 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jennie
Date: 2000-03-07 05:22
Please share your reed preparations!
I have my own little "break-in" process, but I've been having some reed problems lately. They play very well for 1-2 days and then are suddenly "bad". I know that's a vague description, but they just don't feel like a good reed anymore. This has been happening for a couple months now.
So, I'm wondering what other people do to break their reeds in. I'm desperate for something to change! I know that what works for you may not work for me, but I need something to try!
Thanks if you can help!
Jennie
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Author: Graham Elliott
Date: 2000-03-07 07:44
Reeds that sound muzzy and stuffy when first played are often discarded, but would turn into a clear reliable reed if given a couple of days playing to develop. Those that sound great straight out of the box often change for the worse during this period. If you have been throwing out reeds that sound unpromising to start with, give them another chance. You could be ignoring your best reeds.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-07 14:27
I buy reeds by the box and play them in rotation. I do not play the same reed two days in a row. If the practice session is long or I practice more than once in the day, I change reeds. If a particular reed doesn't play well that day, I just move to the next reed in the rotation as it will probably play well on a different day.
When I get a new box of reeds, I like to soak them in plain water for a few minutes, wipe off the excess moisture and polish the backs by rubbing on a piece of typing paper until it is smooth as glass. Then I rub the front of the reed going from the bottom to the tip with my thumb. This seems to seal the pores a bit and appears to lead to a little bit longer life.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-03-08 02:40
I age my reeds 1-2 years before I even consider trying to play them. Before I play any reed, (except of course Legeres) I smooth the front and back of the reed; the front with really fine sandpaper, and the back with ordinary white paper. I also soak two or three reeds in a film canister for 1-2 minutes before playing then, whether broken in or not.A good set of five to six reeds I find can last me about 2 months with moderate playing, and I usually get 7 or 8 good or decent reeds per box, using regular VD #4's.
Meri
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-03-08 11:48
Meri wrote:
-------------------------------
I age my reeds 1-2 years before I even consider trying to play them.
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Well, I guess I may as well stop playing for 1 or 2 years now ...
:^)
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-03-08 17:03
I cheat and use Legere reeds.
Well, that's partially true, because I also use Vandoren V-12 cane reeds, too.
I usually hold a natural cane reed in my mouth for 30 minutes or so at the very first. For me, this breaks in a reed quicker than soaking in water for the same amount of time. You may see some folks post their appropriate disagreements with this procedure and that's okay, too. I haven't started to polish or prepare reeds like the posters above mentioned. I'm not at that stage of expertise, but I'm getting ready. I now have a single sheet of ultra fine wet/dry sand paper, I have some reed rushes, and I can get some photocopier grade clean paper. Someday when I have nothing else to do and I don't feel like playing my clarinet, I may dive deep into the fine art of reed doctoring.
Oh, and mainly by default, I have a bunch of natural cane reeds that have aged a couple of years in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Yep, their stuck inside a cubby hole in my rolltop desk at home. Who knows? By the time I get to them, they should be either almost perfect or terribly warped beyond salvage. Only time will tell.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-03-08 17:40
paul wrote:
<<I usually hold a natural cane reed in my mouth for 30 minutes or so at the very first.>>
Really? Doesn't this feel really weird, not to mention looking funny?
And sure, it breaks in a reed quicker, but saliva breaks down the reed a whole lot faster, and soaking them in water controls how much saliva they absorb.
Meri
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Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-03-08 21:41
Ever since I started playing the clarinet, I've thrown discarded reeds into a box. I recently bought a more open mouthpiece (B45 lyre rather than B45), and found that many of the reeds I'd thrown away play beautifully -- enough, in fact, almost to pay for the mouhtpiece.
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Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-03-08 21:42
Ever since I started playing the clarinet, I've thrown discarded reeds into a box. I recently bought a more open mouthpiece (B45 lyre rather than B45), and found that many of the reeds I'd thrown away play beautifully -- enough, in fact, almost to pay for the mouthpiece.
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Author: Roger
Date: 2000-03-09 02:52
If you play Australian Reeds "Vintage" or "Vintage XL" reeds they are already aged, and have the date the cane was harvested printed on the box. They also play very well, and give me a long life. The Vintage reeds I bought recently were harvested in 1992 & 1994, and the Vintage XL's were harvested in 1994.
Roger
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-03-09 14:59
Meri has some interesting and valid points in her response posting. I have to admit that having a reed stuck in my mouth (partially in/out as I soak it, almost like a cigarette is held in the mouth) is a bit weird and I get an earful of it from my wife every time I do it. [No, I don't smoke and I discourage everyone else I can from smoking.] Yes, the new cane reed has a bitter "grassy" taste to it, as you would expect. I agree with the folks that say this does start the breakdown process a bit quicker due to the natural bacteria in saliva. However, I have personally found that this process changes a totally green reed that has nearly zero predictable behavior to a playable and pliable reed over a couple of weeks. No, I don't continue to soak the reed in my mouth for 30 minutes at a time. And yes, I thoroughly rinse the reed after I soak it like this to get as much of the saliva off as possible. I start playing the new reed for a couple of minutes per session and slowly bring it into totally playable condition. I feel certain that if I add some light reed doctoring with typing paper, ultra fine wetted sandpaper, or a wetted reed rush to the break in process, this transition time could be cut down dramatically.
By the way, I always put a reed in my mouth and keep it there as I put together and check out my horn. I daub up any extra moisture from the top and bottom of the reed before I place it and pin it to the mouthpiece. I believe that this extra few minutes of soaking allows the reed to warm up and gain some much needed humidity before it's put to work. I do this for both natural cane and artificial reeds. Yes, you can place an artificial Legere reed on the mouthpiece "cold", but I personally found that the Legere reed is more responsive and behaves better when it's brought up to its normal operating temperature (human body temperature).
Again, thanks Meri for your input and perspective. Just like Thomas Jefferson said, "A little revolution every now and then is a good thing."
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-03-10 02:58
i purchased a box op Plasticover reeds and so far everything is fine. They require zero breakin.
Does anyone else use them.
Bob
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Author: Tim2
Date: 2000-03-11 01:19
Never used plastic. But Legere will come to my house sometime.
I rotate my reeds, six or so at a time. The first few days I play on a reed, I only play on it five minutes or so. No high notes above the C above the leger line. While saliva breaks down the reed, the short time playing will allow the saliva to enter the reed pores and not enter far. The goal is to plug up the pores so that _no_ saliva will enter the reed _too far_. Sanding the back of the reed is good for making the reed flat but too much will weaken the reed, in my case. I have stroked the top of the reed with my finger and with a plastic edge.
I also have a plastic tupperware container in which I have rock salt and water covered by a sponge and a hard plastic with a few holes so humidity can pass. I keep my reeds in the Mitchell Lurie plastic cases with the inside tab scraped out. (Thank you, Rick2) and those are kept in the tupperware container. This constant humidity keeps the reeds from warping. The salt keeps the bacteria away. If it tips over, yes, salty reeds for a while.
Reeds last for months (the ones I keep) and the sound takes a long time to get to sounding "too old".
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