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[The following article is an excerpt from Ms. Carland's doctoral thesis, A Waveform. Analysis of Bassoon Reed Profiles, Florida State University, Tallahassee, August 1987. We hope to Present more information from this work in the future. Ed.]

In 1965, Lyndesay Langwill wrote in The Bassoon and Contrabassoon that "of all writings on reed-making, by far the most detailed, technical and comprehensive account is that of Don Christlieb."[1] Christlieb's privately printed treatise, Notes on the Bassoon Reed, written in 1945 and revised in 1966, deals with many aspects of reed making. It discusses how to make reeds, gives ideas for tests to be used on the cane itself, and gives detailed drawings of tools and machines used in reed making, such as gougers, shapers, profilers, dial indicators, forming jigs, mandrels, and reamers. A brief botanical description of cane includes two microscope photographs, one of a longitudinal section of cane, the other of a cross- section of cane. Dimensions of seven reeds, taken with a dial indicator, are given in chart form with accompanying remarks such as "performance good but a little stiff"[2] and "performance excellent."[3] A chart of the harmonics present in fifteen notes, including their fundamental frequencies, is presented, but all the notes were produced using only one reed, and no comparisons with other reeds are supplied. Christlieb even states, "It is my intention at some future date to study the effects of controlled differences in thickness, in various areas."[4]

Christlieb's work evidently served as a model for Thomas H.. Palmer's The Bassoon Reed Profile and Measurement, a privately published treatise describing reed making. Jansen described it as "the most up-to-date and technical work, dealing with reed shapes and their measurement in a thoroughly scientific way."[5] Palmer compares the profiles of nine reeds, giving their dimensions in a chart format identical to Christlieb's and characterizing the reeds by such observations as "LOW: Poor; HIGH: Very good"[6] and "rather muddy sound."[7] He gives his method for making reeds, discusses the tools used, and tells how to make and use a dial indicator. He includes fourteen microscope pictures of cane, two of which are very similar to those found in Christlieb's Notes. He gives dimensions to which finished reeds should conform, but does not expound upon their strengths or weaknesses. He discusses the rate of contraction of cane when drying. He investigates the effects of flat throats versus round ones by measuring the amount of air present between the blades of two reeds, computes ratios showing the degrees to which the blades may be out of balance, and graphs the slopes of sections of the surfaces of a few blades. No conclusions about specific profiles are given.

Palmer has also written a second paper concerned with automated reed making, Bassoon Reed Profiling Machine and Reed Making. It gives the technical details of a semi-automatic reed profiling machine, including its design, adjustment, and operation. Directions for reshaping gouged cane, preparing the cane to be machined, and making reeds from cane profiled on the machine are also included. As in his other work, the reasons for using certain measurements are not given.

Lawrence Intravaia published a review of NJ. Gagnon's master's thesis, "An Investigation of the Lay Contour of Bassoon Reeds and Its Relation to Pitch, Tone Quality and Response," in the 1973 journal of the International Double Reed Society (I.D.R.S.). According to Intravaia, Gagnon made eleven reeds of certain profiles and played them for a panel of experienced bassoonists, who judged the reeds' tone qualities and then played them to evaluate the reeds' response characteristics.[8] His hypotheses were that bassoon reeds with identical contours tend to produce similar pitch, timbre, and response characteristics (assuming the cane and exterior measurements are held constant), and that "it may be possible to construct reeds from a single pattern that are consistently satisfactory to several players provided a design... can be determined."[9]

To this end, Gagnon made ten new reeds from a design that was a composite of the two lay contours judged as being best by the panel, then submitted them to five bassoonists for trial. Each person classified the reeds according to "(1) satisfactory for all types of playing; (2) usable for some types of playing; and (3) poor for all types of playing."[10] The measurements of the eleven original reeds from which the design was chosen to make a pattern for the ten prototypes are given in graph form, but there is no discussion in Intravaia's article about any analysis of the ten prototypes.

