Valparaiso, Indiana

# 1

We recommend the STRADELLA English horn reed; however, there are other good English horn reeds to select the reed of your choice.  A good medium reed works best when you are beginning to play English horn.

# 2

Soak the reed for at least 5 minutes.  When you look at the reed opening, there should be a crescent shaped opening.  If the opening has a flat shape with a small opening the tip is too closed and will produce a very sharp and thin tone.  If the opening is too round the opening is too large and will produce a very flat and unfocused tone.

# 3

If the reed opening seems too open you can close the reed with your first finger and thumb by applying gentle pressure on both reed blades just above the thread at the bottom of the reed.  Apply gentle pressure of 10 seconds and look again at the reed opening.  If the opening is too closed you can open the reed by applying gentle pressure on each side of the blades.  Avoid pinching both sides together at the same time.  Applying gentle pressure on one side at a time avoids cracking the reed.

# 4

Play a number of scales starting in the lower register (“F,” “Eb,” “D,” “G,” and “C”).  The articulation of each note should be easy.  You want an ease of response when you tongue each note of each scale.  You may prefer a “Du” tongue on the English horn to obtain the best sound as you play up and down each scale.

# 5

Experiment with the ‘sweet spot” on the reed that gives you the best tone quality and the best articulation.  If articulating the reed is too hard close the reed again just above the thread.  You may have to repeat this attempt a few times until you achieve the result you want for best articulation.  Too much reed in your mouth will make articulation more resistant with sharper intonation.  If you have too little reed in your mouth you will play with  flatter intonation and an unpleasant thin sound.

# 6

The wire on English horn reeds is important because of width of the reed.  The wire will collapse down to the thread as it dries out and contracts.  When you soak your reed it will expand allowing you to gently slide the wire up to a point that the reed opens to your desired shape.  Again, you can balance the wire position with closing the opening the reed with your thumb and first finger.  This balancing needs to take place as you warm-up so the opening and your desired sound meets your expectations.

# 7

The blades of your English horn reed may overlap with usage.  You can align the blades by sliding the blades with your first finger and thumb until they are aligned with no overlapping.   This will give the reed more vibration, better intonation, and a better tone quality.

# 8

If the reed needs more adjustment you can clip the tip of the reed with your reed knife creating more resistance and a bigger tone quality or you can gently shave down the very tip of each blade which reduces the resistance.  For more vibration you can gently scape the very base of each blade just above the thread.  With each small gentle adjustment try the reed immediately until you are satisfied with you result.  Remember that both blades need to be ideally cloned in balancing the resistance of each blade.  One thick blade and one thin blade will not give the maximum vibration, tone quality, and intonation.  The reed length can vary between 56mm and 54mm for the best results.  The bottom line is the quality of the response, vibration, tone, and intonation.  When these elements are aligned you should feel comfortable with the reed resistance in all registers.