The Bassoon Reed Manual: Lou Skinner's Theories and Techniques. (Diverse Topics).

The Bassoon Reed Manual: Lou Skinner's Theories and Techniques. By James R. McKay. Contributing authors Russell Hinkle and William Wood-ward. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000. Published in cooperation with the International Double Reed Society. [xxviii, 116 p. ISBN 0-253-21312-6. $39.95.]

Lou Skinner was one of the most influential figures in the field of bassoon reed making in the United States. He taught reed making to generations of the top players and teachers in this country up until his death in 1993. In that regard alone this is an important volume for American bassoon players. While I myself was never fortunate enough to study with Skinner directly, I was lucky enough to study and become friends and colleagues with a number of his former students. Thus, I have inherited some of his knowledge indirectly, as have probably the majority of bassoonists in America.

The Bassoon Reed Manual begins with introductory material which includes a preface (p. xvii) by the primary author, James McKay outlining the genesis of the book. This is followed by "The Life and Times of Lou Skinner" (p. xxi), a brief and interesting synopsis of his playing career and development and influences as a reed maker. This section includes three and a half pages of black and white photographs. The main body of the text starts in dramatic fashion with full color photographs of seven different bassoon and contrabassoon reeds in front, back, and side views along with a close-up of the contrabassoon reed. All of the reeds pictured are discussed later in the text.

Skinner had been planning this book with McKay before his death and on his request the text was organized to highlight two primary types of reed: the "Straight Taper Reed," Skinner's interpretation of Carl Mechler's reed; and the "Tip Taper Reed," Skinner's interpretation of Wilhelm Knockenhauer's reed. These are discussed in chapters 3 and 4 respectively, while chapter 9 compares these two reed types. The first two chapters focus on the theoretical principles and concepts and the essential tools for reed making, while chapters 5 through 8 highlight the variations on each of these basic types which result in several other reed styles. Specifically mentioned are variations to the tube, gouge, inside and outside of the blades, along with special reeds and processes. The final chapter discusses the contrabassoon reed. There are ten chapters in total along with a list of sources and a glossary.

Upon first reading the book I was struck by several things. First, it is quite complicated reading with a lot of terminology and jargon that I found confusing--even as an experienced reed maker. Second, there is a lot of information here; comprehending it required going back over some sections of the book repeatedly to glean all of the knowledge contained therein. Third, the book confirmed for me that Skinner's techniques involved a lot of specialized equipment. It would not be possible to duplicate many of these techniques without the purchase of ...