Reed tongues with too much material on them are not nice reeds. If the tongues of your reed are too thick it’s time for the Reed Scrape/Sand Diet Plan. No one wants a dull reed. Implement the diet plan.
Without proper vibration your reed will be difficult to blow and will lack vibrancy. Scrape or sand the blades ensuring that you do this evenly on both sides. Don’t be afraid to do this. A little scraping and sanding will not damage your reed. If you do a little at a time and re-test often, you will recognise when it is time to stop.
What happens if the blades are not evenly matched?
It’s always best to have both blades the same thickness. A balanced reed will vibrate efficiently maximising tonality and presence. If one blade is thicker than the other, they will vibrate at a different rate, the thick blade being slower than the thinner one. The reed will sound garbled and just yuck. Sand or scrape the thicker blade until both sides match. You’ll get a much more pleasing sound, and the reed will be easier to blow.
