How many reeds?
Dear S,
To answer your question about how many reeds should Daniel have? The reed issue is what our lives as bassoonists is about. The reeds change with the weather and the season and can break if dropped or bumped and crack for no obvious reason. Therefore, one can never have too many reeds. You never know when your favorite might be a “goner”. Usually three to six reeds that are playing can cover it. Some reeds wear out quickly, and others will play for months if kept clean and are dried out thoroughly in between playing sessions. Incidentally, the type of reed case that Daniel has will shorten reed life. Air cannot circulate through the wet reed placed on solid pins. A different/better reed case with good air circulation into and through the reed and case will help. When I was a senior in high school I won the solo concerto competition with the Tacoma Youth Philharmonic. On the evening of the concert my reed cracked nearly down the middle. I had only the one “playable” reed in my case and was forced to play through the biggest bassoon moment of my life with a destroyed reed. It was an embarrassment. Let’s say it wasn’t pretty. Daniel already has experienced the sudden loss of a “friend” when his reed was bumped in Seattle. Fortunately, he had a back up reed that was playable. He should not only have a case full of playable reeds at all times, but a “backup box” of playable reeds in a separate case for emergencies when the reed case is left at home or lost or the current reeds are not working well. (His current reed case could work for that.) The backup box stays in the case at all times. I keep the oldies (but goodies) in my case for emergencies as I have described above and do need to use them occasionally. I actually have several boxes including new reeds that I can finish scraping if needed.