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An Instrumental Blog presented by D Addario

CHOOSING THE BEST REED HEAR A GREAT SOUND,
CREATE A GREAT SOUND
by Dr. Denise Gainey
E C by James Campbell
xperienced reed players know that they are only as good as their
weakest reed. We spend countless hours in search of the best reeds, omposers and arrangers don’t often give percussionists the
same amount of information that they give to other musicians. They
and each of us has our own reed “voodoo” that we do to break in
direct percussionists —when to start the sound, but not when to stop
our reeds and cycle them in and out of our reed boxes so that we are
it. They offer ambiguous instruments like “cymbal” or “triangle” or
always prepared and they sound their best. Cane is a product of nature, “woodblock”—which one to pick? Personally, I have dozens of these
though, and it is not always consistent—not to mention that we also instruments in my collection, and each one offers a different timbre,
deal with the effects of barometric pressure, weather, and usage on our pitch, and duration.
reed collection. What’s a woodwind player to do? Here are some tips to This situation is true with every percussion instrument, implement,
help choose the best of the bunch when going through boxes of reeds. and technique. There are few standards in the world of percussion with
Look at the color of the reed. It should be a beautiful golden yellow new products being created every day. It is quite an intimidating task
for the music educator, student, and even the professional performer
color, with no green tinges and little if any brown markings. Reeds with
to keep up-to-date with all the musical tools that are available to them.
a green tinge to them tend to sound “raw” when played, as the cane
Percussionists are unique in this respect, as other wind and string
may have been harvested too soon. Too many dark spots on the bark instrumentalists play instruments of standard design and range with an
of the reed can be indicators of a reed that will play with a harsher tone accepted music notation.
quality. The reed should also have a smooth surface and a bell-shaped Percussionists have to imagine the desired sound in their head (HEAR
heart to it that evenly thins out to the tip of the reed. However, these are it) before they play (CREATE it); conceiving an aural image that they
just general tips —we’ve all played reeds that have had these variations translate into a physical sound. Of course, they can also be directed by
in characteristics and still played beautifully. Play the strength of reed their conductor to create a specific sound that he is looking for as well.
It helps to deconstruct each musical passage by breaking it down
that gives you a clear, full tone, with good response in all registers of
into its components or musical elements. Ask these questions about
the instrument. Remember that reed strengths will vary between reed
the music as it unfolds:
brands. • What is my function here?
The most important tip? Find a reed brand of good quality cane • Does it reinforce the melody, color, accompany, or is it soloistic?
with consistent profiling that works well with your mouthpiece, and • Who else do I share this function with?
have a lot of them on hand. Buy reeds by the box, and buy multiple • Am I playing with woodwinds, brass, strings, or the full ensemble?
boxes if at all possible. The more reeds you have on hand, the better • Are these instruments in the high, medium, low, or all registers?
your odds of always having reeds that will work well for you when • Is the timbre bright or dark?
• Am I blending or contrasting?
you need them in performance. Young players should keep at least
• Do I want to be part of the overall sonority or stick out of the texture?
six to eight reeds broken in and rotating in their reed case at all times,
• Should my part be sustained or dry?
while professionals will typically keep several reed cases going, often
At each rehearsal, the percussionist should go through this
organizing their reeds by date first played, tendency to play softer or sequence:
harder, or some other differentiating factor. TEST – Try out a variety of instruments and mallets for each passage
Breaking reeds in slowly and carefully has a huge impact on their that matches your initial interpretation.
ultimate sound and longevity. Make time in your practice routine to EVALUATE – Did you feel that the choices you made were working
work on reeds daily, playing new reeds for only about ten minutes a to create the desired sound?
day for the first week or so, gradually increasing the time. Doing this ADJUST – If it didn’t work, ask yourself what change in instruments,
mallet choices, playing areas, or dampening techniques might give you
will build strength and consistency of response in the cane. On top
the desired sound.
of breaking in reeds and rotating them throughout your playing time,
As a percussionist, you need to be aware of the context of your part
learn to adjust your reeds, sanding the back of the reed to remove and how to blend and balance with an ensemble. It’s also the job of a
warping issues, and using tools such as a traditional reed knife and 400 percussionist to figure out what sound they want to make and then
grain wet or dry sandpaper, a Reed Geek, or one of the other myriad of how to do it consistently.
reed tools out there to balance the reed so that it responds best for your
JAMES CAMPBELL has received worldwide recognition as a performer,
mouthpiece and embouchure. pedagogue and author, and is a respected figure in the development of the
contemporary percussion ensemble. Currently Provost’s Distinguished Service
DENISE A. GAINEY is Professor of Clarinet and Instrumental Music Education
at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She serves as Secretary of the Board Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Kentucky
of the International Clarinet Association, Alabama State Chair of the ICA, and is an in Lexington, he also holds the positions of Principal Percussionist with the
Artist for Backun Musical Services, D’Addario Woodwinds, and Silverstein Works. Lexington Philharmonic, drummer with the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra,
and Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society. He is a member of the Drum
Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • September 2017 28 Corps International Hall of Fame and the Bands of America Hall of Fame.
Texas Bandmasters Association Bandmasters Review • April 2017 • page 28