Klarinet Archive - Posting 000525.txt from 1996/07

From: "Robert J. Resnik" <rjresnik@-----.EDU>
Subj: REED FIXING WITH WATER (fwd)
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 23:08:31 -0400

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 27 JUL 1996 12:46:58 +0600=20
From: Richard Corpolongo <RCorp@-----.com>
Newgroups: alt.music.clarinet, alt.music.makers.woodwind,
alt.music.saxophone
Subject: REED FIXING WITH WATER=20

REED FIXING WITH WATER

=20
How many times have you gone to your performance in a recital=20
or an engagement thinking that the reeds you just worked on at home=20
will respond perfectly but didn=B9t? I bet the number is=20
incalculable. The reason why reeds seemingly work great in your=20
practice room and do not work at the performance hall is because both=20
are acousticly different rooms, different temperatures and usually=20
made of different materials. One reed could sound fantastic in one=20
and sound dull and lifeless in the other. The answer is to bring all=20
the better performing reeds that you pick out in your practice room to=20
the area that you are going to perform in. Pick out two or more reeds=20
that sound full and vibrant. Because there is usually enough time=20
for a warm-up session in the hall before a performance, the problem of=20
not being able to try out a number of reeds is zero. If the reeds=20
need to be fixed in some way work on the reeds in the room. The reeds=20
have to be as player ready as possible when you get there. They have=20
to be moist enough to play and be worked on in either a dry or=20
acousticly dead room. There is a way of raising the percentage of=20
playable reeds by reducing the amount of preparation.
=20
Go to any grocery store and purchase some type of spice jar,=20
preferably a McCormick plastic one. Any small plastic jar, possibly=20
a pill bottle that can hold ten reeds will do as well. Purchase a=20
reed knife and reed clipper from any woodwind store. Buy a curved=20
tooth file from any home builders type store. A fine checker file=20
will work almost as well if a curved tooth file can@-----.
=20
Place about ten brand new reeds tip down, right from the box=20
and never been=20

played in the jar. Fill the jar just above the top of the reeds with=20
filtered water. Tap water has too many chemicals in it and can=20
interfere with the soaking process. Let the reeds soak for 24 hours. =20

The next day play each reed about 2 to 3 minutes. Check each=20
reed for over-all feel, hardness, ease of playing and sound=20
production. The reeds that play pretty well without any major repair=20
should be numbered with an indelible marker from 1-10, 1 being the=20
best. They in turn are placed in a reed case to dry naturally. The=20
reeds that did not work after being soaked go into another reed case=20
to be dried and stored to be worked on some other time.

The good reeds that were put back in a reed case are now ready=20
to be worked on. Mineral oil is a natural preservative for wood. =20
Clarinetists use mineral oil to swab the bores of their wood=20
instruments. Take a drop of mineral oil and rub each reed completely=20
making sure to cover all the edges. The oil keeps the interior of the=20
reed lubricated and water resistant making them last 4 to 5 times=20
longer. Next, place the reeds on a piece of flat glass. Allow=20
enough time for the oil to soak into the fibers of the reed, which=20
usually varies with each individually. Once the oil has vanished, dry=20
each reed with a soft towel to take all the excess oil off. Put all=20
reeds back in the reed case for protection. The reeds are ready for=20
performance.
=20
The day of the performance put four good reeds in a container=20
filled with distilled water for about an hour. Replace them back in=20
the reed case just before leaving for the music hall. The reeds then=20
will be moist enough for your playing-check procedure later at the=20
performance area. Keep a 35 M.M film container filled with distilled=20
water to moisten the reeds more fully if the room your playing in is=20
dryer than expected. If the reeds are dry in the playing room place=20
them in the film container about 5 minutes. Play all the reeds. If=20
they perform to your satisfaction your problems are taken care of. =20
When you have finished your performance dip the entire reed completely=20
into another 35 M.M film container filled with a solution of 50-50%=20
Hydrogen Peroxide and distilled water for a second or two. =20
Immediately dry off the excess solution and replace the reed back into=20
your reed case. This helps to keep the reed germ free while it is=20
drying in the reed case. The bacteria in your mouth is the reason why=20
reeds prematurely play bad after only a few performances. =20

The reeds that were not playable that you placed in another=20
reed case when you first soaked them in distilled water are now ready=20
to be corrected. If the reeds are dry when you are ready to work on=20
them soak them for 5 minutes in distilled water to make them more=20
playable. Place the bad reeds in four categories, soft, hard, squeaks=20
or chirps, and stuffy. Once each reed has been corrected rub a drop=20
of mineral oil using the same procedure that was mentioned before.

