..A question for reedmakers; What’s your diagnosis when the newly made reed has a tendency to emit a high, piercing squeal rather than a crow? Thanks.
L
make sure the sides aren’t leaking.
Try sealing the edges with a little beeswax, check bridle placemment.
Try un-tying and then re-tying the bindings a little tighter.
Most of my squeaky reeds have also been leaky reeds.
Jeff
Kansas City
Another popular sealing method (although when I still had leaky reeds, I used the beeswax) is to use crazy glue on the edges and then dip the edges in cane-dust (from sanding).
Dionys
Controlling the application of Crazy glue (super glue) is sometimes difficult. It dries hard and is somewhat brittle. Neil O’Grady told me he uses white glue. Elmers brand or equivalent, as it’s softer and much easier to apply than super glue. Just run a thin bead along the edges and wipe the excess with your finger. Allow at least an hour for it to fully dry. I’ve tried it on a few reeds and it worked well.
Bruce Childress suggested cutting clear wrapping tape (not mystic tape) into small squares about 3/8" x 3/8" and folding them over the edge where the slips meet slightly down from the tip of the reed. If you’re not happy with the results you can peel the tape without harming the reed.
L…there are several causes for “high, piercing squeals” leaks only being one of them:
1)Leaks, meaning cracks in the cane, both on the edges, face, up under the winding, outer corners, etc., or leaks through the winding, ie, not sealed properly, leaks at the base or in a rolled staple not soldered properly. Get a microscope that allows viewing of the lips when a reed is stood upright. You’ll learn a lot about details.
2)Cane which is too dense (stiff), initially before scraping, not scraped down enough for your dryer climate, or scraped in a wrong configuration, or the room being too dry or too hot. Use only excellent cane…any other is a waste of time (results won’t teach you anything).
3)Reeds closing up (as pointed out) from bridle problems, or winding being too tight, esp. near V in scrape area, thus choking the free movement of the cane.
Is this one of your first (1st 20-30) reeds that you’ve made? If so, order a good one for playing from someone else, and continue your practice. Have you made a good reed? What is a good reed for you? (details please)
To seal cracks in the face of the blades, I find that crazy glue is good. First insert a piece of paper between blades so glue doesn’t run through…wipe excess off immeiately and scrape glued area afterwards, and remove paper immediately. One application can often bring back a reed that has been scraped too thin. A second application can ruin the upper octave on certain notes. Soft glue running through too far causes problems…keep it on the outside if even possible.
I don’t recommend sealing the leaky sides too much…and don’t glue them -this ruins the free movement of the blades and you’ll lose the crispiness. I’ve restored other peoples reeds simply by running a razor blade up along the glued sides (freeing them)..it made all the difference. Rubbing the edges of an already working reed won’t hurt, using wax. The reed either hasn’t been tied (wound) correctly or the blades didn’t close along the edges properly when tied. As noted, start over.
cane dust and nail varnish works best for me, this is what most Irish makers use.
Thanks, everyone. Lorenzo, no I haven’t made a good reed, but, tonally, this one has promise. It is one of my first attempts. A good reed to me is one that responds consistently (within reason) and articulates across a broad spectrum of tone-colour. I’d like to hear more about how to assess cane quality, if you have further thoughts on the matter.
Again, thanks to all.
L
There’s a lot of different tests that reed makers use, from scraping the slips of cane with the fingernail or scraper, giving the slips the light-density test (shining high intensity light through a thinned piece of cane), to the float-in-water test (plus a lot more). Here’s David Daye’s link for more on the subject:
http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/~bdaye/caneflot.html
Always remember: if you have done everything else right (good cane, proper gouging, scraping, sanding, etc.) it’s all for nothing if the blades are not mounted properly to the staple. I consider tying the blades to the staple to be almost more important than anything. You can change the dynamics of the sound of the reed completely just during this process, including tuning the upper octave (distance inserted) to dull/bright (tightness of winding), to air pressure efficiency (blade opening)…just to name a few, and including leaky edges (winding too tight can warp the edges).
Good Luck