making clarinet reeds
DESCRIPTION
Professional article by Douglas Monroe on how to make your own clarinet reeds.TRANSCRIPT
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REED MAKING METHOD
by
Douglas Monroe
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TERMS
Arundo Donax-The genus and species of the cane used to make reeds.
Back-The curved part of the reed with bark still attached.
Bark-The “skin” on the outside of the tube/back of the reed.
Blank-The section of cane used to make a reed before the cut has been made.
Bottom-The flat side of the reed.
Butt-The opposite end of the reed from the tip.
Cut-The portion of the back of the reed where there is no longer bark.
Cutting-The process of using a knife to remove cane from the reed in large portions.
Heart-The middle section of the reed below the tip where the cane becomes denser and
thicker.
Hill-A mistake in the cutting process which results in higher areas rather than a
continuous smooth vamp. One can detect the larger hills by feel. For smaller hills, one
needs to hold the reed up to a light to see the shadows created by the elevated surface.
Knife Check-The knife check (figure 1) is the most important measurement to the reed
making process. Turn the knife upside down and place the non-beveled side against the
reed’s vamp. Hold it up to the light to see the shape of the vamp between the knife and
the reed. This will show the point of maximum curvature and the shape of the vamp.
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Figure 1
Point of Maximum Curvature-The point at which the cut stops descending at a
dramatic rate and becomes straighter all the way to the tip.
Rails-The sides of the reed.
Scraping-The process of using a knife to remove cane in a scraping motion to take less
cane off of the reed than with a cut.
Tip-The thinnest and most sensitive portion of the reed at the end of the cut.
Vamp-The entire cut of the reed extending from the initial cut to the tip.
Xylem/Phloem-The parts of the arundo donax that take and store nutrition up and down
the plant. These are shaped like veins and extend the entire length of the reed. These are
the portions of the reed that will expand and contract based upon the presence or absence
of moisture in the reed. This process of saturation and drying in the xylems and phloems
is what causes reeds to warp.
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DIAGRAM OF VARIOUS PARTS OF THE REED
Figure 2
INTRODUCTION
As a clarinet student, my biggest frustration was the poor overall quality of
commercially made reeds. By the time I started playing in the United States Army Field
Band in 1989, I could play on only two out of a box of ten. These two reeds would
typically last me one or two weeks and rarely satisfied my demands for sound and
articulation and would close down on the tip of the mouthpiece with very little
embouchure pressure.
One of my high school clarinet teachers made reeds and often said that they lasted
longer and played better. I decided to take the time to learn the process for making reeds
so that I could take control of reed quality. I read single reed making books by Kalmen
Opperman and Ben Armato and attended reed making master classes given by Stanley
Hasty, Frank Kowalsky, and Michael Webster. I then spent four months experimenting
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and developing a method for making reeds that suited my needs. Since 1990, I have not
played on a commercially made reed.
ADVANTAGES
The primary advantages for making clarinet reeds are that one can create a reed
tailored to their own personal tastes for resistance, sound, and articulation. My method
also ensures longer life with a curing process that makes the xylems and phloems of the
plant structure nearly impervious to moisture. When playing three to four hours daily,
my reeds typically last four to six months if I alternate between two.
REED KNIVES
Too many knives on the market today are poorly made. One needs a sharp knife made
of high-quality steel. It must be able to make smooth, long cuts in the cane. One must be
able to control it to make the specific cuts desired. I made the best reed knife I’ve ever
owned by beveling an edge into an old bastard file. There are a few brands on the market
today that can do the job correctly, but most cannot. The first time I tried to make reeds
in 1981, I had to give up because I could not cut the reed blank smoothly. The reason for
this was poor knife quality. If a knife does not cut well, it will leave indentations or other
imperfections in the surface of the reed, causing various problems with the sound.
CREATING REED BLANKS FROM TUBES
Clarinetists have two options available if they want to make their own reeds. They can
buy reed blanks or they can make their own blanks from tubes. I prefer to make blanks
from the tube since it gives me more control over the measurements and is less than half
the cost of a commercially made blank.
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When selecting the tube, ensure that the wall is between five and six millimeters thick.
The inside of the wall (the area closest to the center of the tube) is the softest material on
the cane and the outer layer is the hardest. My experience shows that smaller walls yield
overly harsh sounding reeds while thicker walls yield reeds which collapse on the
mouthpiece more easily and create a dull, unfocused sound.
