Klarinet Archive - Posting 000170.txt from 1999/12

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl]more reed questions
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 09:23:50 -0500

Bill Edinger wrote,
> Another aspect of reed life that's always puzzled me is why there seems
to be a general principle (in my own experience, at least) that the larger
the reed, the shorter the life. <Snip.> Maybe the lower vibration
frequencies do more mechanical damage? Certainly the travel is greater on a
bigger mouthpiece, with a larger tip opening. <Snip.> Anybody else get this
impression?>

Yes. I don't have an eefer clarinet in working condition yet, and don't own
a bass or contrabass clarinet or a baritone sax, but so far I get the most
wear out of soprano Bb clarinet and soprano Bb sax reeds. Alto sax, alto
clarinet and tenor sax reeds give me a little bit shorter life (I haven't
noticed a difference between those three instruments). My bass sax reeds
(same size as contrabass and contra-alto clarinet reeds) wear out in about
half the time, or less. It's quite a dramatic difference.

Also, the bass sax reeds wear out in a different way. My smaller reeds wear
out slowly, by gradually growing translucent and raggedy at the tip, then
starting to squeak and sound husky, until the poor performance overcomes my
cheapskate instincts and forces me to admit that this reed is a dead reed, it
has died, it is deceased, it is defunct, it has passed away, it is an
ex-reed, it has expired, it has given up the ghost, it has shuffled off this
mortal topic -- erm...(apologies to "Monty Python"). The bass sax reeds tend
to go kaboom, by suddenly splitting or developing multiple tip chips. The
bass sax reeds can go from excellent to useless within minutes, after only
about 10-15 total playing hours, unlike my Bb soprano clarinet reeds, which
last 30-35 hrs. or more (the "more" being the period when the reed has
croaked but I won't admit it yet).

I think you're right in suspecting that the wider vibration does more
mechanical damage to bigger reeds. The bass sax vibrates like a jackhammer.
It jiggles my eyeballs to the point where I have trouble reading the music.
My lip and embouchure get tired sooner on bass sax than on any other reed
instrument, even though bass sax takes a far looser embouchure. My
unscientific guess is that the vibration proabably weakens the reed cane.

Variables: Unfortunately, I'm fouling up the possible validity of this
observation by comparing my bass sax reeds with a *different brand* of
smaller reeds. Though I sometimes use Vandorens on alto clarinet, I
generally prefer Hemke Premium sax reeds and Mitchell Lurie Premium clarinet
reeds. These are both made by Rico, and for practical purposes, are the same
reeds, cut the same, with different names just because Hemke's a sax player
and Lurie's a clarinet player. However, Hemke doesn't sell bass sax reeds,
so I've been alternating between "plain old Ricos" and Vandoren "blue box,"
the only two options I've found available locally for bass sax.

However I've noticed another distinction that to some extent makes up for the
shorter reed life: I've found that reed quality is far less of an issue on
my bass sax than on clarinet. I have to admit I'm not very fussy about
clarinet reeds, either (I'd rather adapt my playing to a marginal reed than
sit there sanding it -- I only throw away the truly hopeless cases and often
play all 5 in a box of Mitchell Lurie Premiums), but I can slap any old piece
of lumber on the bass sax and get about the same performance. In the more
than two years I've played bass sax, I don't think I've ever thrown away a
reed before I wore it out. Even reeds that look sloppily cut seem to play
just fine. Could the larger size of the reed mean that the tolerances are
greater?

Lelia
~~~~~~~~~~~
E.T., phone home....
~~~~~~~~~~~

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