Klarinet Archive - Posting 000480.txt from 1997/03

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj:
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 15:10:32 -0500

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On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, ROBERT SALTIEL wrote:
> I also found it is true that after a while into a practice session,
> they do tend to suddenly suffer from getting waterlogged / excessively
> soft or something similar.

The way to remedy this particular problem is to prepare the reed prior
to breaking it in. Simply take a new reed out of the box one at
a time, wet it thoroughly with saliva, and slap it flat-side-down
on a piece of glass. Place the tip of your index finger at the
top portion of the reed, where the vamp begins, and rub it along
grain toward the tip, exerting an appreciable amount of pressure
as you make your way down the reed. Do this systematically, starting
on the left side, running your fingertip from vamp to tip, and
moving one increment to the right with each pass, until you've
successful worked your way across the entire vamp. Do this at
least once, perhaps twice prior to playing. The effect is to
seal the pores of the reed, which absorb moisture and become
waterlogged. By rubbing the moisture into those pores with
pressure, you ensure that the reed is fully moistened, and
close the pores at the same time, thereby extending the life
of the reed. After performing the process on a new reed, do
not play it for more than ten minutes before putting it away
again. Repeat the process for a week, preparing the reed
prior to playing for 10 minutes -- before you begin to play
on it regularly for extended periods of time.

Neil
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