Klarinet Archive - Posting 000012.txt from 2009/07

From: Mike Wilson <fanosax@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] sabbatical leave - reed making
Date: Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:09:44 -0400

This is interesting. I read once that (most?) reed manufacturers cut all
their reeds a particular way and then test them to determine the
strength. Is this correct? I'm curious because if this is the case, then
one would expect a rather wide range of strengths of reeds coming off
the machine, even using a template reed that plays perfectly. How much
hand-finishing is involved, relative to store-bought reeds?

Thanks,
Mike

Roger Garrett wrote:
> Hello everyone - back on briefly......I check in once in awhile to see
> what kinds of things are being discussed on Klarinet. I also receive
> forwards from friends. Nice to see a few familiar and pleasant names
> on the list.
>
> My reason for subscribing briefly - I wanted to put an unsolicited
> plug in for a cool little machine that has been on the market for
> awhile that was part of my recent sabbatical leave project. I'll
> describe.....
>
> Back in 1980, I began making my own reeds from reed blanks. I learned
> how to do this from my then teacher, John Mohler, at University of
> Michigan. John had made one reed for me to show me how - and it was
> one of the best reeds I ever played on (up to that point) and lasted
> about a month with hard use. I made reeds for about a year the same
> way Bob Spring does now - completely by hand - from the first cut, to
> files, and eventually to sandpaper (top of reed). Clip, adjust and
> play. I was never as good at it as Bob became, and he went on to make
> reeds that way and still does. I, on the other hand, switched back to
> commercial reeds. I moved back to store bought reeds because in my
> first lesson with David Shifrin, he complimented me on making homemade
> reeds and then proceeded to adjust 10 rejected Olieveri reeds from his
> reject box (probably 10,000 reeds in the box) that played much better
> than my reeds did. He told me he would rather I put the time into
> practicing rather than reed making.....so I did. The reed making
> skills came in very handy for adjusting commercial reeds by the way.
>
> In 1995 I saw Robert DiLutis at the ClarinetFest held at Arizona State
> University, and I watched as he produced a reed very quickly with his
> reed making "machine." What impressed me was how well the reed played
> right off the machine. I purchased the machine and it's accessories a
> year later - and I made 10 or so reeds with good results.
> Then..........it stopped working for me. I fiddled with the
> adjustments (probably a mistake), and eventually gave up. Back to
> store bought reeds.
>
> Flash forward to this past year.....
>
> I've had real trouble with commercial reeds of late. I can't say that
> it is the fault of the reed manufacturers - but I just was not getting
> many reeds from a box to play. They were inconsistent, had buzzy
> sounding tips, and didn't last long. I gradually began to become
> dismayed while practicing on such crummy pieces of cane! At the same
> time, I was also looking for one of two projects for my spring
> sabbatical (2009) and immediately though that I could get the DiLutis
> machine up and running again. So........I paid Robert a visit in
> Rochester New York (I now know how long it takes to drive there from
> Bloomington, IL in one day). Suring our four hour session together,
> he showed me how to take apart the little machine, tweak it, adjust
> all aspects of blade height, and worked on finding the right profile
> reed to use/copy.
> I am reporting back to the list now that the homemade reeds are far
> better than anything I can purchase. Of course, I'm using 12 year old
> tube cane that was purchased in 1998 that is as dense as it can be -
> and well cured. Still, when making blanks from tubes rather than
> purchasing pre-made blanks, I can begin with them thick enough to do
> the three to five day curing process that insures a long life reed
> with plenty of snap. Practicing and playing is more fun now that
> there are more reeds.
>
> So........even though Robert did not ask me to do this, I'm mentioning
> my experience to all of you so that if you are looking to make reeds,
> this little machine takes most of the problems of making reeds by hand
> out of the equation. It will copy a reed (via a slicing/planing
> approach rather than a sanding approach like the Reed-Dual) and leave
> it close enough to finish off by hand. It's worth checking out.
>
> I'm not going to get into my other project.........learning to use
> Sibelius software. Great program, but I'm not too quick with this
> kind of software (yet!).
> That's about it. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer (or winter
> depending on what part of the planet you are on) and that those of you
> in the US have a great 4th of July weekend.
>
> Best wishes,
> Roger Garrett
>
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