What exactly is referred to by “crow”? Is it generally the sound that (any) reed gives, when you suck it, OR is it the sound that only very good reeds (I find it a quality sign) give when you continually slacken the suction until shortly before they stop sounding?
Part two of the question (of course): Does s. b. of yous know how a reed must be made to “give” the latter?
Hello Hans-Joerg,
long time since we met last… I hope you are in very fine form !!
CROW; should refer to that rattling sound that a reed makes when air is drawn through it from the staple end, not by sucking but by breathing in, gently. Yes it is a sign of good quality… suggesting that the lips are still allowed to shut ‘airtight’ even when the air flow is a lower pressure (or vaccum if you think of it like that). It is a sign that the reed head is airtight and the lips close correctly and the head is graded in such a way that it will react to a broad range of frequencies and the related pressure différences… that the Spring effect of the Cane is balanced by the gradation… that the Reed has been hand finished to arrive at this fine point.
Do I know how to make a reed so that it will do this… YES!.. even though I do not always succeed.. I can demonstrate how to do it and have succeeded in showing other people how to achieve this ‘State of Balance’.