Klarinet Archive - Posting 000859.txt from 1998/11

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Chosing Reeds
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 05:24:26 -0500

In a message dated 11/22/98 8:06:02 PM Central Standard Time,
Benny1567@-----.com writes:

<< From: Benny1567@-----.com
Reply-to: klarinet@-----.org
To: klarinet@-----.org

Hello fellow clarinetists,

I play on Vandoren V-12's (3 1/2) I am not very pleased with them right now
and i have been playing on them for around 1 1/2. They just seem to be
getting
worse and worse for me. Can anyone recommend good reeds that last for a
while?
Or any reeds that you have just been impressed with.
>>
Stephanie.....you might want to look at a couple of diferent options. Have
your requirements of a reed become more stringent? Maybe a reed that you would
have been happy with a year or so ago is now marginal. Maybe you just need to
be a little more choosy.

You might take a look at your mouthpiece. Is it worn, chipped, just worn out?
I've become more and more convinced that much of what we blame our reeds for
is simply a mis-match between the flexibility of the reed and the facing of
the mouthpiece. You might want to go to a music store and try out several new
mouthpieces. If your old tired reeds sound a lot better, it may be you have
mouthpiece problems.

Take a look at your embouchure. Are you pinching or biting? Is it rounded and
focused, or has it collapsed the an effort to play higher and/faster?

Fourth, buy some Zondas, some Grand Concerts, and some Mitchel Luries. Do some
switching back and forth. Break your reeds in slowly and carefully. Check for
warpage by wetting them and viewing them through a flat piece of glass. If the
middle of the reed touches, but not the sides, you are dealing with a warped
reed. THis can drive you crazy, as the reed can still feel responsive, but
perform very unreliably.

Good luck!

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