Klarinet Archive - Posting 000397.txt from 1997/03

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Vandoren V12 for beginners?
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 08:47:59 -0500

Dirk,
Unfortunately, most dealers are not Clarinetists and can only read what is
on the box of reeds, with no personal experience to go on. The V-12 is the
heck of a lot more consistent then the regular Vandoren, so you are much
better off using a reed that most of the reeds in a box work. Companies
like Vandoren, etc. put the word Professional on the box because "any self
respecting ((ego)) professional clarinetist would only use the best" and if
it said student on the box, it would somehow be an inferior product. Bottom
line is, get the best reed that you can afford- you can't afford to play a
bad reed. Drop at least 1/2 (to a full) strength to go to V-12's
I start most beginners on Grand Concert Thick #2, and or Mitchel Lurie
Premium #2 (softer), and not only do they play great, but they are
consistent. Tell your dealer to stick to guitars!

At 07:26 AM 3/13/97 -0500, Mark Charette wrote:
>Dirk Kussin wrote:
>>
>> I'm beginner and use the normal (classic blue?) Vandoren reeds (2 and
>> 2,5; also experimenting with 3 and 3,5). My dealer says that the V12
>> reeds are not suitable for beginners, they were to hard. Is it true?
>
>I'm also a beginner; a soft Vandoren 3 is the best I can do
>on my B45 + Vito 7414 - I'm using Mitchel Lurie 2's at the moment
>(those are too soft, though). However, I tried my son's Hawkins
>mouthpiece, an Eddie Daniels Accubore barrel, a Selemer 10G, and
>a 3.5 V12. As is sometimes said, "felt like butter". I think it
>becomes partly a matter of setup. That 3.5 on my setup was totally
>unplayable by me, but when I moved his barrel & mouthpiece onto my
>clarinet it was usable (but still not nearly as smooth as on his
>clarinet).
>
>The reeds are pretty cheap; if you can't use them now I'll bet
>you'll be able to use them later. Why not give them a try?
>--
>Mark Charette "How can you be in two places at once
>charette@-----.com when you're not anywhere at all?"
>http://sneezy.mika.com/clarinet - Firesign Theater
>
>
David C. Blumberg
Principal Clarinet Riverside Symphonia
reedman@-----.com