Legere Reeds for Bassoon Review
Hi there, I’m Sophia, and this is the next installment in my series on plastic reeds, glad to see you all here, let’s get started!
I’ve only just found out that this material is made by somehow layering sheets of plastic on top of each other, and that’s what makes its structure so realistic, not like some plastic mould or a one piece thing or something. And then it’s shaped some with all kinds of machines. It also has a surprisingly genuine feel to it. They do pay attention to this now with the newer ones, and make them ever so slightly rough for a more realistic feel. It’s not quite the same by the way, it’s still a touch more slippery, but I reckon this is only a matter of getting used to it, and the difference is so slight, it makes no difference anyway. The edges of the reed are glued together, or I don’t know how they do it, but the point is that it’s properly sealed off on the sides and no air can get through there, which is great! I’ve just recently recorded my first ever solo CD, and on 10 out of 11 tracks I used plastic reed, so used canereed only once. That session was in August by the way, and that’s when I last used canereed. I’ve only used plastic since, and haven’t missed canereed at all, truth be told.
So what makes plastic reed great? Firstly, there’s no need to soak it. This might seem like a tiny thing, but for me, it’s made a massive difference already. It doesn’t dry out whenever there’s a longer pause in the score. The other fantastic thing about these reeds is that they’re completely weather- and moisture-proof. So yeah, it could be rainy, windy, snowing, freezing, whatever, and the reed will perform just the same, this gives me peace of mind, and not least of all this is also a big plus when travelling, to be able to cross an entire ocean, and the reed will stay the same. An amazing thing, really. Knowing just what I can expect is a huge help for me with these reeds. I’d say this may be the single most important reason why I love them so much. You know what to expect. No change, no letdown, ever. Even if it’s not excellent, because it might not be tip top grade, or it seldom is that (there are slight differences between them), but they’re all good or very good. And how good is that? Really! Tops! It’s third main advantage is that you can play on it far longer. My oldest and most-used plastic reed has had two months’ solid use, and it’s nowhere near worn down yet, no idea how much longer it’s got left in it, you can just keep playing and playing with them, really. Another thing that’s a winner with these reeds is that they’re relatively clean and very rarely slip up. This is the future. Just like gut strings on string instruments, I reckon canereed too will become obsolete. Modern, reliable, hard-wearing. Oh yes, what I also meant to say, a small emotional thing: I used to practice with my worst reeds. It sounded bad, didn’t work, didn’t start, wasn’t soft enough, wasn’t loud enough, I made a total fool of myself, and later, in 95% of cases it turned out that I was only a good reed away from being on form. But I always had to save quality reeds for important occasions. So my soul just needs a good reed to play on. Now I don’t stand up afterwards and think “okay, perhaps I’d make a better seamstress or broker or something.” You do need this certainty in your heart, that says: yes, I do like playing the bassoon, I like playing the bassoon, playing the bassoon does me good, and not be wasting your time with bits of rubbish wood and passing it off as practice. Oh yes, and you do lose a big proportion of your practice time - often we spend lots of time struggling with the reed, trying to make the thing work. Because it gives no sound, or it’s ugly or something. With this, I can focus on the piece I’m playing, on how my fingers move, and how I move my mouth, because I don’t have to deal with stupid distractions. I think this plastic reed is such an innovative breakthrough that it makes everything massively easier for us.
Okay, the highest note I played was a G5. Whichever reed lets you play a G, I’m satisfied with. Even if it can just do an E, we are happy already, right? So, this is a superb little reed, gives a decidedly tasty bassoon sound. Okay, you *could* play the bassoon more loudly, but I’m not sure you would need to in an orchestra. It sounds great high, it sounds great low.
Do post your questions in the comments, this is very important, I’ll answer anything I can as best I can.
I’d like to spread the good news on these reeds, because I think this is the truth, plain and simple, and now I’m kinda fighting myself as to just what to say, as these have worked out very well for me, I love them. I’ve not been paid to big them up or anything, but I think they’re really good. No kidding. I’m saying coz they’ve helped me heaps. For me, it’s made a world of difference not to have to fret over whether I’ll be getting good reeds, and I have to go fetch them, and maybe they won’t be ready on time, or whatever... I order them – maybe in lots of three or something – and then I have reeds for months. And I really do mean for months, coz you can just use and use these. But if I want to be totally fair, I have to mention some downsides, too, in detail, so that you’ll know of every possible side effect and niggly little thing that you might possibly find less than ideal. I think many people have the issue of “God, what are people going to say?” To be honest, this crossed my mind, too, but my first plastic reed worked so well that I put it on straight away as I unwrapped it, and that’s what I used through the whole rehearsal, and the week after that. Some people only spotted it days later. It has a nice and discreet look, and if you don’t go looking to find anything different, you won’t even see it, but most importantly: you won’t be able to tell the difference by sound for sure!
