Reed Adjustment Chart

reedchart

Fault	Area	Tool	Remarks

Too soft	Tip	Trimmer	Clip small amount. Test after each clip.
Buzzy or edgy	Tip	Trimmer	Same as above.
Lack of resonance	1 & 2	Dutch rush	Balance.
Dull sound when playing softly	1 & 2	Dutch rush	Balance; take more off both sides if still too hard.
Blows hard	2	Dutch rush	Thin both sides and balance.
Lower register lacks resonance	2	Dutch rush	Balance and thin if necessary.
Tip too thick after clipping	Under side of tip	Sandpaper	Lay sandpaper on glass and stroke lightly with grain on the flat table side of reed to about 3/8 of an inch back from tip.
Reed whistles	2	Dutch rush	Balance.
High tones hard to attack softly	2 & 1	Dutch rush	Thin gradually with light stroke.
Thin high register	3	Dutch rush	Test after each few strokes.
Lacks projection in upper register	3	Dutch rush	Move three back from the tip.(This may shorten the life of the reed.)
Lack of resonance in middle register	4	Dutch rush	Lightly on 3 also.
Heavy low register	6	Scraping knife	Finish with Dutch rush.
General lack of resonance	7 & 8	Sandpaper on glass	Sand rails of reed if reed is too wide for mouthpiece.
After balancing, reed plays well but blows hard	6 – 5 – 4 – 3	Scraper	Thin evenly all indicated areas.
Table not flat	Table	Razor blade	Stroke lightly towards tip.
Table not smooth	Table	Sandpaper on glass	Rub lightly back and forth, always in the direction of the grain.

You can substitute 400 grit sandpaper for Dutch Rush. Dutch Rush is a tall plant found alongside rivers and streams. It has vertical ribbing that runs the length of the stalk. It can be purchased at some music stores and catalog stores.