TEACHING > BASSOON REED ADJUSTING

SYSTEM #1: WIRES

	ROUND	OVAL	FORWARD	BACK	TIGHTER
#1	open tip, flat, more resistant	closed tip, sharp, more responsive	sharper, favors high notes	flatter, favors low register	more stable, tighter sound
#2	closed tip, sharp, favors high register, dark, more resistant	open tip, flat, favors lows, brighter, more projecting, more responsive	same as above	same as above	more stable, focused sound
#3	NA	NA	less leverage in blades	more leverage, better lows	NA

SYSTEM #2: SCRAPE

CHANGE OF THICKNESS	MORE	LESS
SIDE-CENTER-SIDE	darker, favors highs	brighter, favors lows

AREA	THICK	THIN
TIP	more resistant, sharper	less resistant, flatter
BACK	more resistant low register, sharper	less resistant low register, flatter
RAILS	brighter, favors lows	darker, favors highs
CHANNELS	sharper pitch F#2-B3, rough attacks in this range, more closed tip	flatter pitch F#2-B3, clear sound and attacks, more open tip
WINGS (corners of tip)	brighter sound, favors lows	darker sound, favors highs

SYSTEM #3: SHAPE

CHARACTERISTIC	MORE	LESS
SURFACE AREA	flat, favors low register	sharp, favors high register
FLAIR	brighter, less focused	darker, more focused
TIP WIDTH	more lows	fewer lows
THROAT WIDTH	less focused	more focused
REVERSE FLAIR IN TUBE	more beveling	less beveling

SYSTEM #4: BEVEL

SHORT (to 2nd wire)	favors low notes, more open tip
LONG (to 1st wire)	favors high notes, opens tip less

SYSTEM #5: GOUGE

DESCRIPTION	CHARACTERISTIC	USE WITH
THICK	darker	thicker scrape
THIN	brighter	thinner scrape
ELLIPTICAL	better high notes	softer cane
CONCENTRIC	warmer tone	harder cane
SMALL DIAMETER (24mm or less)	more arched tip opening, darker sound, favors high notes	softer cane
LARGE DIAMETER 25mm or more)	less arched tip opening, brighter sound, favors low notes	harder cane

SYSTEM #6: CANE HARDNESS

HARD	brighter sound, thinner scrape, good high notes, flatter pitch
SOFT	darker sound, thicker scrape, good low notes, sharper pitch

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