Reedmaking for dyslexic spider monkeys
As hard as I try, making a good reed has eluded me, until now! I finally managed to get a decent sounding reed made, after only 7 attempts. I've heard that many people can only expect to get one decent reed out of about ten tries. This improves to about 2 for every five if you're an accomplished reedmaker. This tells me it's all about the numbers, if you keep at it, you're bound to get a good one - even if you're a dyslexic spider monkey like me.
The reed I made is a few cents sharp in most of the notes, which means I may have made it a bit too short. I'll try sitting the reed a bit higher in the chanter to see if that helps. The back D, Cnat and C# seem a little flat, but bag pressure can compensate for it. It's a little hard to reach the high octave, but I'm willing to live with it rather than try to sand off more from the scrape. I'll play with the bridle a bit and see if I can find a good spot.
Man, there's nothing as sweet as playing your own reed. I think I'll start a business now. People from all over the country will invite me to offer a reedmaking workshop. I'll write a book: Reedmaking for Dummies, I'll....
Sorry 'bout that, got carried away. I think the only real secret to making your own reeds is to give a shit and really want to make your own. People say that you need to be good with your hands and tools to make a reed. I believe the most important thing is to really want (and I mean REALLY want) to make one, if you have that, the rest will follow.
If you can keep from poking yourself in the forehead with a gouge, you can make a reed.
I've been keeping myself up at night with this one: If 20,000 spider monkeys all had a gouge and some reed cane, what are the chances that one of them would produce a good reed in their lifetime? It's the scientist in me, I guess.
The reed I made is a few cents sharp in most of the notes, which means I may have made it a bit too short. I'll try sitting the reed a bit higher in the chanter to see if that helps. The back D, Cnat and C# seem a little flat, but bag pressure can compensate for it. It's a little hard to reach the high octave, but I'm willing to live with it rather than try to sand off more from the scrape. I'll play with the bridle a bit and see if I can find a good spot.
Man, there's nothing as sweet as playing your own reed. I think I'll start a business now. People from all over the country will invite me to offer a reedmaking workshop. I'll write a book: Reedmaking for Dummies, I'll....
Sorry 'bout that, got carried away. I think the only real secret to making your own reeds is to give a shit and really want to make your own. People say that you need to be good with your hands and tools to make a reed. I believe the most important thing is to really want (and I mean REALLY want) to make one, if you have that, the rest will follow.
If you can keep from poking yourself in the forehead with a gouge, you can make a reed.
I've been keeping myself up at night with this one: If 20,000 spider monkeys all had a gouge and some reed cane, what are the chances that one of them would produce a good reed in their lifetime? It's the scientist in me, I guess.
posted by Tony Darnell | 4:29 PM
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