What bothers me the most is that here at the back it gets gradually looser, and then loses its grip, and falls off. If you nod while playing – as you do during performance, that’s kinda unavoidable – then it falls off. And then you have to wrap it in a cigarette paper. But this totally sorts the problem out, and a packet of cigarette papers costs next to nothing, so it’s no big deal at all. Another thing I don’t like about them is that you can’t mark them. Their metal surface is so smooth that no mark will stick to it. Because of this, sometimes I have no idea which is which. A third drawback: it looks disgusting when it gets full of spittle. This here well full of spittle, to be frank, I don’t plan to clean it out anytime soon, coz it sounds just right, so I won’t touch it. Its fourth downside: you have to take great care with it. Really, be very careful. If you drift off for a second, and knock it, then you can sometimes see tiny little cracks here on its edge. Of course, you can’t take the two sections apart just yet, but it does snap, it’s about as brittle as traditional cane, and if it cracks in the wrong place, it creaks. Can you hear it crackling? This is a super piano note, but even so, it should not be crackling at all. This crackles a bit. But it makes up for it with a nice sound. New series of reeds come on the market about once a year, they change them noticeably every year. My favourite so far has been the 2015 Medium model. Its last downside is its price. It’s worth a try in any case, and when you’ve bought one or two reeds like this, you can make an informed decision on how to proceed. I’m sure that any pro can use them daily. I’m certain that they can use them for a long, long time, and get a lot of good service out of them.
If you found this video interesting, please like it below, and also like my Facebook page, I have a lot more up my sleeve, loads of ideas! I can’t say it too many times, if you have any questions, post them below in the comments! That’s about the size of it for now, have fun ‘til we meet again, well, fun, and good reeds for you all!
I’ve only just found out that this material is made by somehow layering sheets of plastic on top of each other, and that’s what makes its structure so realistic, not like some plastic mould or a one piece thing or something. And then it’s shaped some with all kinds of machines. It also has a surprisingly genuine feel to it. They do pay attention to this now with the newer ones, and make them ever so slightly rough for a more realistic feel. It’s not quite the same by the way, it’s still a touch more slippery, but I reckon this is only a matter of getting used to it, and the difference is so slight, it makes no difference anyway. The edges of the reed are glued together, or I don’t know how they do it, but the point is that it’s properly sealed off on the sides and no air can get through there, which is great! I’ve just recently recorded my first ever solo CD, and on 10 out of 11 tracks I used plastic reed, so used canereed only once. That session was in August by the way, and that’s when I last used canereed. I’ve only used plastic since, and haven’t missed canereed at all, truth be told.
So what makes plastic reed great? Firstly, there’s no need to soak it. This might seem like a tiny thing, but for me, it’s made a massive difference already. It doesn’t dry out whenever there’s a longer pause in the score. The other fantastic thing about these reeds is that they’re completely weather- and moisture-proof. So yeah, it could be rainy, windy, snowing, freezing, whatever, and the reed will perform just the same, this gives me peace of mind, and not least of all this is also a big plus when travelling, to be able to cross an entire ocean, and the reed will stay the same. An amazing thing, really. Knowing just what I can expect is a huge help for me with these reeds. I’d say this may be the single most important reason why I love them so much. You know what to expect. No change, no letdown, ever. Even if it’s not excellent, because it might not be tip top grade, or it seldom is that (there are slight differences between them), but they’re all good or very good. And how good is that? Really! Tops! It’s third main advantage is that you can play on it far longer. My oldest and most-used plastic reed has had two months’ solid use, and it’s nowhere near worn down yet, no idea how much longer it’s got left in it, you can just keep playing and playing with them, really. Another thing that’s a winner with these reeds is that they’re relatively clean and very rarely slip up. This is the future. Just like gut strings on string instruments, I reckon canereed too will become obsolete. Modern, reliable, hard-wearing. Oh yes, what I also meant to say, a small emotional thing: I used to practice with my worst reeds. It sounded bad, didn’t work, didn’t start, wasn’t soft enough, wasn’t loud enough, I made a total fool of myself, and later, in 95% of cases it turned out that I was only a good reed away from being on form. But I always had to save quality reeds for important occasions. So my soul just needs a good reed to play on. Now I don’t stand up afterwards and think “okay, perhaps I’d make a better seamstress or broker or something.” You do need this certainty in your heart, that says: yes, I do like playing the bassoon, I like playing the bassoon, playing the bassoon does me good, and not be wasting your time with bits of rubbish wood and passing it off as practice. Oh yes, and you do lose a big proportion of your practice time - often we spend lots of time struggling with the reed, trying to make the thing work. Because it gives no sound, or it’s ugly or something. With this, I can focus on the piece I’m playing, on how my fingers move, and how I move my mouth, because I don’t have to deal with stupid distractions. I think this plastic reed is such an innovative breakthrough that it makes everything massively easier for us.
