Klarinet Archive - Posting 000192.txt from 2009/02

From: K S <krsmav@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Narrow Reeds
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:42:17 -0500

Michael Nichols writes:

> I have experimented with using narrow German-style reeds (White Masters, specifically)
> on my Buffet and my experience is that they are so responsive that they will practically
> play dry. French-width reeds are quite sluggish by comparison, which has led me to
> wonder what the point of wider-lay mouthpieces and reeds was in the first place. <

Vandoren White Masters are narrower than their French models, but they
have to be at least wide enough to seal along both rails and across
the tip, particularly at the corners. Even a tiny leak kills the
response, spoils the tone and causes constant squeaks.

On the other hand, the standard Vandoren French shape is exactly as
wide as the outside edges of the rails, and often wider. Even the
slightest projection outside the rail edge means that the lip binds
the reed, causing the sluggish response that Michael describes.

Kalmen Opperman, who knows more about reeds than anybody, taught me to
take down the edges of commercial reeds so that the total width is
about 1/2 mm. narrower than the outer edges of the rails. He makes a
tiny plane to do this, but I find it easier to use sandpaper over a
piece of plate glass or a large flat file.

Narrowing the reed has two important benefits. First, the reed
doesn't bind along the edge. Second, there is a "sweet spot," often
slightly off center, at which the reed response and resonance improve
dramatically. It's worth a few seconds to experiment to find that
spot.

Ken Shaw

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