Klarinet Archive - Posting 001363.txt from 1998/10

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Reeds + Studies
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 15:37:09 -0500

On Fri, 30 Oct 1998, Cox, Graeme wrote:
> Some questions...
>
> Firstly, would you expect that the changes in temperature and humidity that
> a reed encounters during cycles of being played then rested are likely to
> distort a reed more than climatic variations? If so, why would climate be a
> significant factor in reed performance?

Climate is more a significant factor until you get the reed sealed and
balanced. When reeds are cut, shipped and first opened from the box, they
are still porous - reed is a plant, after all, and like any plant, there
are chutes that run up it drawing water throughout it. These chutes are
open, and in wetting and drying and wetting and drying, some close up
faster than others, which cause it to warp.

You can see this porousness by dipping the vamp end in water, then
blowing 'through' the heel, like a straw. You will see air bubbles appear
on the vamp as the air travels through the chutes.

Sealing the reed closes up these chutes permanently, making the reed MORE
stable...but never absolutely perfectly stable. That will just never
happen - it's organic material, and we have to take it as it is.

The process is described on my homepage. I have to do it several times
before I see no more bubbles appear.

Closing up the chutes, however, doesn't make the reed less absorbant - the
material naturally soaks and becomes flexible. In any case, the
vibrations do have an affect - the reed begins to weaken, which is why
they must be thrown out after a period. It doesn't affect the warpage of
the material, though (it would seem). Once my reeds are sealed and
flattened, I never have to adjust that part of the reed again (other than
shaping the heart or adjusting thickness for response, but that has more
to do with how the reed is cut, rather than warpage).

> Secondly, are there any tricks that Klarinetters know to help prevent a
> clean, fresh-tasting reed from becoming infested with fungi (other than
> leaving it unplayed) ?

I've had virtually no problems with mold, except in the case of my alto
sax and bass clarinet reeds once, when I didn't play either for a period
over 3 months. I came back to find the reeds reproducing, as it were. I
do let my reeds dry a bit before storage (I take the reed off, and set it
aside to dry while I swab and disassemble my clarinet...this may not be
enough time everywhere, as NM is very dry, and so moisture is sucked
into the air rather quick).

> Also, how can you cleanup your favorite reed,
> without removing a layer of cane along with the yucky growing stuff, and
> destroying the reed? (Maybe I should try those new plastic jobs).

Well even if you get the mold cleaned off, I'd bet that some spores still
remain. I don't know if solutions such as alcohol, peroxide, or Sterisol
would deal with it or not. If not, you just gotta let it go, man. ^_^

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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