Jacob Morgan wrote:By the looks of things if I want to get some decent reeds i'lll need to order online(other option be to drive atleast 1 hr). Any suggestions where?
My niece plays bassoon at Ohio State. What toys I've bought for her I've either bought from Mid-South Music (where Mr. Bloke, whose wife is a pro-trained bassoonist and whose daughter is a pro oboist, is the proprietor), or from Forrests, linked here:
This will probably draw a few flames but.... I experimented with a bassoon (among other things) a few years ago and got very good results from synthetic reeds. They are expensive... upwards of $30 for the bassoon ones. I also use synthetic reeds for my bari sax and bagpipes. My wife uses synthetic reeds on her alto saxes, also. We just don't like to spend a lot of time fussing with reeds. With the synthetic ones you 'pick up and play'... once you settle in on which one is right for you.
Dan Schultz
"The Village Tinker" http://www.thevillagetinker.com" target="_blank
Current 'stable'... Rudolf Meinl 5/4, Marzan (by Willson) euph, King 2341, Alphorn, and other strange stuff.
Bloke, if looking to order online should one still get the jones reed you spoke of before?
Remember this is for a beginner, I dont' wanna make it seem like im blaming the reed for my inabilities. Just wanna make sure not to order something that will make it harder to advance..
Thanks for the help.. I think i've played a lil too much for a beginner these past 2 days.. inside of my top lip feels about like it used to when I had braces and played tuba too long. O well.. Im making quite a bit improvement. Now if just my hands coordination will catch up with my lips/mind.
Yes I saw the shipping on wwbw, and figured If I went that route I should get atleast 2-3 reeds.However, how would I need to pay you for the reed and such if you were to send some via a padded envelope? If you want I can pm you about this matter.
I've also found that its a pretty common thing to have to modify store bought reeds with a special tool. I think i'll ask my director if by some fluke he has one of these/knows how.
As far as lessons and such, that isnt' going to happen. I live in a small town with only a community college and the closest "real" college being 2 hrs away. As well this is just for a hobby and pure enjoyment, tuba is still my primary instrument which I intend to pursue in college. Bassoon is just cool
However, I do believe our new band director's wife was as all state bassoonist so I do plan on speaking with him about some tips and her for that matter. I have a feeling I'd learn a whole lot more in one session with a experienced player, then I will reading about it.
tuba4sissies wrote:Mister TubaTinker, I've been thinking aobut syntehtic reeds for my bass clarinet. Do they wear out? How are they compared to a regular reed? And do you just find your right strength and just use it forever?
Just like Joe said... with one great addition: I have my bari sax sitting in the corner of music room. I keep a Fibercell reed loaded in the MP all the time. I don't play it very often, but when I do, all I have do is sit down and play. There's no soaking the reed and waiting for the reed to soften up. It's ready to go all the time.... hot or cold. I would think this would be a vital asset to someone who plays a variety of saxes/clarinets in a dance band. The Fibercell is my choice. It's going to cost you ten times what a cane reed will cost but they are very stable and like Joe says "last maybe six months". There are also some solid plastic reeds out there. They seem to be getting better and I know some philharmonic folks using them... but the ones I messed with a few years ago still had a ways to go.
Dan Schultz
"The Village Tinker" http://www.thevillagetinker.com" target="_blank
Current 'stable'... Rudolf Meinl 5/4, Marzan (by Willson) euph, King 2341, Alphorn, and other strange stuff.
The knife, Im seeing different kinds, such as beveled, concave.. etc .. would a straight edge one work? Also, I dont' suppose you could just pick up this kind of knife from a hardware store?
Joe probably knows this, but just in case.........
I did my undergrad degree in clarinets. In the program, the clarinet professor told us how to make reed knives using the blade from a craftsman planer and a slot handle (all available at the local Sears).
You had to be able to get to a good stone and spend some time reshaping the cutting edge on the blade, but in the end you had a reed knife.
This was back in the days before internet and quick shipping on merchandise. Therse days, you are better off getting a reed knife and other related materials than you are trying to make do with the hardware store type tools.
Well today a trombone player said he'd play euphonium in the 2nd band. So I went up with the idea to try out my bassoon playing in the band. At first he wanted me to play trumpet since "they already had a problem tuning.. lol"
however, after playing through the pieces and deciding my lack of ability on trumpet would prolly make me more out of tune playing trumpet then bassoon. That and I know I cant' play a concert on turmpet then a concert on tuba and have chops for tuba.
So I played bassoon:D, I did pretty good. I knew all the fingerings, and all the pitches came out and I felt like I was in tune. I did however leave with a headache from sitting by the flutes(but thats another story.). But ya it was quite alot of fun. Challenging and I think our director was shocked with the ability i've manage to develop in 6 days on bassoon.
Jacob"who needs to find a different fingering for E natural"morgan