Step One: Split the tube into four crescent shaped sticks. Dried arundo donax, is easy
to split with any reed knife. Stand up the tube, place the blade on top of the tube dividing
the tube exactly in half (figure 3), and hit the side of the knife that has no blade. Once the
knife is into the tube, push the knife all the way down the tube to complete the split
(figure 4). Then split each half in the same fashion (figures 5 and 6).
Figure 3 Figure 4
Figure 5 Figure 6
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Step Two: Saw these four long tube sections into seventy millimeter segments with a
thin coping saw. A typical tube yields eight of these segments, depending on the length
of the tube. At this stage, the segments are two millimeters longer than I like my reeds. I
design the extra length into them so that I have some extra material with which to work in
case I make a mistake at the tip of the reed later in the process. The bottom of these
segments form a crescent shape (figure 7).
Figure 7
Step Three: To get the bottom flat, one must remove the spike shaped hills. This can be
done with a knife, but is time consuming and physically painful. After spending many
years flattening the backs of these segments with a knife, I had a tool and die shop build a
rectangular shaped metal piece which has a well dug into it in the shape of a reed blank
which is slightly too thick (figure 8). I place the reed segments into the well upside down
and level them with a block plane (figure 9).
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Figure 8 Figure 9
When this is done, the segment is fairly flat. To get it completely flat, I sand it on 320-
grit silicon carbide sandpaper. My past experiences with other types of sandpaper yielded
uneven work and created burns on the reeds. Once the reed is flat and between 3 and 3.5
millimeters thick, I sand it briefly; first on 400- and then on 600-grit sandpaper to get the
bottom smoother and less grainy.
Step Four: To turn this cane segment into a reed blank, I sand both edges to create
rails. At this point, the segment is roughly the same length across on the tip and butt
ends. A proper reed blank should measure thirteen millimeters across the butt and fifteen
millimeters across the tip. To attain these measurements, I sand the segment on
220-grit sandpaper by holding the segment on its edge one third of the way from the butt
to the tip (figure 10).
Figure 10
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By holding it in this position, I remove more cane from the butt end of the reed than
from the tip end. If this method takes too much off either side of the segment, I simply
adjust the pressure point while sanding. If too much material comes off of the butt end, I
move my hand position so that it is closer to the tip. If too much material comes off of
the tip end, I move my hand position so that it is closer to the butt. When this process is
done, the reed blank is finished.
COMMERCIAL REED BLANKS
From 1991-1999, I used only commercially made reed blanks because I had one
hundred blanks that were very high quality. When I select blanks I look for three quality
indicators. If I have to ask the vendor to select them, I make sure they use the same
indicators. First, the rails must be even. By holding the reed up and looking at the butt,
one can clearly see if the rails are the same height. Check the sides also to see that the
rails maintain equal height from butt to tip. Next, look at the bottom to ensure that the
lines (xylems and phloems) run straight up and down. If the lines angle at all, this blank
will never make a balanced reed. Finally, check the color on the bottom. Optimally, it
should be an even, buttery, light-blonde color. Generally, the further I’ve gotten away
from this coloring, the less acceptable I find the finished reed. I avoid blotchy or dark
colored reeds as this often indicates rot (figure 11).
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Figure 11
(blotchy discolored reed on left; even buttery colored reed on right)
CURING THE REED BLANK
Curing the reed blank is the most important part of my process. These steps ensure
long life from the reed. The goal in preparing the blank is to make it as impervious as
possible to moisture and warping. The primary reason reeds “die” so quickly is that they
absorb moisture in the xylems and phloems. I seal the xylems and phloems in a process
by which I saturate and dry them alternately and then polish the back.
Step One: Alternately soak (saturate the reed with water and/or saliva) and completely
dry the blank with the bottom facing up so it dries evenly. Soak and dry the blank for
several days. The object is to allow the blank to warp as much as possible, causing the
xylems and phloems to absorb moisture and dry in a new position. Do this as much as
possible before making the first cut. Warping on commercial reeds occurs so drastically
because the reed’s xylems and phloems have not been conditioned to take in and let out
moisture. With the blank, one is trying to shock the reed’s system before the first cut. Do
not soak the blank again until after it has completely dried from its previous soaking. I
dry my blanks in direct sunlight to dry it completely. I soak my blanks alternately in
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water and saliva. I use water because it is not as dense as saliva and will get into every
xylem and phloem. I use saliva because I want the blank to be accustomed to the
chemicals in saliva.