An abstract of Intravaia's own reed study, "The Effects of Hardness and Stiffness of Bassoon Cane upon Performance of the Reed, " was published posthumously in the 1978 I.D.R.S Journal. While not material to this project, Intravaia's study does provide a good example of a scientific analysis of two characteristics of bassoon cane and the effects those characteristics have on finished reeds. His procedures are similar to the ones used in this treatise.

Intravaia used a Rockwell Superficial Hardness Tester to determine the hardness of his cane, then made eight reeds from the cane with blade measurements varying not more than two thousandths of an inch among reeds. He then recorded four notes played on each reed, using a Stroboconn to keep the pitch constant and a decibel meter to keep the volume constant. The recorded sounds were harmonically analyzed by a wave analyzer, and graphs indicating the relative strength in decibels of each partial are given, four graphs for each of the eight reeds tested. Intravaia's conclusions include the following: (1) cane that is either stiff (inflexible) and soft, or hard flexible, should be discarded; (2) cane from the same growth tended to have the same hardness; (3) cane that tested the softest had the greatest amount of recovery (in the stiffness tests), was the least stiff, and made the best reeds. He questions the validity of the hardness test, stating that the structure of the cane made it impossible to produce consistent measurements using his testing device.[11]

A German book on reed making is Das grosse Rohrbuch, by Hans Lotsch. For those with at least a reading knowledge of German (there is not as yet an English translation), the detailed instructions and excellent step-by-step photographs provide a thorough treatment of reed making. Although some length measurements are given, specific thicknesses are not discussed and there is no analysis of any profiles.

Das Fagott, by Verner Seltmann and Gunter Angerhofer, is a comprehensive work on bassoon playing. Translated by William Waterhouse, the six volumes contain duets, etudes, and accompanied pieces, as well as instruction on breathing, public performance, and the contrabassoon. Volume III deals with reeds, including information on knife sharpening and cane selection, and descriptions and drawings of the necessary tools. Step-by-step procedures for making reeds, from tube cane to finished product, are augmented with detailed illustrations. Measurements of the shaper tip, gouged cane, and profiled cane are given, but thickness measurements of finished reeds are not included.

J.M. Heinrich's paper analyzing bassoon reeds from a botanical and geometric viewpoint was published in the 1979 journal of the I.D.R.S. It includes many drawings of reed blades and cross-sections of gouged cane, and recommends the use of a microscope in the selection of cane. It discusses methods of gouging cane but does not give any measurements for finished reeds.[12]

There are many brief articles dealing with bassoon reeds in To the World's Bassoonists (TWB) and other publications, including one (Summer, 1970) in which Frank Schwartz states (the underlining is his):

There is a basic contour which the reed must have to play well. This basic contour can be varied (within limits) to make the reed easier or harder as desired; the dimensions can be varied (within limits) to make the reed sharper or flatter, etc.; but if the basic pattern is incorrect the reed will be a failure, regardless of the cane, the player or the instrument.[13]

Schwartz gives the set of dimensions that he likes in the 1974 Journal, although he does not explain why his measurements are good. Richard Plaster (TWB V/3) gives detailed drawings and measurements of reeds made by the famous makers Mechler, Knochenhauer, and Eisenhardt, and even states, "upon making new reeds to these dimensions I find that I prefer them to the narrower versions, since they are more sure-fire and give a wider range of possibilities for adjustment of tone and dimensions."[14] Plaster does not analyze his dimensions, either.

Paul Lehman's Ph.D. dissertation, "The Harmonic Structure of the Tone of the Bassoon," is another dissertation related to this treatise by virtue of the procedures used in it. In chapter 2, Lehman tells how he placed microphones for recording the bassoon tones he later analyzed and how a volt meter was used to measure decibel levels. He also discusses microphone calibration and the setting of the recording levels of the tape recorder and volt meter. Tables of the mean strengths of the partials of the overtone series present in the chromatic notes from A1-sharp to c" are included (he averaged the results from several professional players), as well as tables of the ranges of strengths of the partials for the notes C, c, c' and c" (played by professional players and himself).[15] An analysis of the different players' reeds was not within the scope of the study.

