Concerning the strength of cane: Much is written about the hardness or softness and everything else in between concerning the strength of bassoon cane. I am more concerned about the flexibility of a piece of cane and how useful it will be to you in the long run. Therefore, many years ago I came up with this method for making consistent bassoon reeds: To make them all exactly the same, with the same profile, filing areas, period of drying out and shaping, and ALLOW THE REED ITSELF to determine what a “medium”, “medium-hard” or “medium-soft” strength I could mark it as for sale. For many years I have been using the excerpt from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Ballet, you know:

For every reed made I play it and if the high c# plays staccato with no problem at all, and can play staccato the high d and eb above it, I label the reed a “medium-hard” reed.If the reed plays the high c# but has difficulty playing the high d and eb staccato, I label it a “medium” reed. If the reed plays the first e natural and it dips to an eb, I label it immediately a “medium-soft” reed, even if it plays up to the high g, a flat, a, and high b flat area with no problem for me. So, now you have some idea of what I do to maintain consistency in this area!

The one question I have been asked most often over the years is “how long should a bassoon reed last?”---My answer is simple- A bassoon reed should last you three months playing it one hour a day IF you allow it to dry out completely after playing. This means opening up the reed case when you get home from practice or a concert and letting the reed(s) air out overnight, Every Time. This is not a difficult habit to get into, and is well worth your time.

Another point is in the amount of time necessary to soak a reed. The simplest method is to buy a three minute egg timer that looks like a small hourglass and first soak the reed for three minutes WITH THE BLADE SECTION in the water. Then, turn over the hourglass timer and soak the reed WITH THE TUBE SECTION in the water. This gives you a total of six minutes of soaking. You really do not need more time than that, and the egg timer eliminates the guess work!

IMPORTANT FACT:
When I form the bassoon reed blank and put on the first wire, I let the reed dry OVERNIGHT. I use a #64 rubber band from the placement of the second wire down beyond the end of the tube and leave the blank on a holding mandrel.
The next day I remove the #64 rubber band and tighten slightly the first wire and measure from the bottom of the first wire to the butt. I then put on the second wire and measure from the TOP of the first wire to the BOTTOM of the second wire. The third wire I put on generally 1/4" from the butt.
If the butt ends do not meet as a general rule I always measure from the bottom of the first wire to the LONGEST side of the tube. Then I measure the TOP of the first wire to the BOTTOM of the second wire.
The reason I am pointing this out is because If you hold two reeds of mine together you will find the dimensions are EXACTLY the same from the tip to the top of the first wire, the top of the first wire to the bottom of the second wire, and from the bottom of the first wire to the butt of the reed. THIS HELPS TO INSURE CONSISTENCY IN EACH REED.I always, ALWAYS use a ruler on every reed or blank and this is only ONE reason for the success of the reeds I make for you.