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As if oboe reeds weren't enough work...

Merlin

Content Expert/Moderator
Staff member
CE/Moderator
...now I'm making bassoon reeds too.

All in all, bassoon reeds are definitely easier. The cane is gouged, shaped and profiled to start with, so the main task is forming the tube, wiring it, wrapping it and finishing the tip.

First reed I made went into my gigging reed case!
 
You want to make it as a woodwind musician, you've gotta play em all. You get a LOT more gigs if you do double reeds. Only one you can get away without playing is bagpipes
 
He said CONCERT winds....

Well the ones you listed aren't exactly "concert" winds either...:emoji_rage:
Although I do see bagpipes quite often in concerts, and can't think of anything other than obscure classical music and concertos when I've seen
"a Heckelophone, bass oboe, musette, contrabass flute, contrabass saxophone or Ab clarinet"
 
I got my answer though, Merlin doubles on all the woodwinds... wich also indicated that perhaps you get called on to play Bassoon and Obeo more often than not. I can't imagine what your gig reed case must look like.
 
I got my answer though, Merlin doubles on all the woodwinds... wich also indicated that perhaps you get called on to play Bassoon and Obeo more often than not. I can't imagine what your gig reed case must look like.

Bassoon more than oboe. I have three reed cases in my bassoon case, with a total of about 14 reeds ready to play.
 
Aaron I have a bunch of Merlin's recordings with many of his solos that I can put up on the family share if you wanna hear them. They are excellent. Merlin has pointed us to CDs that he's on, but they don't feature him enough for me to buy them.
 
Hey, my name is Acglass. What's the point of using a cool handles if no one uses it Gandalfe.

jk, ;)

But with you and Merlin on the forum I once strongly considered the user name "Dumbledore".
 
Hey, my name is Acglass. What's the point of using a cool handles if no one uses it Gandalfe.

jk, ;)

But with you and Merlin on the forum I once strongly considered the user name "Dumbledore".

Yeah, that's my real name. I was considering changing to a really boring fake name in real life.
 
Any money in that Merlin? Making double reeds is really an art more than a science, right?

Not really. With the right gear, and a methodical approach, it's possible to make good reeds.

Oboe reeds are fussier than bassoon reeds though.
 
*true* reedmaking frustration occurs only at the final levels of uilleann pipe chanter reed production. believe me.
Regarding above posts about pipes,
As you know, the modern oboe owes its bore design to the Musette de couer, (a regular member of the formative 'orchestra') , which was perfected prior to the era of the Hotteterre bros dabbling in the hautbois. Musette's a reedmaking nightmare---there is good reason why two of the four contemporary makers of baroque musettes have closed their books for new orders. & if you yet long for a musette-like experience, Merlin, your best bet may be the Northumbrian smallpipe. A close second, but not the real deal...
. drone_2sides.jpg here are some lovely photos from a now defunct musette site featuring the elusive counterbored (a la rackett) double bladed shuttle drone reeds of the small bellows pipe beloved by Rameau, Lully, and the rest of the French baroque "creatifs"...
 
Ah, the rackett - a pocket sized bassoon that had a name descriptive of the sound that it allegedly made.

The name's not really descriptive of the sound it makes. I have a friend who plays one. It has a rather quiet soft 'buzzy' sound.
 
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