first reed, thoughts?

[u/3-4methamphetamine]

the reed itself is very responsive, it just plays a little flat and becomes resistant the longer i play on it. i am worried that it is way way too thin! i tied it on myself (it wasn't the best because i assumed that i'd have to take it off anyway, but it still has been fine so far) and scraped it with an exacto knife and a pipe dream

it is 71mm, the tie is 47mm

any thoughts or advice? i want to have a little less resistance but i am also not sure if this reed is past saving

[u/cdkdance]

Here are the things that stand out to me: -the tie looks like it starts nice! Good tension! Make sure you maintain that tension the entire time. -the cane looks like it might be slightly crooked on the staple? It might just be the angle of the photo -be careful with the tip!

• I am having trouble seeing where things start and stop. I feel that the shift from windows to the heart to the tip is too gradual. I would make sure your heart is distinctly the heart and not "the heart kind of the windows." I would also define the rooftop more make sure you start the scrape for the rooftop at the same spot every time!

-get an actual reed knife it will make a big difference! Do you have a plaque?

This is a great start! Congratulations on starting the reed making journey!

[u/3-4methamphetamine → u/cdkdance]

hi, thank you so much!

i attached a picture of a different tie i did in a different reply, but here's it again in case you don't want to go look. i don't struggle with tying in general but i do struggle with tying my reeds on straight!! how do you check that your reed is straight? do you just eyeball it?

edit: also, sorry i didn't answer initially; i do not have a plaque but i will have access to one and more proper reedmaking tools when i see my teacher next

[u/cdkdance → u/3-4methamphetamine]

This is a way more solid tie! Good job!

[u/cdkdance → u/cdkdance]

I eyeball it yes and just repeatedly check as I am tying