DON’T THROW THAT REED AWAY!!
CLIPPING OR BURNING SAXOPHONE
AND CLARINET REEDS
By Dr. Harold E. Snyder
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Adjusting woodwind reeds is as old as the instruments themselves, and much has been written
on this subject. All methods of adjustment warn against doing much with the tip of the reed,
because it is very delicate and vital for sealing with the mouthpiece. However, at certain times
the tip must be adjusted for it can be too thick to produce the desired tone. Thinning the tip can
be done using Dutch rush or 600 grit sandpaper. But at other times the tip can be too thin or too
weak making it useless. The very edge of the tip must be removed making the reed shorter,
putting the tip closer to the heart, and making the very tip thicker. Doing this can produce many
different effects. The musician and educator, Martin Schuring, notes in his paper, “Reed
Adjustment Guide” these possible effects: Harder response, higher resistance, duller, shallower,
less vibrant sound, sharper pitch and improved stability.
Regardless of possible effects, there are two main reasons for shortening the tip of a reed.
The first is to change the stiffness of the reed. If the tip has become too weak due to old age, too
much fiber having been removed during adjustments or perhaps the reed was too weak when
bought, it needs to be shortened. The second reason for shortening the tip is to negate damage.
Often this damage occurs as the ligature is being put on the mouthpiece over the reed. This is
the reason many players put the ligature on first and then slip the reed under the ligature. Chips,
splits and other damages can be caused by careless handling, poor storage or a host of other
causes. The fantastic fringe benefit of doing all this is the saving of money. Reeds are not cheap,
and by shortening the tips and doing some minor adjustment you can reclaim the reeds you were
about to trash. This is a must in our economy!
The tip must be shortened about half the thickness of a dime. This is about 1/32 inch or 1
mm. Remove as little as possible, and if this is not enough, the treatment can be repeated. This
will give the reed the desired stiffness or remove the damage. But how is this done? One can try
to use a new single-edged razor blade or fingernail scissors to cut the proper curve on the reed,
but this is very difficult and is not often successful. There are two traditional ways of removing
this minute width from the reed tip. They are clipping and burning.
One can buy a reed clipper for $45.00 to $70.00, and a separate reed clipper should be bought
for each size instrument. It is important to recognize that there are good ones and not so good
ones on the market. Some leave burrs on the reed after cutting, so clippers should be tested
before leaving the store. Be sure to take a few reeds with you. And being a mechanical device,
the clipper can fail, and blades do become dull.
Some players believe that clipping damages the microscopic tubules or fibers, and deadens
the tone. Vito Platamone Jr., once the principal clarinetist with the New Orleans Symphony, in the
fourth edition of his small but useful book, Clarinet and Saxophone Reed Adjustment, writes,
“Using a reed clipper to make the tip stiffer tends to pinch off pores of the tip fiber, which you
really don’t want to do.” And Col Loughnan, Australian jazz saxophonist, in his paper on reed
adjustment writes, “Clipping the reed usually makes the reed sound a little dull; burning the reed,
however, seems to retain and in some cases brighten the sound of the reed.” It could be that the
heat cures the end fibers causing the reed to play brighter.
Burning is a very old and successful method of removing a sliver’s width from the tip of the
reed. Stories are told about famous players in an emergency using coins and matches to burn
the tips of their reeds. This is not recommended for every day practice, because often the curve
of the coin is not the exact curvature of the mouthpiece. Using a special tool to do this is much
better than trying to find the proper coin, and getting your fingers burned in the process!
Many players are convinced that burning is the better way to shorten the tip of a reed. There
is now a Next Generation Reed Burner on the market. It has the templates to service reeds for
the baritone, tenor, alto, soprano saxophones and the clarinet. This makes this unique tool ideal
for all serious players, teachers and band/orchestra directors. And, since a flame is used in the
process, chances of spreading germs are practically zero. This is a real plus!
Besides the proper curvatures for the reed tips of five different instruments, this Next
Generation Reed Burner has lines to help in the proper placement of the reed for burning,
special rubber bands to hold the reed in place while burning, and an attached piece of 600 grit
sandpaper to remove some ash from the tip after burning. Each one of these handmade burners
is tested for congruence with actual reeds as the final step in its making. This reed burner comes
in a protective and attractive burgundy velvet drawstring pouch.