Klarinet Archive - Posting 000757.txt from 2002/03

From: EClarinet@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Breaking In New Reeds
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 00:28:02 -0500

Howard said:
<<I'm having major difficulty in breaking in new reeds.
Can anyone offer some advice on conditioning and getting a reed ready to
play? I'm currently using Vandorens (strength 3).

Thanks in advance,
Howard Shapiro>>

I have my students do a basic 6-day break-in. On day one, they take the
reeds, soak them in a film holder until the water shows at the butt end, and
then play the reeds for about 30sec or so. The next day, they soak the reeds
the same way, and play the reeds for about 1 minute each. On day 3, soak
again and play for 2-3minutes each. Day 4, soak again and play for 5 min.
On day 5, soak again and play for 10 minutes each. Day 6 is 15 minutes of
playing. After this, you can play on the reeds as much as you want. Some
people 'polish' the reeds on day 1 also, but I have not noticed any benefit
from doing this---this may differ for you, depending on what kind of weather
you have where you are. I got this basic procedure from an Instrumentalist
magazine article, which I copy and give to the students for handy reference.

I think any breaking in of reeds needs a gradually increasing time of
playing, however you want to break it down yourself, whether it takes 3 days
or 6 days or 10 days.

btw, I and my students use a combination of V-12 and Zonda reeds. With our
weather, when one brand doesn't work, the other does!

Elise Curran
Orlando, FL

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