![]() ![]() The two reeds vibrate against each other and not against a mouthpiece. Completed reeds are graded for strength by machine.ĭouble reeds are used on many instruments, such as the oboe, oboe d'amore, English horn, bass oboe, heckelphone, bassoon, contrabassoon, sarrusophone, shawm, bagpipes, nadaswaram and shehnai and others. Blanks are tapered and profiled into reeds using blades or CNC machines. The tubes are cut into splits and made into reed blanks. As production requires it, cane is taken to a factory's cutting department, where it is cut into tubes graded by diameter and wall density. Once dry, the cane is stored in a warehouse. The cane is rotated regularly to ensure even and complete drying. After the cane is cut it is placed in direct sunlight for about a month to dry. The cane used to make reeds for single-reed instruments is grown in the southern coastal regions of France and Spain and, in the last 30 years, in the Cuyo area of Argentina. Pieces of cane of different density or stiffness, even if cut with the same profile, will respond differently due to those differences. The thickness of the tip and heel and the profile in between affect the sound and playability. This is not a standardized scale and reed strengths vary by manufacturer. Hardness is generally measured on a scale of 1 through 5 from softest to hardest. Reeds designed for the same instrument look roughly identical, but vary in thickness ("hardness" or "strength"). ![]() All single reeds are shaped similarly but vary in size to fit each instrument's mouthpiece. These reeds are roughly rectangular in shape and taper towards the thin tip, which is rounded to match the curve of the mouthpiece tip. The back of the reed is flat and is placed against the mouthpiece. Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets and saxophones. ![]()
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