reeds (bassoon again!) by peadar

reeds (bassoon again!)

Now, when you say you'd like to take up playing the bassoon, they should really give you pre-uptake counselling about the fact that bassoon reeds will drive you mad. Really. But they can be colourful.

For those who are not musicians, the bassoon is a double-reed instrument (unlike the clarinet, which uses a single reed). This means the column of air in the tube is resonated by having two pieces of cane tied together - which leads to a great photo opportunity as the reed makers use different coloured cotton, as you can see!!! Now, bassoon lesson over for tonight!

It looks much better viewed large!
These are really pretty - I'd no idea what they were until you explained. I assume these are all your spares?
April 4th, 2012  
Lovely picture - colours are beautiful. I think you should frame it!
April 4th, 2012  
@carmel Ariel, thanks for all your comments. These happen to be spares, which is why they look quite rough because they haven't been scraped to fine tune their response. So, there you have the reason why they cause madness - which bit do you scrape, and how, and why???
April 4th, 2012  
@positivemoments Thank you, Tracy! I might do that...
April 4th, 2012  
Haha...I love the story behind them. Really interesting picture though, thanks for sharing! Lovely colours and textures...
April 4th, 2012  
Great shot. Years ago when I was playing in an orchestra, oboe and bassoon player used to shave and make their own reeds, I guess this no longer happens.
April 5th, 2012  
Very interesting...great colors.
April 5th, 2012  
Nice line-up!
April 5th, 2012  
@_amyd_ Thanks, Amy, glad you like it!
@cmc1200 Thanks, Caryn, appreciate that.
@paddleandsnap Thanks, Lynne!
April 5th, 2012  
@wilbo43 Bill, we are all taught how to make reeds as students. Some take to it and carry on, most stick to buying them from a professional reed maker.
April 5th, 2012  
Great information! Never saw this ever! Lovely colors & lights! Good shot!
April 5th, 2012  
@yogee246 Thank you, Gita, always nice to hear your comments.
April 5th, 2012  
Nice shot. The colours work well. The thing that strikes me most though is the background. It works nicely to emphasize the colour of the cottom while also holding some interest of its own. What is it? Thick paper?
April 8th, 2012  
@damianpowell Yes, Damian, it was just white paper!
April 8th, 2012  
Great shot! Thanks for the info, I donno much about bassoons.. Will keep seeing more of your pics to gain a lot more knowledge and insight into them :)
April 10th, 2012  
@swa Swarna, that's so nice, thank you! For bassoon music, try The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas), or YouTube it and there are loads of bassoon players and excerpts on there!
April 10th, 2012  
Love the colours and the lighting. Simple, yet lots of interesting details. FAV!
April 11th, 2012  
@peadar I'll try to see them on youtube! Thanks again for the info :) Hope you had a lovely weekend!
April 15th, 2012  
Lyn
Hello, Peter - i saw this on your favorite of April - my husband is the oboe professor at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and I have posted a few double reed shots as well!
May 2nd, 2012  
This is awesome. I love the textures. I was a clarinet player in what seems like another lifetime now through grade school and high school. Darn those reeds when they break. Lovely shot.
May 2nd, 2012  
@lyno Lyn, your husband is a lucky and no doubt dedicated man. Thanks for the comment and follow.
May 2nd, 2012  
@cdonohoue Cathy, thank you so much, and for the follow! (Yes, "darn those reeds" I couldn't agree more!)
May 2nd, 2012  
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