Klarinet Archive - Posting 001092.txt from 2001/02

From: jeff@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Reed Warpage
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 15:25:59 -0500

In the discussion of laying reeds flat on a glass to dry, I have a couple of
observations from my own experience of having lived in a couple of
drastically different climates. I tend to think of the term "warpage" as
primarily the back of the reed. This seems to have a major effect on the
way a reed plays. Little waves in the tip seem to only require more water.

Reeds (in fact wood in general) warp when different parts of the wood dry at
different speeds. The center of the back of the reed dries much slower, as
it is thicker (and still has bark too). Thus the edges of the reed can curl
up, making a reed "warped".

If you place the reed on a glass to dry, it is kept perfectly flat. This
seems to work fine in more humid climates (it worked well for me in Florida,
for instance). The reed in general dries out very slowly so warpage seems
not to be as much of an issue.

However, if you are in a dry climate and attempt to do this, the sides of
the reed will dry very quickly and the back will hold moisture
proportionately longer, thus causing significant warpage (hence the ziplock
bag or reedmate approach).

One caveat is that the previous statements (for me) really apply more to
storebought reeds than homemade reeds. With homemade reeds, I tend to get
the warp "out of the reed's system" while they are still blanks by wetting,
drying, sanding over a period of a few days, so that when I actually go to
make a reed from the blank they tend to stay flatter as they have already
adjusted to climate (and the relative storage procedure that I use).

Last point is that I prefer the Vandoren reed cases (with the dessicant
tube) for medium humid to dry climates, because it better controls the rate
at which the reed dries, and also has a ridged flat surface to allow the
back of the reed to dry more evenly with the sides.

Hope that helps someone.

Jeff Carwile

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Jeff Carwile
Director of Information Systems and Infrastructure
LevelEdge
http://www.leveledge.com
jeff@-----.com

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