u/Dry-Photograph-1294

Hello, I'm brand new at reed making and I'm working on my first set of reeds. They've come out well, but definitely still need adjusting. They're very responsive, but I feel like I can't play very loud or get much power out of them. The crow is there, but it's very very high pitched and I don't hear much of the low end. They can play high very well, into the tenor range but it's not as easy getting them to play the low notes. Where do I need to scrape more or where do I need to adjust more to get them to play lower and louder? I've been very conservative on my scrapes so I don't think it's too soft yet. Thanks!

What type of shoes should I pair with an outfit of a sweater vest and a button down shirt, with slacks or khaki pants? I feel full dress shoes seem too formal and normal sneakers seem too informal. Thanks!

Hey I'm here again for help with my college entrance auditions, and one of the pieces is rite of spring and I'm really struggling with the jump from A to D in the second measure. I can get D to play on it's own or going up chromatically but I can't get it in context with the A, it's like the sudden change of embouchure doesn't't quite work. Is it a reed thing or a me thing? Thanks

I've already been accepted to college, and I just got sent the placement audition material, but it's some really hard stuff. It has the rite of spring solo, the famous figaro solo, and other well known hard pieces. Am I expected to know and play all that at a proficient level going into freshmen year at a state college or am I meant to just give it my best so they can see where I'm at skill wise? Do other incoming freshmen have the skill to play those pieces well or are we all just given this music to get a benchmark? Either way, does anyone have any tips for learning those two specifically in a month or so? Thanks

It's been a little under 3 months since I've played since my bassoons been in the shop having a lot of work done on it, but I did get new reeds a few weeks before sending it off, but now they're not working super well after all that time off. The edges of the reeds aren't really touching and they're very unresponsive. What can I do to fix them? I don't want to buy more since they've only really seen like 2 weeks of use. Thanks!