Klarinet Archive - Posting 000526.txt from 2002/10

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Whacky reed problem
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 00:54:02 -0400

Phil -

Maybe it was the lateness of the hour and the tiredness of this old brain,
but for some reason I just couldn't come up with any word but "bamboo" in my
haste. (And I knew that someone would call me on it.) Or maybe it was my
lack of much formal religious education that made it difficult for me to be
"able" to remember "cane". (Groan)

Webster's defines bamboo as "Any of various woody or treelike grasses of the
genus Bambusa or other related genera, as Arundinaria, Dendrocalamus."
Since reed cane's botanical name is Arundo Donax, it would seem to place it
in the wide varieties of "treelike grasses". As you said, a minor matter.

Since working out a pre-playing reed treatment based on several postings
that appeared in Klarinet in '96 or'97, I have not played any reeds "out of
the box", including the Gonzalez reeds that I tried.

I soak each box of reeds for about 10 minutes, squeeze out the water and let
them dry, label up, for about 24 hours. When dry, I "burnish" both sides of
the reeds using the convex side of a stainless steel spoon. I repeat this
for 10 days. It may be tedious and time-consuming, but it probably
contributes to my getting a high percentage of reasonably good reeds out of
each box.

When I start using a reed, I do not find it necessary to use short
"break-in" periods. I balance the reed, if necessary, check it for any
warping, sand the back side, if necessary using 400 production paper or well
worn 320 production paper. From then on, I check for warping and sand to
keep the reed flat and trim or sand as required to achieve the tone and
response than I want.

Also, I am a "reed soaker" since reading someone's comments about reeds
(cane) being made up of very tiny (microscopic) tubes which fill with
moisture when the reed is moistened. And since reeds play much better when
well moistened, my experience is that soaking a reed in water for at least 5
minutes before playing gives you a reed that is responsive and ready to
play. To me this is a much better procedure than just moistening the reed
in your mouth for a few seconds of a minute or so.

Being "along in years" now, I find that I no longer have a surplus of saliva
that I once had when younger. As a result I find that when playing a lot of
very legato material, the reed becomes less responsive and my tone suffers.
What has happened is that the reed has dried out. Thus, it appears to me
that the "tubes" in the reed need to be well moistened (or filled) to
achieve the best performance of the reed since soaking the reed in water for
several minutes restores the reed to its normal playing condition.

I have often wondered that when Listers complain that their reed suddenly
"dies" while they are playing, that what has happened is that the reed has
just warped lengthwise and simply needs to be sanded to flatten the back.
This has been my experience numerous times. Often I have "revived"
seemingly "dead" reeds by some careful sanding and trimming. They may not
emerge as concert quality, but they are good for a number of additional
hours of practicing. (This pleases my Scotch heritage.)

Sorry for rambling a bit. Just the opinions and experiences of an old
amateur "re-tread".

Regards,

Gene N.
-----Original Message-----
From: Phil [mailto:fuffy442@-----.net]
Subject: RE: [kl] Whacky reed problem

Gene,

I appreciate your opinion but from what I've read in this forum, on the
bulletin board, from my own personal experience and those related by many
top professionals, I must attempt to correct your notion about the quality
of the González cane. I think you will find that many of the participants
here will be correcting you on this. This isn't flame, it's knowledge.

First of all reeds aren't made from Bamboo. Cane is a totally separate
species. It's a minor point, but facts are facts. Reeds, regardless of who
makes them have been deprived of moisture for years by the time they get to
you. Vandoren typically uses cane that is 2 years old or less, from a wide
variety of sources. Some is quite good, but most is seriously under par.
González cane, as can be seen from the harvest dates on the labels is all
about 5 years old by this time. That means that the wood is Very dry when
you first take them out of the box. If you're playing a new reed for the
first time, straight out of the box as it were, for 20-30 minutes then of
course it will collapse. You have to give a new reed time to break in
properly. The fibers in the reed need days to settle, not minutes. Call the
guys at Davie Cane, they'll explain how this process occurs and talk you
through the Proper break in procedures for a new reed. New reeds will also
tend to warp if over-soaked in the first few days, another reason for going
slow initially. I always polish the back of the reed on paper after every
playing. This helps keep the nice and flat, and greatly reduces warping.
These problems are multiplied if the reed has alot of fiber, which the
González reeds do. When you talk about "Grain" are you referring to visible
grain on the surface of the reed, or large thick vertical fibers visible as
you look through the reed? Remember, small but tightly bunched and plentiful
fiber is better than sparser thick fibers. Quality cane will be smooth and
uniform, which I find the González cane to be.

I remember reeds from the '70's. (that's as far back as I go) You had to
break them in slowly, say a week or so. Nobody ever played a reed right from
the box, unless it was an emergency. As cane quality has fallen over the
years players have changed their habits. Modern reeds, including Good ones
like Vandoren, are at their best right out of the box. It's all downhill
from there. Now along comes a reed made from cane of a quality not seen in
years. It's not surprising that people don't know how to handle them as
nobody expects there to be any difference, but there is. You have to go back
to methods that most people haven't used for 20 years. Take the time, you
might be surprised at the results.

And this is, of course, my opinion.
-P

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