the weathering/curing to the newly exposed surfaces of the reed. So, yes from that standpoint I guess there could be a second breaking in period. The thing is, once you start taking more off the reed, you are weakening it, so the more you frig and fiddle, the closer you are to making a new reed.
Mark, I got it from Joe Kennedy, who is getting it directly from Geoff.
Way too general of a question Brian. If you sand or scrape the blades a stroke or two, the answer is probably no. If you glued a crack, yes. If you trimmed the lips, yes and no. If you retied the blades, probably yes (different tensions and dynamics established, possibly). There are a dozen other yeses and nos, depending on how the reed was altered.
One thing to keep in mind, reeds and uilleann pipes are not a general thing. The question always at hand is how specific can you think, or describe, or even play for that matter.