Do you ever feel frustrated when you purchase new reeds and they don’t sound good right away? This is a pretty common issue that we have as bassoonists, but fortunately there are some things we can do to make new reeds feel and sound good to play.

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Every time you get a new reed, you should have a process for breaking it in slowly. It takes time (a few days or even weeks) for a reed to start feeling good to play. Even if you are buying high quality reeds made by a professional bassoonist (which I highly recommend!), you may still need to make some small adjustments to the reed even after you’ve broken it in.

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Does making reed adjustments make you a little bit nervous? Don’t worry! You only need a few simple tools that you probably already have around the house, and learning to use these tools on your reeds is a very simple process.

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In the following video, I teach you:

• How to properly break in a new reed
• How to evaluate if your reed needs adjustments
• How to adjust the wires on your reeds to change the resistance
• How to use sandpaper to lighten your reed tip for better response

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