I have continued my research into the effects of how ultrasonic cleaning affects reeds. I would like to present to you photographs of oboe and bassoon reeds taken at various stages of their "life". My previous effort dealt with each player's subjective judgment on how their reed sounded before and after the cleaning process, but this study did not consider the aural aspects at all, but rather the visual. In this article I will examine how a reed looks before and after cleaning, but this time the judgment is left up to you.
The following photos were taken under a microscope at a 5.2X magnification with a 2-4 second exposure at a shutter speed of F/22. To achieve a crisp image, the reeds had to be disassembled and flattened out as much as possible. The blades were not completely flat, so the greatest clarity is towards the center of the picture. A lot of back lighting is necessary with this type of photography, so only one blade of each reed was used since the light would not penetrate both blades sufficiently.
[Click on figures to enlarge]
Figure 1: This is a new bassoon
reed that was never played on. It was machine profiled, but until
it was taken apart for photos, the tip had not even been clipped.
The long, dark, vertical lines are the grain and in between them,
you may be able to detect the tiny, rectangular cell walls which
resemble building blocks. These will be more apparent in subsequent
pictures.
Figure 2: This is an
old bassoon reed that no longer functioned well enough to be played.
This reed played out its natural life with no extraordinary measures
being taken to preserve or extend its life (including ultrasonic
cleaning). Here you can plainly see the cell wall outlines. You'll
notice several dark blotches that, in some cases, completely obliterate
our view of the cells.
Figure 3: This is the
same bassoon reed as in figure 2 shown after it was cleaned ultrasonically
for one minute. The dark blotches are gone and even the long lines
of the grain look substantially lighter. There is still, however,
a heavier outline around the cells than is visible on the new
reed in figure 1. 1 wonder if this is why 94% of the reeds in
my first study did not require break-in period?
Figure 4: This is a new
oboe reed, but you'll notice its appearance is not quite as pristine
as the new bassoon reed in figure 1. 1 attribute this to the differences
in the cane and to the fact that
I handled and played on the reed during the process of making
it. This picture is provided for a basis of comparison to the
reed in figure 5.
Figure
5: This oboe reed was played
on for 7 weeks which included 4 symphony concerts, the rehearsals
leading up to those concerts and all my private practice during
that time. Every time I got the reed out to play, I cleaned it
ultrasonically for 30 seconds. The most striking aspect of this
photo is its similarity in appearance to the new reed in figure
4.
1 hope you find these photos interesting and that I have provoked
some thought on your part. As was stated in the beginning of this
article, I will not present my own conclusion, but rather, let
you draw your own.
I was extremely gratified at the response I received from my last
article. Your calls and letters were most appreciated and I hope
you will continue to contact me with your ideas and questions.
Many of you requested information on where you might obtain
equipment to clean your reeds and bocals ultrasonically. These
machines are available for $69.50 (which
includes shipping and handling) from: