Klarinet Archive - Posting 000951.txt from 1997/12

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Reeds
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 16:44:17 -0500

Antoine is correct with everything regarding cost, quality, and
consistancy of home made reeds.

When I studied clarinet with John Mohler, I made my own reeds......and did
fairly well. When I studied with David Shifrin, he asked me to consider
buying the reeds I used and practicing more.......it would take me between
3 and 6 hours a week to fasion 10 to 15 reeds - his feeling was that such
time was better spent playing the instrument.

It is difficult to decide what to do! He convinced me that, with a little
bit of effort (and using th eskills learned by making reeds), I could
adapt commercial reeds to play as well......he was correct. However, the
reeds don't last nearly as long, and the consistancy is definitely worse.
On the flip side - by practicing more (3+ hours a day), reeds all began to
feel the same anyway.....as though they all played great.

I wish I had more time to make the reeds.....it was interesting and
challenging.

Roger Garrett
IWU

On Tue, 23 Dec 1997, Antoine T Clark wrote:

> I consider it a hassle to buy reeds because you don't know what you are
> getting in the box. Some have written about pre-selecting the reeds and
> buying what they like the most. I like to make my own reeds and I find
> better results in making them. I know you can work on store bought reeds,
> but it makes more since to me for someone just to buy reed blanks and
> start from scratch. Besides a box Vandoren cost about $20 from a local
> music store and from a catalog about 12 to 15 dollars. I find it much
> cheaper to buy about 60 reeds for about $40. In a store $40 only can get
> you about 20 reeds and half of them don't work.
>
>
>
> *********************
> ANTOINE CLARK
> s2atclar@-----.edu
> Virginia Commonwealth
> Univ.
>
>
>