How sewing has helped my reed making
Raven helps with more than just reed making
Full disclosure, I listen to a lot of Double Reed Dish. On one of the episodes (it’s escaping me which one), Jacqui mentioned how her teacher, Matthew Ruggiero once told her “oh Jacqui, there is so much more to life than the bassoon.” This has also served as a reminder to me that there are way more things to do in life than be obsessed with the bassoon. And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a good thing to really love what you do especially when it comes to music, but it’s also vital that we find other things to do to fill our cups in life.
For me, that has been sewing. I’m not at the sewing machine nearly enough, but it has taught me a lot of lessons that I can take with me back to my reed desk. Below are just a few.
Sewing helps combat perfectionism
Rarely is a garment that I make perfect. It hardly ever is really. There’s some uneven seam or stitch here or there, but it’s still wearable and still looks great on! And most of the mistakes no-one would ever notice unless I showed them.
The same goes for a reed. Sometimes the ugliest, most uneven reeds play the best. I don’t make the rules, I just play the game. But they work well and get the job done, and unless you showed the audience after a concert, none would be the wiser.
Sewing helps you slow down and pay attention to all steps
If you don’t slow down, you will end up sewing one big tube instead of two pants legs. Don’t ask me how I know… In sewing, it’s important to always be careful of what you’re doing and take your time. This mindset also helps me remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are garments or reeds.
Slowing down in reed making is vital, lest you want to take a corner off your reed, or accidentally clip the reed in half using an unfamiliar tip clipper. When we slow down and take time to think and diagnose problems, we are able to have much better outcomes with our reeds and avoid many frustrations throughout the process.
I get the same gratification of “I made this!” from sewing
It is so incredibly awesome to wear something that you made. So many people will say “oh I could never do that”, to which I just smile or sometimes retort back “I bet you could!”. It’s empowering to have control over your style and how you present yourself to the world.
One of the first things I loved about reed making was the control I had over my sound. I was suddenly responsible for the two pieces of cane vibrating to create the sound that came out of the other end of my instrument, and it was mine. This knowledge helps me slow down a bit and remember that I have control. I know what I am doing and I’m capable of producing a reed that sounds the way I want to sound, and that’s powerful in helping quell anxiety and imposter syndrome.
All of this goes to say that your hobbies can help you in your reed making and bassoon playing! It’s helpful to take rest away from work and do things purely for enjoyment, but when we slow down we can also take the practices required in those hobbies back to our work to improve professionally.
Let me know down in the comments what your favorite hobby is, I’d love to hear from you! As always, happy bassooning!