Step Two: After several days of soaking and drying, sand the bottom of the blank with
320-grit sandpaper. Hold the bottom up to light. If there are any dull spots, the surface is
not even; there is still warp in the blank. One must sand more until it appears smooth and
shiny when one holds it up to light.
Step Three: Sand the bottom with 400-grit sandpaper. As long as step two was done
properly, there should not be any warp in the bottom of the reed. If there are still dull
spots, go back to step two.
Step Four: Sand the bottom with 600-grit sandpaper. Hold the bottom of the blank up
to light. The entire bottom should be smooth and shiny like a sheet of glass with no dull
spots.
Step Five: Turn the 600-grit sandpaper over so its non-abrasive side faces up. Wet the
bottom of the blank with saliva or water very quickly; just enough to moisten and not
saturate the xylems and phloems. Polish the bottom on the non-abrasive side of the
sandpaper until it is glassy smooth. Soak the blank briefly in saliva and let it dry with the
bottom facing up so that it dries evenly. When the blank is dry again, it will no longer be
smooth like glass because the moisture causes minor movement in the blank’s structure.
Repeat this process many times until the bottom of the blank is smooth like glass after it
dries.
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With commercial reeds, one can polish the bottom with the non-abrasive side of
sandpaper with some positive results (a slightly longer lasting reed), but one cannot sand
the bottom. It has already been cut and to sand the bottom would severely damage the
tip.
CUTTING THE REED
When I first began making reeds, I worked the cuts in seven distinct stages. As I have
become more experienced, the stages have tended to flow together. I find the stages very
useful for evaluating my work on a reed and for teaching my method to students.
Removing the “Bark”: Hold the blank against the clarinet mouthpiece so that the tip of
the blank is even with the uppermost curve of the mouthpiece tip. Then move the blank
up very slightly. Mark the spot in the bark at the point which is even with the lowermost
opening in the mouthpiece. Put the mouthpiece away. With the knife, dig a line into the
bark across the width of the back of the reed at the point of the mark. Peel the bark off in
long even strokes, being careful not to take anything besides the bark.
Stage One-Tip Cut (figure 12): Make a straight cut one third of an inch from the tip to
the tip making the end of the cut very thin. Make sure that all cuts are even and leave no
indentations or unevenness.
Figure 12
Stage Two-Straight Cut (figure 13): Make a straight cut from the beginning of the
vamp (the location on the back where the bark is first cut) to the tip. Scrape high spots
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away with the reed knife. If necessary, use 320-grit sandpaper. From this point on in the
process, I use a plexiglass plaque (1.5 x 8 centimeters) to do my tip and thin-area work.
It is very easy at this point to break the thin, fragile areas of the reed. I lay the reed on
top of the plaque so that I have a hard surface to brace the reed against while I remove
cane. Check this cut by doing a “knife check”, a method of measurement I value over
any other. Simply place the non-beveled side of the knife against the vamp and check the
contact between the vamp and the knife (figure 1). At this stage, there should be no light
shining through on the knife check, only a straight line of contact.
Figure 13
Stage Three-Straight Cut the Rails (figure 14): Make a straight cut down each rail
from the beginning of the vamp to the tip. Judge accuracy by sight.
Figure 14
Stage Four-Maximum Curvature Cut (figure 15): Scrape and cut so that the point of
maximum curvature (the point at which the steep cut changes direction into a more
gradual decline towards the tip) occurs one third of the way from the beginning of the
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vamp to the tip. Use 320- and 400-grit sandpaper to smooth the vamp. This will take
some time since one must take cane from the point of maximum curvature all the way to
the tip. Finish by smoothing with 600-grit sandpaper. When I began making reeds, I
experimented with this point of maximum curvature. I placed this point at all possible
places between the beginning of the vamp to halfway to the tip. No reed ever worked to
my satisfaction unless I placed it approximately one third of the way from the beginning
of the vamp to the tip. Interestingly, most all commercial reeds I’ve looked at have their
point of maximum curvature at this same point. Test this stage with another knife check.
