Klarinet Archive - Posting 000951.txt from 1997/08

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: Re: reeds
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 19:33:49 -0400

In a message dated 97-08-21 20:44:06 EDT, Roger Garrett writes:

<<
Bob Spring in Arizona still makes his own reeds, and I believe he follows
the preparation system also. I finally switched to Vandoren reeds after
studying with David Shifrin...he told me he would rather have me
practicing during the time it took me to make reeds!

Good luck...!

Roger Garrett
Illinois Wesleyan University

PS.....try Vandoren V-12 3's and 3.5's...you may find they last longer as
>>

I find the improvement in tone quality to be so great with hand made reeds
that I would have to differ with Shifrin's opinion. (Although his tone used
to be my favorite when I heard it on LP, on CD too much high frequency loss
for me to really hear him like he sounds live, and I haven't heard him live
lately.)

This has to be due to something besides curing as I can start on a hand made
reed, play it for weeks, without breaking in and it still sounds beautiful. A
store bought reed seems to last me about a week and a half (mind you I am
only able to practice 8 - 10 hours per week), even if I take the time to
break it in. Grand Concert seems to have the best quality cane I have run
across so far.

In order to get a store bought reed to sound good in the lowest register, it
has to be so hard that I blow out too early in my practice. I find a hand
made reed can really "stand" in the low register without being so hard
otherwise.

I'm sure this has to do with the quality of the cane (my recent batch from
Proboe Shop). As I can't imagine what a commercial reed maker could do
otherwise (mechanically) to change the quality of the cane so much.

I wonder whether the trend to using thicker reed blanks (3.5mm) means that
the tip of the reed is pulpier (less dense wood that is not close to the
bark) and this is why I find them not lasting as long? Stubbins always
advocated 3mm thick blanks.

Jerry Korten
NYC