If a reed is too soft simply clip the reed very carefully a=20
little at a time with a reed clipper. Keep clipping until the desired=20
stiffness is achieved. The problems with soft reeds are usually=20
solved with the clipping of them. =20

For reeds that are too hard another method is required. The=20
first thing to check on a reed is the way it lays on the mouthpiece. =20
Sometimes soaking the reed will swell-
up the fibers and create little air pockets on the bottom or=20
under-side of it causing the reed to play hard.
=20
With the use of your curved tooth file lay the under-side of=20
the reed on the file and scrape very gently forward and back three or=20
four times. Make sure you go in the direction of the curve. Filing=20
the under-side of the reed creates a more uniform fit over the=20
mouthpiece by eliminating the air pockets that cause the hardness in=20
the reed.

Play the reed to see if it is now workable. If not, repeat=20
the process one more time. Continuing to scrape the under-side of the=20
reed more than one more time will cause the reed to become soft again=20
making it almost impossible to repair.
=20
If the reed still does not want to respond after scraping take=20
your reed knife and lightly cut a line beginning at the heart to the=20
bottom of the reed.

The cut through the middle of the reed breaks the outer bark. =20
This makes the reed adhere to the mouthpiece more comfortably when the=20
pressure of the ligature is applied. It also forces the reed to=20
compensate for problems in the mouthpiece by stretching and tightening=20
where those inadequacy@-----. Play the reed to see if the cut=20
corrects the hardness problem. Cut the reed in the same place a=20
little deeper if the reed still does not respond.
=20
The next solution for a hard reed is to cut a line across the=20
body of the reed, 1/4 inch lower than the heart. Scrape the bark off=20
between the cut and the heart making sure not to touch the heart. If=20
you scrape so deeply that the fibers of the reed show, you have cut=20
too far. Cutting so much bark off will make it impossible to=20
fine-tune repairs on the reed because the wood has been scraped away. =20
Once the wood is gone it cannot be glued back on the reed. The hard=20
reed problem should be a thing of the past if all the above methods=20
are carried out one by one.=20

The sweaky or chirping reed solution has to do with the tip of=20
the reed. Have the student place his mouthpiece in his mouth slightly=20
to the left of center and play some notes in all the different=20
registers. Have him place the mouthpiece in his mouth slightly to=20
the right of center and play some notes in all the different=20
registers. Have him figures out which side is harder to play on. =20
The hard side should be scraped with a reed knife very carefully one=20
gram at a time to match the softer side. A little scrape will go a=20
long way when it comes to the tip of a reed. This will correct the=20
sweaking or chirping sounds from your saxophone and clarinet students. =20

A reed that is stuffy is usually that way because it was made=20
unevenly. It most likely has not one thing but a number of things=20
wrong with it. The problems could be a combination of all the above=20
or be something entirely different. The best way to find out what the=20
problem or problems are is to first check all the above individual=20
problems to see if the stuffiness is with a reed that is soft, hard=20
or sweaky. If it is one of those then you have to correct the soft,=20
hard or sweaky problems first. Only then will it be necessary to=20
continue on to the next solution that takes care of stuffiness.

What exactly is the stuffiness problem? Come to a definite=20
conclusion as to what notes and registers are giving you the most=20
trouble.

With a pencil divide the reed into four equal sections=20
starting at the heart and proceeding upward.=20

Section 1. Lowest note to a 5th above. Section 2. Half step above=20
that note to a 5th above that. Section 3. Half step above that note=20
to a 5th above that. Section 4. Half step above that to the highest=20
note.

FOE EXAMPLE: For Saxophone

Section 1. Low Bb to F. Section 2. F# to C#. Section 3. D to A. =20
Section 4. Db to high F and above harmonics.

=20
If you have a student that has no problem with soft, hard or=20
sweaky reeds but you hear a definite stuffiness problem in the middle=20
register (section 2 ). You really haven=B9t discovered what exact note=20
is stuffy yet, because you have just heard a passage played while you=20
were rehearsing the band that contained one or all of the notes of=20
section 2. Have the student play a chromatic scale very slowly=20
(quarter note equals 40) starting on F# which is the first note of=20
that section and ending on C# which is the last note of that section. =20
Listen for any fluctuation of tonal quality. The note that sounds the=20
stuffiest compared to all the other notes of that section should be=20
worked on.

Take the reed knife and gently scrape the left side of the=20
reed located anywhere in section 2 making sure not to go in the middle=20
and heart of the reed. Play the notes of section 2 very slowly to see=20
if the problem has been corrected. If it hasn=B9t, gently scrape the=20
right side and play the note to see if it has been corrected. If it=20
has, the problem is solved.=20

The only consequence to the stuffiness solution is that once=20
you correct one note another note in some other section might be=20
affected. Any bad reed will play after scraping the under-side,=20
cutting a slice from the heart to the bottom or fixing the tip for=20
sweaks. These procedures are usually fast and easy to complete. Once=20
you start getting into dividing the reed and scraping each section it=20
becomes a real source of frustration to complete such a monumental=20
task especially if you are on a time schedule.

If after trying all these solutions for fixing reeds fail the=20
only alternative is to discard the reed. Once a reed has gone through=20
all of this and still does not play it is considered dead and cannot=20
be repaired at some later date.=20
=20

Peace,

Rich Corpolongo
RCorp@-----.com