Klarinet Archive - Posting 000981.txt from 1997/12
From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Reeds
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 16:44:47 -0500
This is an interesting thread for me. I've made my reeds since about
1981, "cheating" slightly by using a ReeDuAl. For me the benefits are
longer lasting, more stable reeds. I'd say my reed making time comes down
to an average of 30 minutes each day - not an onerous burden for someone
who makes his living playing the clarinet.
Until this year I used blanks from various sources, and had good luck,
about 50% good playable reeds which could last for months (though not
necessarily at peak form). this year I tried making blanks from tubes,
and noticed a great increase in the quality of the reeds, and a
significant increase in the percentage of good reeds.
I can reduce a tube to 8 (or if the tube is long enough, 12) blanks in
about 2 hours using nothing more than three different grades of
sandpaper. I've tried some of the planing tools, but like the hand
operation a little better. With care, I can produce a very accurate blank
pretty quickly. Even this operation can be spread out if you don't want
to spend 2 hours in one shot. Quarter the tubes and cut them to the
appropriate length one day - flatten the backs another - do the profile
of the blanks on a third day. I'd guess flattening the backs would
consume the most time - 45 minutes to an hour.
"Curing" the blanks is critical to me. While it is a multi-day process,
it doesn't really need to take very much time. I soak my blanks for 15-20
minutes, then practice long tones (or Baermann, in deference to David
Hattner!), then file the wet blanks and dry them flat side up. You want
to let them warp if they're going to do it. Repeat three or four days
running, and let them dry overnight, about 24 hours if possible. The
filing takes 5-10 minutes each day. This curing process greatly limits
the warping of the reeds once they're cut.
When the blanks are ready to go, I drag out the DuAl and run 6-8 reeds in
90 minutes. That's perhaps the biggest time investment at one stretch,
and I try to do it on a day when I can also make an hour or two for other
practicing.
Breaking in is critical too. I try to play the new reed for 5-10 minutes
max for the first 2 or 3 days, then gradually increase the time until I
feel the reed is balanced the way I'd like it, and stable and "broken
in". Then I take a few to rehearsals and do any finishing touches.
I have a Harrison reed case which hold 12 reeds, and I try to keep myself
to just 12, even considering how much I play each week. I did break down
and get one of those inexpensive Vito reed cases (four reeds held by
rubber washers on a plastic frame) for my Kiddie Concert/Pops Concert
reeds (good reeds on the way to "retirement"). Of the 12 in the Harrison
case, roughly 4 are on the way out, four are "concert" reeds, and four
are on the way in. Anything more than that, and I get too confused. I
mark each batch clearly with the date of manufacture, and when I have a
new batch ready, I have the "Reed Olympics" - testing the three best new
reeds against the three best in the case, and working my way down the
line until I figure out which three to put into the "Pops" reed case (and
which three to trash).
I make 6-8 reeds a month, which seems to be a good pace for my needs. I
can even occasionally miss a month, though that can get a bit hairy if
lots of big works pile up. Except for the practice of doing it, I can't
imagine why anyone would need to make 10-15 reeds a week - that would be
overkill for me.
I too have a child with homework, and leaves to rake (still!!), though I
try to limit my plumbing to the grenadilla variety. The time invested
pays off for me many times over. Probably if I had to put a price on my
time, my reed would be more expensive that Vandorens. But I'd rather
spend my *time* making a reed that I like, than spend my *money* for some
Frenchman to hastily cut a piece of cane that I *might* like, or maybe
not.
In my line of work, reed stability and longevity count for a lot,
including reduced stress from trying to find a good reed on a regular
basis. I've always been glad I made the effort to learn to make reeds.
David
David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/
