Klarinet Archive - Posting 000134.txt from 1995/12

From: "Lorne G. Buick" <mcheramy@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: changing reed conditions
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 1995 17:23:37 -0500

>Yes Bill, what you describe is indeed very common. The way you describe
>your theory about the reed changing in relationship to the mouthpiece lay
>during the course of practice, a possible explanation might be that your
>reed is simply closing up. If a reed becomes too saturated with
>moisture, or if it has been extensively broken in over a period of time, it
>begins to lose it resiliency and no longer bounces back from the mouthpiece
>rails as effectively as it used to. There are things you can do to
>minimize this effect prior to using the reed on a regular basis ("polishing"
>the front and back surfaces to seal the pores, for one thing).

A couple of people have now mentioned this process without saying very much
about it- I find it indispensable, especially since I do (or have done over
the last ten years) most of my playing on tour, in all sorts of different
climates and elevations etc. Reeds can get very unpredictable under these
circumstances. The process I go through with new reeds is to break in four
at a time, polishing each one (both sides) with #600 wet-or-dry sandpaper
(others have suggested using ordinary brown paper, which would probably
work just as well- after two or three polishings, the sandpaper is
completely smooth/ clogged with superfine dust) on a piece of plate glass,
then playing it for about five minutes (progressively longer as the reeds
get broken in). If the reeds need adjustment (virtually all of them do, as
far as I'm concerned) I start after the second or third polishing. After
ten or a dozen polishings the pores of the reeds are pretty much sealed up
and the reed is relatively immune to waterlogging and impervious to changes
in humidity, altitude, or whatever. THey also last at least twice as long
(in my own experience. I should point out that I usually play my reeds to
death and beyond, but by anecdotal evidence my reeds last _in good
condition_ three or four times as long as many players'... (past
performance is no indication of future results, as they say in the mutual
fund business- your results may vary ;-)

It may all seem like a lot of trouble (it is- that's one reason why I keep
playing my old reeds so long ;-) but with the price of reeds today I think
it's worth it.