Klarinet Archive - Posting 000665.txt from 1997/03

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Water vs Saliva for wetting reeds
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 10:18:28 -0500

I add the theory that warm water, saliva, dog bowl, etc for wetting the
reed is basically the same (well, maybe not the dog bowl). The difference
is that when you wet the reed with water, it also helps clean the reed.
That can really help prolong the reeds life, as a dirty reed is like hiking
with a really loaded backpack.

At 08:41 AM 3/20/97 -0600, Andrew Michael Schmidt wrote:
>I recently subscribed to this list and was fascinated with the
discussions. One
>that caught my eye was the commentary about what liquid to use for wetting
>reeds.
>
>One person made the observation that his dentist suggested that saliva was
more
>acidic than tap water and this caused the premature breakdown of the reed.
>
>Being a scientist, and also a beginning clarinet player, I recalled from my
>biology that most biological systems are at a neutral pH. I also recalled
that,
>after one eats, their saliva becomes acidic.
>
>So I measured the pH of both my saliva and the tap water. I had not eaten for
>about 3 hours.
>
>The pH of the tap water was 5.5 (acidic) and my saliva was at a pH of 7.2
>(slightly basic, pH 7.0 being neutral). Acicidity doen't seem to be part
of the
>problem with premature breakdown of a reed, as saliva is not acidic - it
is very
>close to being neutral. I did check the pH of three other people who made the
>mistake of walking into my work area. Their saliva was also neutral. The tap
>water was very acidic in comparison. The pH of tap water probably will
vary with
>location.
>
>In addition, humans do not have enzymes anywhere in their bodies that can
digest
>wood fibers.
>
>I don't know if this information is of any practical use for anyone.
Perhaps the
>life of a reed can be affected more by how it is being stored after being
used
>than by how it is being wetted before use.
>
>
David C. Blumberg
Principal Clarinet Riverside Symphonia
reedman@-----.com