A Guide to Quality Bassoon Reeds

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

It’s a sound that can be comical one moment and heart-wrenchingly sad the next. It’s the grandfather in Peter and the Wolf, the broomstick in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and the foundation of the orchestra’s woodwind section. The bassoon is an instrument of incredible character, a towering column of maple wood that produces a voice both noble and wonderfully quirky. But all of that majestic sound, all that personality, begins with something absurdly small, fragile, and often maddeningly temperamental: a tiny, handcrafted sliver of cane called a reed.

To the uninitiated, it looks like a bit of folded wood held together with thread and wire. An afterthought, perhaps. But ask any bassoonist, from a nervous student in their first school orchestra to a seasoned professional in the London Symphony Orchestra, and they’ll tell you the same thing. The reed isn’t just an accessory; it’s everything. It’s the engine, the vocal cords, and the very soul of the instrument.

A multi-thousand-pound bassoon with a bad reed will sound dreadful. A modest student instrument with a superb reed can sing. Understanding the bassoon reed is to understand the secret behind the instrument itself. It’s a journey into a world of surprising complexity, ancient craft, and delicate physics. So, let’s pull back the curtain on this unsung hero of the orchestra and discover why a quality bassoon reed is the most important thing in a bassoonist’s life.

What Exactly Is a Bassoon Reed?

Before we dive into why quality matters so much, we need to get to grips with what this little contraption actually is. It’s not just a mouthpiece; it’s a sophisticated sound generator.

The Double Reed Difference

Many woodwind instruments use a single reed. A clarinetist or saxophonist clamps a flat piece of cane onto a mouthpiece and blows, causing that single reed to vibrate against the mouthpiece. It’s a relatively stable and predictable system.

The bassoon, along with its orchestral cousin the oboe, is a double reed instrument. This means there is no mouthpiece. Instead, two perfectly matched and impossibly thin pieces of cane are bound together, facing each other. When the player blows, these two blades vibrate against one another thousands of time per second.

Think of it like this: take two wide blades of grass, hold them together tightly between your thumbs, and blow through the gap. That high-pitched squeal you can make is a basic, chaotic version of what a double reed does. The bassoon reed channels that same principle into a controlled, beautiful, and resonant tone. This double-vibration system is what gives the bassoon its uniquely rich and complex sound, full of overtones that make it so distinctive.

A Quick Look at the Anatomy

A finished bassoon reed is a small marvel of engineering. While designs vary, they all share the same basic parts:

The Blades: These are the two broad, fan-shaped ends of the reed that go into the player’s mouth. They are scraped incredibly thin, tapering to a thickness of just a fraction of a millimetre at the tip. This is the part that vibrates.
The Throat: The area where the blades narrow down into the tube. The shape and size of the throat are crucial for tuning and response.
The Tube: The rounded, lower part of the reed that fits onto the bassoon’s metal ‘bocal’ or ‘crook’.
The Wires: Typically, there are three wires. The first and second wires, nearest the blades, hold the reed’s shape and opening. The third wire, often covered by the binding, helps keep the tube round.
The Binding: This is the thread (usually silk or cotton) wrapped around the base of the reed. It seals the reed, prevents it from splitting, and provides a comfortable grip. It’s often finished with a coat of clear varnish.

Every single one of these elements affects how the reed plays. Even a tiny adjustment to a wire or a light scrape on a blade can completely change its character.

From Marsh to Music: The Remarkable Story of Cane

You can’t make a bassoon reed from any old bit of wood. The entire art form depends on one specific, rather humble plant.

The Magical Plant: Arundo Donax

The cane used for all professional-quality double reeds comes from a giant grass called Arundo donax. It grows in dense thickets in damp soil, and the best of it is found in specific regions of southern France, such as the Var department. For centuries, reed makers have known that the cane from this region has the perfect combination of flexibility and strength.

But you can’t just go and chop it down. The cane must be harvested at the right time of year, usually when it’s several years old. Then, it’s left to season in the sun for at least a couple of years, much like fine wine or timber. This drying process is vital. It hardens the cane and stabilises its structure, ensuring it can withstand the immense pressures and moisture of being played. This long, patient process is the first clue as to why good reeds can be so expensive.

The Craftsman’s Touch: How Reeds Are Made

The journey from a hollow tube of Arundo donax to a finished bassoon reed is a long and incredibly precise process. While machines can help with the early stages, the final, crucial work is almost always done by hand. This is where the true artistry lies.

