Klarinet Archive - Posting 000841.txt from 1995/10

From: Alan Stanek <STANALAN@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Selecting, adjusting, making reeds
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 13:49:49 -0400

To Neil Leupoild and others interested in reed questions:

In reply to your suggestion (not mine) that time spent learning how to
adjust reeds is pointless (of course it isn't), I offer the following true
story. While also a student at the Eastman School of Music during the early
1960's, I often observed clarinet majors in practice rooms with pianos and
piano benches covered with commercial reeds as they tested, scraped, sanded
and adjusted them to find that "perfect" reed. Many of these same students
were experimenting with various mouthpieces, ligatures, etc. Some were
making their own reeds as Mr. Hasty modeled for them. I experienced the same
scene while at the University of Michigan in the early 1970's when John
Mohler also modeled and taught reed making and adjusting for his students. I
learned how to make and adjust reeds via the William Stubbins book, THE ART
OF CLARINETISTRY.

I have been blessed with an ample supply of good reeds over the past 45+
years and have not had to spend much time selecting and adjusting reeds.
Here's what I do - once every two months or so, I open several (3-5) new
boxes of reeds and play each one with an initial test of its response. I
note the date and a brief note about the type of response on the back of
each reed in pencil. (Typical notes are: "stuffy" "too soft" "hard" "good to
excellent" "performance" "YES" "OK but!", etc.) This initial test takes
approximately 7-15 minutes per reed of playing in all registers and with
various articulations and dynamic levels. The reeds are reboxed and left
until another session a few days to a month or as long as six months later
when I repeat the process, playing first those reeds that seemed to have
qualities worthy of a performance reed and then the others. Again, a date
and notes are made on the reed back. Once I find 4-8 of the best reeds, they
are put on a rotation basis. These I use for practice sessions, playing with
students in lessons and the best saved for orchestral and recital
performances. For me, rotation of several reeds (I often play several reeds
during a day and play one no more than every other day or two) preserves and
lengthens its useful time. Some performance quality reeds have lasted (been
performed on) up to two years from the initial testing period noted on the
back of the reed.

Over the years I've found that the reeds that upon initial testing had
certain very stuffy and stiff qualities were almost never made into
performance reeds even with careful adjusting. They are placed in the round
file. "Time is money" is an apropos statement in this regard, at least for
me.

My circumstances may be unique. Pocatello, Idaho is at 4,500 feet above sea
level. We enjoy very low humidity throughout the year. Whenever I travel
outside Idaho to perform I always take several boxes of various strength and
brands (3-4: Vandoren, Rico Grand Concert, Mitchell Lurie Premium and
Olivieri Tempered) and do the same test - if my pre-selected reeds don't
measure up to performance standards. Daily changes in weather patterns
affect reeds to some extent here, but I haven't had a day when nothing
seemed to work. Sometimes the reeds just play differently - some better,
some worse.

What do the rest of you think? CHEERS!

Alan Stanek, Professor of Music at Idaho State University
Pocatello, ID 83209-8099 e-mail <stanalan@-----.edu>
President-elect - International Clarinet Association