Klarinet Archive - Posting 001040.txt from 2003/06

From: RichChPlay@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Adjusting Reeds
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 22:50:40 -0400

on 6/25/03 11:19 AM, Walter Grabner wrote:

>When you get great cane, you can make great reeds, and tailor them
>precisely to your mouthpiece and embouchure.
>
>I have some tube cane from the Zonda folks, aging in a box in my studio.
>Someday when I have time, I'll launch into it and see what it yields.
>(Right now, I'm so busy overhauling clarinets, I hardly have time to
>practice).
>
I've been using cane from Argendonax (the Zonda folks) for some time, and
find it to be really nice. I had some Prestini cane from France, but the
stuff from Arizona/Mexico was terrible for me.

>I know David Niethamer makes all his own reeds, and performs beautifully.
>If David is presently monitoring the list, he might add some comments.
>
>Making reeds is time-consuming. The upside is that hand made reeds can
>last much longer than "store-bought" because you can season them well as
>you make them (usually a week long "seasoning" before you make the final
>adjustments.)
>
>With the reeds lasting much longer, your overall time spent "fussing with
>reeds" is reduced slightly.

Reed making *IS* time consuming. To a professional player it would be
time well spent IMO, because "hand made" reeds do last a lot longer in a
heavy playing schedule. When I was playing in the Richmond Symphony, I
made a tube a month - 8 reeds. If I got two or three of concert quality,
I was happy. By working them into my regular "stable" of reeds, I always
had something for whatever sort of playing came up. One of the things
about reeds is that you have to be able to select a reed for the job at
hand - there is no "great reed" for both Mozart K. 498 and, say, "Rite of
Spring".

I must say that I've never understood the attitude of most clarinetists
that they don't want to learn about reeds and reed making, but prefer to
be at the mercy of the commercial reed manufacturers. Double reed players
have a pretty vast amount of knowledge about their reeds which is passed
from teacher to student. I learned a good bit of what little I know from
a bassoonist colleague who is an excellent reed maker. Larry Guy's book
"Selection, Care and Adjustment of Single Reeds" has a lot of practical
information if someone is looking for a place to start.

on 6/25/03 6:38 PM, Patricia A. Smith wrote:

>Most of the time, if I need to adjust a commercial reed, I utilize a bit
>of Ultrafine sandpaper, and simply sand carefully, to remove the amount
> I need to take off. I've also sanded the tip a miniscule bit, if I'm
>being insistent on trying to improve a particular reed.
>
>Sometimes, I use a reed knife, but I've found that I really do not need
>to unless a reed is incredibly unbalanced. Most of the time, if that is
>the case, there isn't a great deal of hope for the thing anyway.

I found that a knife was overkill on commercial reeds, though some people
use them. I use my knife a lot more on the reeds I make, mostly on the
shoulders of the reed for balancing. I recently got a Reed Wizard, which
does a nice job of balancing the reed without gouging the surface of the
reed. Since I'm a bit of a klutz with tools, this has been a good
investment for me. But I wouldn't call it a necessity.

BTW, I got a good piece of advice from my bassoonist friend - try to
improve your 2nd best reed. If you succeed, great - if not, you haven't
ruined your best reed with that "one last operation" that's going to make
it a great reed!

on 6/25/03 12:47 AM, Bob Langford wrote:

>The cane is pretty good in the GC.

Of all the commercial reeds I've tried recently, I liked the Grand
Concert Evolution as well as anything. Love the cane in Zonda, but not
the way they're cut.

HTH

David

David Niethamer
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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