Klarinet Archive - Posting 000876.txt from 1999/08

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Reeds that last?
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 13:47:50 -0400

In what way are you rough on reeds? Do you chip and split them? Do you play new ones until they are transparent and water logged?

Keeping reeds in a clip that forces the tip to stay flat is a good start. (Don't use the little plastic boxes that many reeds come in. They are only
for shipping, handling and getting the reed to the customer in one piece.) They are also quite safe there, as well. Another possible storage solution
is the "Reed-Mate" that maintains a certain constant moisture and keeps the reed from going through extreme wet-dry cycles. Many people feel that this
shortens the life of the reed.

If reeds are just getting tattered, you will just have to learn to be more careful. Expensive brands of reeds are not more durable, they are just made
of costlier pieces of cane.

You can help reeds last longer by breaking them in slowly. Rubbing them down on a piece of plate glass and playing them for very short sessions for
about five days to a week. Don't play really loud on a new reed and don't play it really high. There are books that cover some of these reed
conditioning techniques. Check out "The Art of Saxophone Playing" by Larry Teal, "The Art of Clarinet Playing" by Keith Steins and a book written by
the fellow who developed the Reed-Mate box. The book is "Reed Guide: A Comprehensive Handbook for Modern Reed Working For All Single-Reed Woodwind
Instruments" by George T. Kirck. If you can't find it in a store, write to the Reed-Mate Company, P.O. Box 1217, Westbrook, Maine 04092-1217, USA.

Meira Mulan wrote:

> I have come to discover that I am pretty rough on reeds, and I wanted to know which are the best reeds to use. And how can I make them last onger?
>
> Crystal
>
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