The best reed making present I have seen in ages! Very illuminating! Has already saved me ruining several reeds. A few words of caution - it is hard to work on the tip with a knife if doing anything but fine adjustments as the light and holder get in the way of the knife when doing one side (right side for me as I am left handed). Also unless the cane is flat onto the plaque you can get a slightly false picture of how thick it is (the plaque could do with being a little more convex to push against the middle of the reed). But used in conjunction with a normal metal plaque for doing the bulk of the scraping this is an invaluable tool.
Bernard Garfield's article from the International Double Reed Society site remains one of the most logical on how to scrape reeds.
A fascinating bassoon teacher and player who is making reeds and is open to back and forth with bassoonists on what reeds they like to play on.
This cleaner does indeed increase the life span of a reed. It also seems to make them play better! It is particularly impressive on contra reeds.
It is available on ebay from David Crispin - Crispin Creations. Make sure you get one of the right voltage for your country as I fried my first one running it at 240 Volts when it was made for America.
David Crispin is busy creating other gadgets to make life easier so worth checking out.
This site is being added to each week and contains pearls of wisdom on the fundamentals of music. If you ever have to teach music to adults or children then read this site and watch this space! There is a glossary of basic musical terms that you can buy which is fantastic.
This even has an RSS feed with strange and wondrous bits and pieces to amuse (that's really simple syndication or variations on that theme which means you can get the news pumped into your chosen reader - either on your email or on your google homepage. The opportunities are endless...)
Reading this site makes me want to get on a plane to Canada. Unless someone in UK has one we can all try and be amazed?
A great site pooling common sense with new ideas and resources to help both pupils and teachers get more out of their practice time.
A very helpful ebay seller who has provided me with fast service and some great reed cases and bits and pieces including this amazing little mute in the picture! He also plays the bassoons he sells and puts a little video clip up which is great. The latest reed cases that he has been getting from China are the lightest and best I have seen (holding ten reeds firmly and with ventilation to help them dry in the case and not grow any nasties).
Cellist Sebastian Comberti provides chair blocks to get chairs at the right angle for playing. These are a must if you are not lucky enough to be in one of the main orchestras who provide good chairs. With these blocks you can get any chair with the dreaded "slope backwards" seat at a sensible angle to play.
Another great accessory for solving bad chairs that thrust you into bad playing positions is the wedge cushion. Mine is a "Harley" - no crash helmet required for this one!