Okay, the highest note I played was a G5. Whichever reed lets you play a G, I’m satisfied with. Even if it can just do an E, we are happy already, right? So, this is a superb little reed, gives a decidedly tasty bassoon sound. Okay, you *could* play the bassoon more loudly, but I’m not sure you would need to in an orchestra. It sounds great high, it sounds great low.
Do post your questions in the comments, this is very important, I’ll answer anything I can as best I can.
I’d like to spread the good news on these reeds, because I think this is the truth, plain and simple, and now I’m kinda fighting myself as to just what to say, as these have worked out very well for me, I love them. I’ve not been paid to big them up or anything, but I think they’re really good. No kidding. I’m saying coz they’ve helped me heaps. For me, it’s made a world of difference not to have to fret over whether I’ll be getting good reeds, and I have to go fetch them, and maybe they won’t be ready on time, or whatever... I order them – maybe in lots of three or something – and then I have reeds for months. And I really do mean for months, coz you can just use and use these. But if I want to be totally fair, I have to mention some downsides, too, in detail, so that you’ll know of every possible side effect and niggly little thing that you might possibly find less than ideal. I think many people have the issue of “God, what are people going to say?” To be honest, this crossed my mind, too, but my first plastic reed worked so well that I put it on straight away as I unwrapped it, and that’s what I used through the whole rehearsal, and the week after that. Some people only spotted it days later. It has a nice and discreet look, and if you don’t go looking to find anything different, you won’t even see it, but most importantly: you won’t be able to tell the difference by sound for sure!
What bothers me the most is that here at the back it gets gradually looser, and then loses its grip, and falls off. If you nod while playing – as you do during performance, that’s kinda unavoidable – then it falls off. And then you have to wrap it in a cigarette paper. But this totally sorts the problem out, and a packet of cigarette papers costs next to nothing, so it’s no big deal at all. Another thing I don’t like about them is that you can’t mark them. Their metal surface is so smooth that no mark will stick to it. Because of this, sometimes I have no idea which is which. A third drawback: it looks disgusting when it gets full of spittle. This here well full of spittle, to be frank, I don’t plan to clean it out anytime soon, coz it sounds just right, so I won’t touch it. Its fourth downside: you have to take great care with it. Really, be very careful. If you drift off for a second, and knock it, then you can sometimes see tiny little cracks here on its edge. Of course, you can’t take the two sections apart just yet, but it does snap, it’s about as brittle as traditional cane, and if it cracks in the wrong place, it creaks. Can you hear it crackling? This is a super piano note, but even so, it should not be crackling at all. This crackles a bit. But it makes up for it with a nice sound. New series of reeds come on the market about once a year, they change them noticeably every year. My favourite so far has been the 2015 Medium model. Its last downside is its price. It’s worth a try in any case, and when you’ve bought one or two reeds like this, you can make an informed decision on how to proceed. I’m sure that any pro can use them daily. I’m certain that they can use them for a long, long time, and get a lot of good service out of them.
If you found this video interesting, please like it below, and also like my Facebook page, I have a lot more up my sleeve, loads of ideas! I can’t say it too many times, if you have any questions, post them below in the comments! That’s about the size of it for now, have fun ‘til we meet again, well, fun, and good reeds for you all!
LINKS:
MY CD (mostly played on Legere reeds) AVAILABLE HERE:
http://zsofiastefan.com/enchanted_gar...
They all use Legere reeds:
http://www.legere.com/artists
Paul Hanson and Legere reeds:
https://youtu.be/7s2eF_yaNpM, https://youtu.be/qPoEcPZ6OFs
I usually order here:
https://www.thomann.de
Legere Medium reed:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/legere_bass...
Legere Medium-Hard reed:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/legere_bass...
Legere's website:
http://www.legere.com/
More plastic reeds reviews (in Hungarian):
1. part - Introduction
https://youtu.be/TOfJoaMbnho
2. part - Emerald reeds
https://youtu.be/-jFrW5NNp3c
3. part - Legere reeds
https://youtu.be/IRIgWGZ9PAc
4. part - Legere tips
https://youtu.be/yZTPLmEIuj0
It is what I was searching for is really informative. Plastic bottle supplier in Pakistan It is a significant and useful article for us. Thankful to you for sharing an article like this.
ReplyDelete