Here’s a simplified look at the steps involved:

Splitting and Gouging: First, the tube of cane is split into three or four sections. Then comes one of the most critical stages: gouging. The inside of the curved cane strip is scraped out by a special machine to a precise thickness, often measured in hundredths of a millimetre. A consistent gouge is the foundation of a good reed.
Shaping: The gouged strip of cane is then placed on a shaper, and a blade cuts it into its final, tapered outline. The shape determines much of the reed’s eventual pitch and tone colour.
Profiling: The shaped cane is then profiled. This means scraping the part of the cane that will become the blades, thinning it from the ‘bark’ side down towards the tip. Again, this is a job for a specialised machine, creating a precise taper that’s impossible to achieve by hand.
Forming and Binding: The profiled cane is soaked, folded in half, and a tube is formed at the base. The wires are carefully attached, and the thread binding is wrapped around the base to seal it all together.
Finishing: This is the final, magical step. Using an incredibly sharp reed knife, the maker scrapes the blades of the reed. They thin the tip, balance the two blades, and make microscopic adjustments to different parts of the reed to control its response, tone, and intonation. This final scraping is what separates a mediocre reed from a masterpiece. It requires years of experience, a steady hand, and an intimate understanding of how the slightest change can affect the sound.

This painstaking, multi-stage process, where a hundred things can go wrong at any moment, is why bassoon reeds are so varied and why a truly great one feels like a gift from the heavens.

The Heart of the Matter: Why a Quality Reed Is Non-Negotiable

So, we’ve established that reeds are complex and difficult to make. But why does that matter to the person listening in the audience? Because the quality of the reed directly impacts every single aspect of the music you hear.

The Voice of the Instrument: Tone Quality

The reed is the source of the sound. It dictates the fundamental character of the bassoon’s voice.

A good reed produces a sound that is rich, warm, dark, and resonant. It has a focused ‘core’ to the sound, but it’s surrounded by a beautiful complexity of overtones. It allows the player to create a singing, vocal quality that can fill a concert hall.
A bad reed sounds thin, buzzy, and nasal. It might have an annoying ‘edge’ to the sound or feel completely dead and unresponsive. It lacks depth and colour, turning the noble bassoon into something that sounds more like a distressed duck.

Hitting the Right Note: Intonation

Intonation, or playing in tune, is one of the biggest challenges for any musician. The bassoon is already a tricky beast in this regard, and a poor reed makes the job nearly impossible.

A good reed is stable. It will play in tune across the entire range of the instrument without the player having to make huge adjustments with their mouth and breath. Its notes are ‘centred’ and easy to lock onto the correct pitch.
A bad reed is a nightmare for tuning. Certain notes might be wildly sharp or flat. It might be generally flat in the low register and sharp in the high register. The player has to fight the reed constantly, contorting their face muscles (their ‘embouchure’) just to play in tune with the rest of the orchestra. It’s exhausting and often unsuccessful.

Speaking When Spoken To: Response and Articulation

Response refers to how easily and reliably a reed vibrates when the player starts a note. This is crucial for playing cleanly, especially in fast or delicate passages.

A good reed ‘speaks’ instantly and cleanly. Whether it’s the lowest note on the instrument or a quiet note high up, it starts without any fuss. It allows the player to articulate crisply (tonguing notes clearly) and confidently.
A bad reed is sluggish. It might hesitate before speaking, or the note might ‘crack’ into a horrible harmonic squeak. Low notes can be almost impossible to start quietly, and soft, high notes become a terrifying gamble. For a professional player, this unreliability is simply not an option.

From a Whisper to a Roar: Dynamic Control

Music isn’t just about playing the right notes; it’s about playing them with expression. A huge part of this is dynamics—the ability to play loudly (forte) and softly (pianissimo).

A good reed has a wide dynamic range. It can be played at a barely-audible whisper without the sound collapsing, and it can also be pushed to a powerful fortissimo without becoming harsh or uncontrolled. It gives the player a full palette of colours to paint with.
A bad reed often has only one volume: medium-loud. If you try to play it quietly, the vibrations stop altogether and the sound cuts out. If you try to play it loudly, it just gets buzzy and horrible. It robs the player of their ability to be expressive.

The Musician’s Stamina

Playing the bassoon is a physical activity. It requires strong facial muscles and phenomenal breath control. A bad reed makes the job ten times harder.

A good reed is efficient. It vibrates freely and doesn’t require a huge amount of pressure or air to work. The player can practise or perform for hours without their embouchure getting overly tired.
A bad reed is resistant. It feels like you’re blowing against a brick wall. The player has to use excessive breath pressure and bite down hard just to get a sound. This quickly leads to fatigue, pain, and can even cause long-term physical problems for the musician.

In short, a bad reed makes playing the bassoon a miserable, frustrating, and exhausting battle. A good reed makes it a joy.

A Practical Guide for the Aspiring Bassoonist

If you’re a student or parent just entering this world, it can be bewildering. Here are a few practical tips to navigate the world of reeds.

Choosing Your First Reeds

For a beginner, the most important thing is to have a reed that works reliably. You don’t need a world-class professional reed, but you do need something that isn’t actively fighting you.

