These videos are super helpful, I'm a clarinet player of 4 years and I take two band classes throughout the day which means I have the option of picking up a second instrument like many others in my double classes and I was looking into playing Bassoon since my section leader chose the oboe and after watching your videos I'm really excited to try my hand at it. The current person who has my schools bassoon said they would bring it back within the week so I'm looking forward to it :)
I am an amateur bassoonist that uses store bought reeds. To me, the essentials are a good reed cup that attaches to the stand for easy access, a good pair of pliers, a reamer, a rat tail file, and some fine grade sandpaper. Next would be a mandrel and plaque. The pliers are indispensable, especially for quick adjustments as the reed changes with different moisture levels. I just need to be careful when using them to make a mostly up/down motion since most pliers come in at an angle and can cause both the reed halves to distort side to side from too many adjustments. Most of my store bought reeds seem to have rough cane where they meet the bocal so I almost always need to ream them and then fine tune them with the rat tail file. I have a version of the expensive reamer you showed but one of my best is a less expensive one that has three blades. If you use it gently, it seems to allow for more control while removing material a little slower than the spiral version. In a pinch, I have used a little sand paper on my reed, even without a mandrel and plaque. Repeated soakings and dryings sometimes cause some of the grain of the reeds to get a little rough. For more detailed adjustments, I will break out the mandrel and plaque but by then, the reed is close to end of life. I will look into a set of plastic plaques, I have found that my one metal plaque can cause the halves to spread too far and some reeds are a different shape than the plaque I have. Yes, a set of good jewelers screwdrivers are indispensable. My bassoon screws tend to stay in place but on my saxophones and clarinets, some screw some place is always starts to work its way out. The only other non reed tools that I would recommend are a good spring setting tool (usually a small rod with a little hook and v cut out on the end) and some good quality key oil.
Very interesting videos. I'm a beginner Uilleann piper. I'm always looking at techniques and tools used for other double-reeded instruments. Thank you!
These videos are super helpful, I'm a clarinet player of 4 years and I take two band classes throughout the day which means I have the option of picking up a second instrument like many others in my double classes and I was looking into playing Bassoon since my section leader chose the oboe and after watching your videos I'm really excited to try my hand at it.
The current person who has my schools bassoon said they would bring it back within the week so I'm looking forward to it :)
I’m excited for you!
I am an amateur bassoonist that uses store bought reeds. To me, the essentials are a good reed cup that attaches to the stand for easy access, a good pair of pliers, a reamer, a rat tail file, and some fine grade sandpaper. Next would be a mandrel and plaque. The pliers are indispensable, especially for quick adjustments as the reed changes with different moisture levels. I just need to be careful when using them to make a mostly up/down motion since most pliers come in at an angle and can cause both the reed halves to distort side to side from too many adjustments. Most of my store bought reeds seem to have rough cane where they meet the bocal so I almost always need to ream them and then fine tune them with the rat tail file. I have a version of the expensive reamer you showed but one of my best is a less expensive one that has three blades. If you use it gently, it seems to allow for more control while removing material a little slower than the spiral version. In a pinch, I have used a little sand paper on my reed, even without a mandrel and plaque. Repeated soakings and dryings sometimes cause some of the grain of the reeds to get a little rough. For more detailed adjustments, I will break out the mandrel and plaque but by then, the reed is close to end of life. I will look into a set of plastic plaques, I have found that my one metal plaque can cause the halves to spread too far and some reeds are a different shape than the plaque I have. Yes, a set of good jewelers screwdrivers are indispensable. My bassoon screws tend to stay in place but on my saxophones and clarinets, some screw some place is always starts to work its way out. The only other non reed tools that I would recommend are a good spring setting tool (usually a small rod with a little hook and v cut out on the end) and some good quality key oil.
Very interesting videos. I'm a beginner Uilleann piper. I'm always looking at techniques and tools used for other double-reeded instruments. Thank you!
In my humble opinion, the best tool is a sack of money 💰