Klarinet Archive - Posting 000269.txt from 1996/10

From: Karl Krelove <kkrelove@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: reed water
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 22:29:32 -0400

Fogle, Bill wrote:
> Now I'm thinking: "Chuck it." Use a new reed. I've never really read anything
> on this list from players who are able to get a long life from reeds. Usually,
> it's the people who make their own. Any advice? ----Bill Fogle.

One thing I've found makes a difference is that I long ago stopped using
reed cases that try to hold the reed flat against glass or metal. I use
a "French" style reed case that holds the reeds on their edges, which
exposes both top and bottom of the reeds to air. Wood warps most
predictably when one surface dries more quickly than the other. It bends
toward the dry surface because wood contracts as it dries. I've found
that my reeds warp sooner or later (i.e. the back surface becomes
slightly convex) whenever I use a holder with a flat surface. I also dry
the reeds I'm not carrying in my case by laying them flat side up so air
gets to the vamp and dries it at the same rate as the back. I do store
dry reeds in flat holders (I have a bunch of those plastic Reed-Guard
things for reeds that I've picked through but I'm not ready to use).
Along with periodic rebalancing with reed rush, I can get lots of use
from a reed so long as I can keep it from warping. I use commercial
reeds which can't afford the wood that is lost with the repeated sanding
that players who make their own reeds seem to do to fight warpage.
Just a little witchcraft that seems to help me with reed life.