Klarinet Archive - Posting 000208.txt from 1997/04

From: Fernando Silveira <fersilv@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Reed Contradictions
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 08:52:11 -0400

I am not an expert, but I have been reading several books and if you
compare one each other you will be crazy!!
The procedures that one book recomend other desagree completely.
It was my starting point to make a research on the procedures of
adjust reeds. I read several books and made several of that procedures and,
most of them never worked. I will give you an exemple: soak reeds in MILK,
put your reeds on a frying pan with water and fry it... and more and more.
One of the last research that I made was about density. I got new
reeds, used reeds, old reeds(more then 5 years old of use) and old reeds(new
reeds never used - 5 years old)and the same as above, but reeds sealed with
nail polish puted on the back of the reeds. The result was: on the new reeds
nothing change but on the used reeds the density, on the sealed reeds lost
only 10%(at least) of density and on the no sealed reeds lost 40%!!!
I am convinced that seal reeds contribute to leave the reed near
from their new qualities. I think that the opinions of seal you told on your
first Email, for me, both were mistaken.
"""1.) "A new reed should be well wetted by saliva and immediately pressed hard
on a piece of glass and rubbed strongly up and down by the forefinger. This
closes the pores of the reed and thus prevents it from getting soaked up too
quickly. When the reed is rubbed strongly the pressure of the finger closes
the aperture from tubes in the reed and prevents the tubes from becoming
waterlogged. If this occurs the reed will lose its resiliency.""""
-----> "This closes the pores of the reed and thus prevents it from getting
soaked up too quickly" Yes, but you break the tubes inside the cane; the
reed will be a short life and the posibility of miss vibration and
brightness. The reed could be shrill.
It is one meaning that should be changed: reads don't have pores but
tubes. That tubes are to carry sap on the plant. Why must the reeds stay one
or two years drying? To miss the humity of the sap.

2.) "Reeds should NOT be rubbed down vigorously with one's finger to close
the pores. Closing the pores impedes the reed's vibrations and accelerates
its deterioration. Reeds should be kept clean and handled as little as
possible. As a reed gets used the natural tendency is for it to become
lackluster, brittle sounding, and sharp in pitch."
-----> True but if you can seal the reed without break the insibe tubes, you
can keep the reed with the natural inside shape, what give the reed longlife
and sound quality.

Before end that mail I would like to sorry about my bad english.
I hope it helps

Regards

Fernando Silveira
Principal Clarinet - National Symphony - Brazil
Chamber Music Professor - Rio de Janeiro Federal University

At 02:57 07/04/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 97-04-06 20:33:31 EDT, you write:
>
><< 04/06/97 05:20 PM
> The thing that bothers me about all these reed handling discussions, is
> that there doesn't seem to be any science behind it. >>
>
>That's precisely the point I was trying to make!
>It's not like we're charting theories about quasars or dark matter that
>resides somewhere in the far reaches of space. We're dealing with tangible
>components that we can hold within our hand, and yet, we're still besieged
>with diverse opinions that hold no real scientific proof.
>I've read countless treaties on the importance of sealing the reed, only to
>read a couple paragraphs later of the author's recommendation to cleanse the
>reed in order to ensure a longer playing life for the hapless piece of cane.
>It seems evident to me that if we're so concerned about sealing the reed, it
>would be illogical to undermine the process with peroxide purification every
>week. In my opinion, this type of dual treatment is a rather large
>contradiction. Although I have no scientific data for confirmation, I do
>believe any foreign substance that becomes lodged in the hollow tubes of the
>reed will ultimately impede vibrations, and from my personal experiences I
>have found that the reed becomes increasingly strident tonally, and the
>overall pitch favors sharpness.
>I'm beginning to believe that Mother Nature plays a larger role in the
>longevity of reeds than we'd care to admit. In other words, if its a quality
>piece of cane, blessed with the necessary physical attributes to vibrate
>freely and
>withstand the idiosnycracies of our individual embouchure configurations,
>then the reed will have good longevity. If the reed does not meet this
>criteria, it will quickly lose its resiliency, no matter how valient our
>attempts to revive it. Thus, the so-called break-in procedure for reeds is
>really just the time period to allow the cane to run its course of expansion
>and contraction until it becomes insensitive to moisture change, and also the
>process of determining which reeds in a box are "talented", if you will, and
>worthy of a trip to the "big show", with the remaining lot destined for the
>minor leagues.
>But alas, this is just another opinion. When are those clarinet experts with
>the scientific backgrounds going to provide a more definitive answer to this
>obviously nebulous enigma?
>
>Dave (Expecting to get flamed, but wanting you all to remember that he loves
>the clarinet just as much as you do and is only searching for the truth. ;-p)
>
>