Klarinet Archive - Posting 000034.txt from 2001/05

From: MVinquist@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Reed Balance
Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 05:18:33 -0400

Fred says: >I have noticed that some reeds are really sweet only when they
are shifted slightly to the left or right on the mouthpiece, and really bad
when centered. Is there a way to scrape them so they are good when centered?
Is it a matter of too much thickness on one side or the other? <

Fred -

You can balance a reed perfectly, and it will still have a "sweet" position
that, more likely than not, will be a little off center.

Kalmen Opperman, who I think knows more about reeds than the rest of us
combined, teaches his students to make reeds very slightly narrower than the
rails -- maybe the thickness of a line made by a sharp pencil. Then you hold
the reed on with your thumb and move it in microscopic increments from side
to side. In my experience, there's always a spot where the resonance and
volume increase dramatically. I check that every time I put a reed on the
mouthpiece.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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