Klarinet Archive - Posting 000054.txt from 1993/10

From: "Call her Miss Ross." <SMM8404@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: REEDS!!!
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 20:50:58 -0400

After taking a class in reedmaking and mouthpiece refacing here at Oberlin,
I can proudly say that handmade reeds can be quite delightful, but
the skill takes a good long time to get to the point where one can
actually PLAY the reeds. We made our reeds right from the tube with just
a heavy duty knive from the hardware store, a hacksaw, some sandpaper and
a reed knife. We also worked with a Reed Duall [sic] machine and it is
quite a device. Even if you don't make your reeds from the tube or blanks,
this machine can do wonders for commercial reeds (some of them) The machine
is very costly, but for those of you in school, perhaps your studio can
buy one with university/college funds. I hear that the man who makes them
just came out with a new model that is much sleeker and cleaner to use.
Just thought I would throw that in.

Michael

P.S. I play on Vandorens now. Right now, I don't have the time or energy
to make handcrafted jobbies, so I make do with the 1-2 playable reeds per
box.