Klarinet Archive - Posting 000430.txt from 2002/12

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Legere Reeds
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 18:30:11 -0500

At 09:31 AM 12/17/2002 -0800, Charlie White wrote:
>I feel that the synthetic reed will become more dominate the clarinet reed
>market as synthetic materials are easily control to create an uniform product.
>All the natural reeds vary from one another and there is little, if anything,
>that can be done to control natural reed consistency.

Yeah. Just like plastic instruments dominate the clarinet market. Let's
face it: we clarinetists are much too anal retentive to make that
wholesale move.

>To the best of my knowledge there are only three truly synthetic reeds on the
>market. These are the Legere, Bari, and Woodwind. The other "plastic" reeds
>are cain treated with a synthetic material.

Fibracell reeds are also all synthetic. They do have the advantage of
LOOKING like cane, though, so anti-synthetic band directors can be
fooled. Rico Plasticover ARE plastic coating over regular cane reeds. I
find that Fibracells, although they sound decent and respond well, always
play significantly FLAT for me. On sax, I can just shove the mouthpiece on
a bit farther, but I don't have that much slack on clarinet! I have been
using a Legere for big band clarinet doubling, where its lack of need for
warmup makes it a perfect choice.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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