Figure 1 shows a well crafted point of maximum curvature through the light between the
knife and vamp.
Figure 15
Stage Five-Maximum Curvature Cut the Rails (figure 16): Scrape and cut the rails so
they agree with the point of maximum curvature on the vamp. Use 320- and 400-grit
sandpaper to smooth the rails. Finish with 600-grit sandpaper. This is the most difficult
cutting on the reed because it is very easy to get the knife blade caught in the rails,
creating unwanted cuts and gouges. I’ve learned over the years to do much more
scraping with the knife than cutting to successfully navigate this stage.
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Figure 16
As the reed gets closer to its final shape, smooth the vamp with 400- or 600-grit
sandpaper, making sure the vamp is smooth from the beginning of the cut to the tip. A
common mistake is to leave too much cane in the tip and heart areas.
Stage Six-Thinning the Tip: Scrape and use sandpaper (using the appropriate grit for
the amount to remove; use a heavier grit to take more cane and a lighter grit to take less
cane) to make the tip flexible to the touch. Ensure there is an equal amount of flex all the
way across the tip. I make sure there is gradually more cane the further back on the vamp
I go from the tip.
Stage Seven-Curving the Tip: Up to this point, the tip is still shaped as a straight line
from side to side. The reed will work best if the tip is curved to match the tip of the
mouthpiece.
Once the tip feels fairly flexible, take a long narrow piece of 400-grit sandpaper. Fold
it half length wise. Use the deepest portion of the sandpaper fold to sand the tip, shaping
it to the curve of the mouthpiece (figure 17).
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Figure 17
This process allows for shaping the tip to the exact shape of the mouthpiece. I’ve
never had good success with reed clippers; they tend to create a more harsh sound for the
reed. Perhaps this is due to the incredible shock of the cut to the thinnest portion of the
reed.
This process of cutting, scraping, and sanding stops when the reed makes a very hard
sound on the “throat G”. Put the reed away at this point. If the reed is too soft, go back
to stage seven and curve the tip further down on the reed until the reed produces a very
hard “throat G” sound. Over half the time I make a reed, I end up going back to stage
seven at this point because of my impatience in wanting to make the finishing touches on
the reed. I have found it important to make sure that the reed is still too hard at this stage.
PERFECTING THE REED
Generally, different areas of the reed effect different registers of the clarinet. Judge
which areas of the reed need attention based on these areas. If the altissimo register is too
hard to sound, take cane from the tip area. If the clarion register is too hard, take cane
from the heart and middle areas. If the chalumeau register is too hard, take cane from the
back side of the cut close to where the cut begins. If the reed is too soft, shorten the tip.
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Always remember, though, that the different sections of the reed work together. The
vamp must be one continuous smooth cut.
I am intensely conservative in how slowly I perfect the reed. If I perfect it too fast, I
tend to get too much moisture in the xylems and phloems, causing the reed to die quicker.
I take several days to get it to sound the way I want. Take a little off the reed with 400-
or 600-grit sandpaper, play it without wetting it (again minimizing moisture in the xylems
and phloems), and put it away. The next time, take a little more off in the appropriate
areas, play it without wetting it, and put it away. Continue this process for as long as it
takes to perfect the reed. My advice to students is take away cane only once in a twenty
four hour period.
Once the reed gets close, make sure and leave it slightly hard as it will always settle in
a bit softer once it’s fully broken in. When satisfied with the quality of the reed’s sound,
one should polish the vamp like the bottom from the curing stage. This will seal the
xylems and phloems on the vamp. Wet the vamp with water or saliva, place the reed on a
plaque, and polish the vamp with the reverse side of a small piece of sandpaper.
Continue doing this until the vamp is as smooth as glass after it dries. This will take
several repetitions over a few days. Once this is accomplished, one can play for longer
periods on the reed.
BREAKING IN THE REED
When breaking in a reed, one can begin wetting it before playing on it. With a hand-
made reed, do not soak it like one would a commercial reed. Just a second or two in the
mouth will be more than enough moisture. Limit the reed’s exposure to moisture to the
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greatest extent possible. In breaking in my reeds, I play them for less than a minute the
first few days. After these first few days, I’ll gradually increase the time. Usually, it
takes a week or so until I’m ready to play the reed full time. (I will also often make
minor adjustments to the vamp with sandpaper during the breaking in procedure.) When
I break in a reed this way, it will last for months. The longest I’ve played a reed has been
two years. I discard them when the sound starts to become brittle and I cannot articulate
easily at fast tempi any longer.
OVERRIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Carving a proper point of maximum curvature is the most important aspect to
getting the reed to sound, articulate, and feel right.
2. I take my time perfecting the reed in the week or so following the seven stages of
cutting the reed. When I’ve worked at perfecting the reed too quickly, I’ve made
irreversible mistakes. Taking cane off a reed is a shock to the system of the cane. My
experience also has showed me that working too fast reduces the lifespan of a reed.
3. Mistakes further back from the tip of the reed are much more forgiving than
mistakes at the middle to tip area. I’ve played many reeds with defects in craftsmanship
in the back area of the reed. I’ve never played a reed successfully with problems in the
middle or tip.
4. When I make a mistake taking too much cane in the middle to tip area, I don’t
necessarily discard the reed. I will often shorten the reed by sanding down the tip. This
process can make the former mistake the appropriate thickness at its new spot on the
geography of the reed. The obvious problem at this point is to take off the right amount
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of cane from the rest of the reed to get it to sound right. This kind of correction only
works for me if I’ve made a moderate to minor mistake.
5. The reed should be completely smooth with no “hills” or “valleys” in the cut.
These cause fuzziness in various registers of the clarinet.
6. I’ve had the most success when I’ve made the majority of smooth cuts with the
knife rather than relying on sandpaper to smooth the reed. One must use sandpaper, but
limiting its use to a degree will help avoid friction burns to the cane.
7. The shape of the heart in a hand-made reed is less pronounced than in a
commercially made reed. In a commercially made reed, the heart is usually shaped like
an inverted “V”. In a hand-made reed, the heart is usually shaped like an inverted “U”.
8. When I’m close to the final product, I make sure the reed is a little too hard. Hand-
made reeds always seem to settle during the break-in process and end up a little softer.
USING THE “REEDUAL”
After I developed my process for making reeds, I bought a “Reedual”, a machine
which operates on the same principle as a key machine in a hardware store. One places a
model reed on one side and a reed blank on the other side. The reed blank is sanded by a
rotary at a high speed which works with the model reed to create roughly the same
dimensions in the reed blank. It was always more difficult for me to make good reeds
with this machine. Dr. Charles West, Professor of Clarinet at Virginia Commonwealth
University, recommends that one adjust the settings so that the new reed finishes a bit too
hard. I employed this method and enjoyed moderate success adjusting the reed softer by
removing cane from the appropriate places on the reed. When I would make an exact
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duplicate of the reed, it would die faster or finish too soft. A possible explanation for my
relative lack of success is the difference in cane density from blank to blank. I believe
the Reedual is an excellent tool, but I’ve had greater success doing the work by hand.
The greatest advantage to the Reedual is the speed with which one can make their reed.
Not including the curing or breaking in processes, it takes less than five minutes to make
a reed this way. By hand, the same process takes me thirty minutes.
TRACKING MEASUREMENTS
When I began making reeds, I used a micrometer to measure to the thousandth of an
inch the various degrees of thickness in commercial reeds I liked and the reeds I was
attempting to make. I tracked every reed in a catalogue, measuring them in forty key
locations on the vamp. I learned a great deal from this time consuming analysis which
taught me about the effects on the sound, articulation, and feel of the reed when made to
certain degrees of thickness. As I matured in the process, I stopped using the micrometer.
Today, I judge measurements by sight and touch.
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APPENDIX
MY CANE VENDORS
BLANKSEdmund Nielsen Woodwinds61 East Park Blvd.Villa Park, IL 60181(630) [email protected]
RDG Woodwinds (Robert Gilbert)589 Larchmont, 2nd FloorLos Angeles, CA 90004(323) [email protected]
TUBESMme Marcelle GhysLe Roseau du VarAvenue Jules Grec06600 Antibes FRANCE
Glotin 70, ru de la Gare / B.P. 51 95460 Ezanville FRANCE www.glotin.fr
RDG Woodwinds (Robert Gilbert)(above)
Jack Spratt Woodwind Shop11 Park Ave; P.O. Box 277Old Greenwich, CT 06870(800) 626-9277