Ah, the dread of a bad reed. You struggle to play it and no matter what you try, it feels and sounds dead! It is a nightmare and you feel like throwing your entire instrument away, but you remember the cost involved and get creative: what if I sand the reed? Maybe I should clip it? But what if I ruin it?

Although it is true that basically no reed plays perfectly right out of the box, a high quality reed will respond with little effort and provide enough resistance to get a lot of body in no time. Good reed makers will also walk you through what tools to use for customising your reed without fear, and the best of them, like Harry Hartmann, will make them specifically for you so you don’t struggle at all!

Make your life easier and get yourself a quality Harry Hartmann fiberreed so you can go back to the stages after lockdown is over with everything in your favour. Use this link to go shopping for your next reed and you will be supporting me along the way.

Good luck, and happy playing!