Strength: Reeds come in different strengths, usually labelled soft, medium-soft, medium, and hard. A beginner should almost always start with a medium-soft or medium reed. A reed that is too hard will be exhausting to play, while one that is too soft will be difficult to control and may sound flat.
Shop-Bought vs. Handmade: Most beginners will start with factory-made reeds from brands like Jones or Rieger. These can be a bit hit-or-miss, but they are a good starting point. As a player progresses, they will almost certainly move on to reeds that are handmade by specialists. These are more expensive but are generally far more consistent and responsive. Many professional players in the UK make and sell reeds to supplement their income.

The Daily Ritual: Reed Care 101

Reeds are delicate and need to be looked after. A few simple habits can dramatically extend their life.

Soaking: A reed must be soaked in water for a minute or two before playing. This allows the cane fibres to absorb moisture and become flexible. Use clean, lukewarm water. And please, don’t just stick it in your mouth—that’s not enough moisture and it’s not very hygienic.
Storing: Never, ever just throw your reed back in the instrument case. It will get damaged and grow mould. A proper reed case is an essential piece of kit. A good case will hold the reeds securely and allow air to circulate, letting them dry out slowly and evenly.
Rotation: Don’t play the same reed every day until it dies. Like a good pair of shoes, reeds need to rest. Having three or four reeds on the go and rotating them will make them all last much longer.

When Good Reeds Go Bad: The Lifespan of a Reed

Sadly, reeds don’t last forever. The constant cycle of wetting, drying, and vibrating eventually causes the cane fibres to break down. A reed can last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks of regular playing. You’ll know it’s dying when:

It starts to feel weak and unresponsive.
It loses its tonal focus and sounds dull.
It struggles to play in tune, often going very flat.
It starts to look warped or has visible black spots (mould!) on the inside.

At this point, it’s time to say goodbye and move on to the next one.

The Bassoonist’s Rite of Passage: The World of Reed Making

As players become more advanced, many of them reach a daunting conclusion: to get the perfect reed, they’re going to have to make it themselves. This is a huge step, often seen as a rite of passage for any serious bassoonist.

Why Bother Making Your Own?

There are three main reasons players take the plunge:

Control: Every player is different. They have different bassoons, different mouth shapes, and different ideas about sound. Making your own reeds allows you to tailor them perfectly to your specific needs.
Consistency: While buying handmade reeds is great, you’re still at the mercy of someone else’s style. By learning the craft yourself, you can (in theory) produce a more consistent supply of reeds that work for you.
Cost: While the initial investment in tools is very high, over the course of a long career, making your own reeds is significantly cheaper than buying them. A professional player can easily get through over a hundred reeds a year.

A Glimpse into the Toolkit

Reed making is a serious hobby. The toolkit includes specialised (and expensive) items like gouging machines, profilers, shapers, mandrels, reamers, pliers, and, most importantly, a collection of incredibly sharp knives. It’s not something you decide to do on a whim.

A Journey of a Thousand Scrapes

Learning to make reeds is a long, slow, and often deeply frustrating process. It can take years to develop the skills and intuition to reliably produce a good reed. You will make hundreds of reeds that are destined for the bin. But the reward—the moment you play on a reed you made yourself, that sounds exactly how you want it to—is one of the most satisfying experiences a bassoonist can have.

The Future of the Reed: Innovation and Alternatives

For centuries, bassoonists have been locked in this love-hate relationship with cane. But is that set to change?

The Rise of Synthetic Reeds

In recent years, synthetic reeds made from composite materials have become increasingly popular, particularly among amateur players and those who have to play outdoors (in a marching band, for example). Brands like Légère produce reeds that are incredibly durable, completely stable, and ready to play straight out of the box with no soaking.

The pros are obvious: they last for months, they don’t change with the weather, and they are incredibly reliable. The downside? For most professional players, the tone still doesn’t quite match the complexity and warmth of a great cane reed. But the technology is improving all the time, and for many, they are a fantastic, hassle-free alternative.

The Never-Ending Quest for Perfection

Technology is also helping to improve the quality of traditional cane reeds. Digital measurement tools can analyse the profile of a great reed, and more advanced profiling and gouging machines can help makers produce more consistent results. But in the end, the unique, organic nature of cane means there will probably always be an element of unpredictability.

Conclusion: The Unsung Hero of the Orchestra

From a patch of grass in the south of France to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms, the journey of the bassoon reed is remarkable. It is a testament to craftsmanship, patience, and a deep understanding of acoustics.

The next time you listen to an orchestra, listen out for the bassoon. When you hear its warm, resonant voice, remember that the sound you’re hearing isn’t just coming from a big wooden tube. It’s coming from the heart of the instrument: two tiny, fragile pieces of cane, vibrating together in perfect harmony. The reed is not an accessory; it is the fundamental source of the music. It is, without a doubt, the soul of the machine.