General Principles 2
Crow type or balance:
- Too much low crow: whole reed is vibrating too much
- High note only, or a "squeak": not vibrating enough,
tip too thin or separate from the heart - All low note, or unpitched sound: vibrating too much, unfocused
- "C--F" crow: unbalanced, probably vibrating too much, or too little
- A lot of "rattle" in crow: unfocused, too vibrant, or not vibrant enough
- Loose-sides crow (pitch drops with increased air pressure): unstable
- Weak crow that goes sharp with increased air pressure: opening too closed
- Crow "pops" out suddenly with increased air pressure: reed too resistant, leaks, sides are loose, tip too thin for plateau, definition of tip too severe, or end of tip too thick
- Flat crow: reed is too open, too vibrant, too unfocused
- Sharp crow: reed is too stiff or too closed
Reed Vibration:
If reed is not vibrating enough:
- Low notes will be difficult to articulate clearly and predictably
- It will be difficult to air attack high notes without a great deal of "hiss"
- The sound quality will be pinched, stiff or shallow
- The pitch is likely to be sharp, particularly in the upper registers
- The reed may be too hard to blow
If the reed is vibrating too much:
- Low notes may articulate too loudly
- High notes will take too much effort/embouchure to be stable; they will be nearly impossible to air attack, or to play in diminuendo without pitch sag
- Third octave notes will not speak well or at all
- The sound quality maybe spread, unfocused, dull
- The pitch may be flat and/or unstable
- The reed may be too hard/tiring on the embouchure
General Reed Making Guidelines
Thinning the sides of the tip:
- Increases vibration and ease up to a point, then decreases vibration past a certain thinness, weakening the reed
- Reduces vibration as it gets thinner: focuses and thickens sound, adds resistance and stability
Thinning the center of the tip ( beside spine):
- Opens and brightens sound
- Increases vibration
Smoothing/stairstepping heart/plateau into tip:
- Increases vibration thoughout the reed, dulls reed
Defining the tip:
- Decreases vibration, can increase or decrease stability, increases focus, improves tone (darker, more clear)
Thinning sides of heart/plateau:
- Increases vibation and ease; if done too much, dulls reed excessively
Thinning near center of heart/plateau (beside spine)
- Opens reed, increases response, makes sound brighter
Scraping/stairstepping back into heart/plateau:
- Increases vibration, increases ease, adds openness
Separating back from heart:
- Decreases vibration, adds resistance and depth (covers tip noise more)
Thinning back:
- Closes down reed
- Can add stability to upper register
- Adds thickness/depth to sound
- If thinned too much, can cause instability and tubby tone quality
What reeds to fix, What reeds to break
