Klarinet Archive - Posting 001240.txt from 1998/10

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.Edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass clarinet reeds
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 19:46:38 -0500

On Wed, 28 Oct 1998 Fade2Orion@-----.com wrote:
> I have read over the debate between Mitchelle Luries and Vandorens for Bb
> soprano clarinets. But what about Bass Clarinets? I use Vandorens because
> the only brands i was told were descent are ML's and Vandorens. But obviously
> i cannot use ML's. Any Bass players out there that can give me their imput?

Vandoren or Marcas are really the reed of choice, IMO. Marcas are nice,
but the sound is inconsistant from register to register, when I play them.
I get more of a 'tenorsaxish' sound from the Clarion, it seems. The
Vandorens tend to not be so reedy.

Both require adjustment - not only are they from france, they are both BIG
reeds. The bigger the reed, the more adjusting you'll have to do,
especially in flattening the back of them. Once you get it flattened,
you'll find that both reeds tend to perform nicely.

Part of the reason the Vandies tend to perform better, I'll bet, is the
heart. Their hearts seem to be higher than the hearts I've seen on
Marcas. This also a major factor in just how long a reed will last before
it goes kaput.

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
One of Key's 30,000 Friends
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