Klarinet Archive - Posting 000505.txt from 1998/03

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Vandoren V-12's
Date: Sun, 8 Mar 1998 12:10:36 -0500

On Sun, 8 Mar 1998, Lauren Peterson wrote:
> My private instructor has put me on Vandoren V-12's, #3s, and they are
> way too stiff. I've tried switching to a softer reed, like Rico Royals,
> but they are too soft, and don't last as long. Can anyone offer me any
> help?

Stay with the V12's; your instructor instructed you to do so for a good
reason. He may have over estimated your lip strength, however. Try 2.5s
instead of switching brands altogether.

Another possiblity is that you actually need that stiffness to get that
proper tone out - this occurs with me on occasion. If the reed feels
stiff, but I get a better sound out of it than any of my others, it's a
sign to me that I haven't been practicing, because my lips have lost their
strength.

It took me three months to get used to the V12's when I first switched
over. But it was worth the work and time to adjust.

Finally, reeds tend to be warped when you first buy them - not just the
tip, I mean the back, or table of the reed. This GREATLY affects how it
plays - it often times makes the reed feel hard. To take care of this,
I'll just refer you to the article on the web:
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe/reed/reed.html

Hope all this helps.

Shouryu Nohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe; ICQ 6771552
Coffee Drinker, Musician, Otaku, Jesus Freak, Admirer of Women
(Not necessarily in that order)
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