The results of Ronald Klimko's survey of reedmaking, in his Bassoon Performance Practices and Teaching in the United States and Canada, include the measurements of thirty-eight reeds sent to him by the professional players and teachers of bassoon who responded to his questionnaire. Klimko averaged the measurements of the thirty-eight to produce a set of measurements for a "composite" reed. Using the composite measurements as a guide, he then made two reeds from different cane sources with results he deemed "outstanding."[16] He further stated that the two reeds played equally well and were very balanced.[17] As Klimko's purpose was to publish the results of his survey, he did not make any comparisons of the composite reeds with any other reeds or specifically describe their characteristics.

Currently popular books on reed making include Bassoon Reed Making - Including Bassoon Repair, Maintenance and Adjustment and an Approach to Bassoon Playing by Mark Popkin and Loren Glickman and Bassoon Reed Making: a Basic Technique by Christopher Weait. Both books describe reed making with step-by-step instructions, but neither gives dimensions of the blade contours in the sections on finishing reeds. Both provide linear (length) measurements, however. Short articles on bassoon reeds may be found in Langwill's The Bassoon and Contrabassoon, which gives a brief history of reed making, listing sources of printed instruction on reed making but avoiding technical discussion of reeds, and in William Waterhouse's "Bassoon, " in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, which has a cursory description of reed making, gives length measurements of reeds used in the 1700's, and lists nineteenth-century authors of reed making tutors. The Art of Bassoon Playing by William Spencer discusses reed making and adjustment and the use of the dial indicator, but states:

The diagram [table of dimensions] of the best reed should be kept for reference and comparison with future reeds. It is not recommended, however, that the gauge [dial indicator] be used at every step of cutting the lay or in adjusting the reed. It should be used only to check now and then to see whether one has strayed too far away from the original measurements.[18]

About the writer...

June Carland joined the faculty of the Berry College Department of Music after completing a doctorate in bassoon performance at Florida State University. While at FSU she was a University Fellow, was listed in the 1986 Outstanding Young Women in America, and was elected a member of Phi Cappa Phi. Her principal bassoon teachers have been William Winstead, Carl Nitchie, William Davis, and Robert Chesebro. She has participated in the Blossom Festival of Florida and has been a member of the Tallahassee, Rome (Georgia), and Greenville (South Carolina) Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her duties as Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at Berry College she performs as a freelance bassoonist in Atlanta. Other degrees she has received include Master of Arts in mathematics and a Master of Music in bassoon from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and Bachelor of Music in instrumental music education from Furman University. A dressage rider, she has gained a modicum of notoriety for jumping her horse over her bassoon!

ENDNOTES

1. Lyndesay Langwill, The Bassoon and Contrabassoon (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1965), 25.

2. Don Christlieb, Notes on the Bassoon Reed (Sherman Oaks, Cal: By the Author, 3311 Scadlock Lane, 1945, rev. 1966), 37.

3. Ibid., 38.

4. Ibid., 3.

5. Will Jansen, The Bassoon, 5 vols., (Buren, The
Netherlands: Frits Knuf, 1979), V, 763.

6. Thomas Palmer, The Bassoon Reed Profile and Measurement (Stafford, England: By the Author, 4 Chartwell Road, 1970), 49.

7. Ibid., 39.

8. Noel James Gagnon, "An Investigation of the Lay Contour of Bassoon Reeds and Its Relation to Pitch, Tone Quality and Response" (Master's Thesis, University of Minnesota (Duluth, 1963), referred to in Lawrence J. Intravaia, "A Review of a Masters Thesis," The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 1 (June 1973): 40.

9. Ibid., 41.

10. Gagnon, "An Investigation 41.

11. Lawrence J. Intravaia, "The Effects of Hardness and Stiffness of Bassoon Cane upon Performance of the Reed," ed. Gerald E. Corey, The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 6 (June 1978): 30-46.

12. J.N. Heinrich, "The Bassoon Reed," trans. Joelle Amar, The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 7 (June 1979): 1743.

13. Frank Schwartz, "Machine Profiled Bassoon Reeds: Yes, But -," To the World's Bassoonists, Summer 1970, 4.

14. Richard Plaster, "Drawings and Some Dimensions of Famous Reeds, " To the World's Bassoonists, Winter 1976, 5.

15. Paul Lehman, "ne Harmonic Structure of the Tone of the Bassoon" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1962), 7-21.

16. Ronald Klimko, Bassoon Performance Practices and Teaching in the United States and Canada (Moscow, Idaho: School of Music Publications, 1974), 74.

17. Ibid., 76.

18. William Spencer, ne Art of Bassoon Playing
(Evanston, Ill.: Summy-Birchard, 1968), 43.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

- Books -

Jansen, Will. The Bassoon. 5 vols. Buren, The Netherlands: Frits Knuf, 1979, V.

Klimko, Ronald. Bassoon Performance Practices and Teaching in the United States and Canada. Moscow, Idaho: School of Music Publications, 1974.

Langwill, Lyndesay. The Bassoon and Contrabassoon. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1965.Lotsch, Hans. Das grosse Rohrbuch. Frankfurt, West Germany: Verlag das Musikinstrument, 1974.

Popkin, Mark A., and Glickman, Loren. Bassoon Reed Making - including Bassoon Repair, Maintenance and Adjustment and an Approach to Bassoon Playing. Evanston, Ill.: The Instrumentalist Co., 1969.

Seltmann, Werner, and Angerhofer, Gunter. Das Fagott. Translated by William Waterhouse. Six Vols. Leipzig, East Germany: VEB Deutscher Verlag fur Musik, 1980. 111.

Spencer, William. The Art of Bassoon Playing. Evanston, Ill.: Summy-Birchard, 1969.

Waterhouse, William. "Bassoon," New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie, 20 vols. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1980, Il.

Weait, Christopher. Bassoon Reed Making: a Basic Technique. New York: McGinnis & Marx Music Publ. Co., 1970.

- Periodical Articles -

Gagnon, Noel James. "An Investigation of the Lay Contour of Bassoon Reeds and Its Relation to Pitch, Tone Quality and Response. " Master's thesis, University of Minnesota, 1963. Referred to in Lawrence J. Intravaia, "A Review of a Masters Thesis. " ne Journal of the International Double Reed Society I (June 1973): 40-43.

Heinrich, J. N. "The Bassoon Reed." Translated by Joelle Amar. The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 7 (June 1979): 17-43.

Intravaia, Lawrence J. "The Effects of Hardness and Stiffness of Bassoon Cane upon Performance of the Reed. " Edited by Gerald E. Corey. The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 6 (June 1978): 30-46.

_____. "A Review of a Masters Thesis." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society I (June 1973): 40-43.

Plaster, Richard E. "Drawings and Some Dimensions of Famous Reeds. " To the World's Bassoonists, Winter 1976, 5-6.

Schwartz, Frank, "Machine Profiled Bassoon Reeds? Yes, But -. " To the World's Bassoonists, Summer 1970, 3-4.

- Unpublished Materials -

Christlieb, Don. Notes on the Bassoon Reed. Sherman Oaks, Calif.: By the Author, 3311 Scadlock Lane, 1945; rev. ed., 1966.

Lehman, Paul. "The Harmonic Structure of the Tone of the Bassoon." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1962.

Palmer, Thomas H. Bassoon Reed Profiling Machine and Reed Making. Stafford, England: By the Author, 4 Chartwell Road, 1973.

_____. The Bassoon Reed Profile and Measurement. Stafford, England: By the Author, 4 Chartwell Road, 1970.

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