 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-02-02 17:32
It's interesting but what he's not telling you, or doesn't realize it, is that the reeds are warping. All wood will warp when going from wet to dry and back at some point. I've dealt with this on many postings. As a matter of fact I just answered Janlynn's post on why her reeds warp. I suggest you reed that posting as well as my suggestion to her to read the article I have on my reed page in my website.
Also, one way to work around that if it only "warps" slightly while you're playing is to move your ligature up a little higher on the reed and tighten the screws to flatten the reed against the MP table. This will only work if it's only slightly warped. That's one of the reasons I recommend using a material ligature such as a Rovner because tightening it won't "choke" off the tone as a metal ligature will. You can make those very, very tight. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: RoBass
Date: 2010-02-03 14:23
We discussed this theme in our German Board very often and controvers.
My personal experience from many years of treating cellulose stuff (papermaker) is, that distortions of reeds could be avoided, if the finalizing (flat the mouthpiece side) will be done in wetted condition and the reed is wetted well before using it.
After the 3rd or 4th wetting/drying procedure the reed looses the affection to warp (stable swelling condition and inertisation against water).
The problem of distortions during the first seconds of fresh reed use is based on the necessary stable swelling time mostly. Often the reed was conditioned in dry condition too.
kindly
Roman
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2010-02-03 15:06
Roman, this sounds like great advice. From what I've seen most people are flattening reeds when they are dry.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-02-03 19:22
I still believe that any piece of wood, that includes cane, has a tendency to warp when going from a wet to a dry state. That's the very reason it is so common for clarinet players to have problems with their reeds warping. If they notice, it's more common in the dry months like the winter because the air is drier than in the summer months so the reed goes from more of an extreme to another. That's why I believe that keeping reeds humidity controlled any way you can, will help ovoid having your reeds warp. I've been doing this for a long time, as well as preparing my reeds as I indicate in the article on my website and I can honestly say, as I've said before, that since I've been doing that I've never had a regular Bb clarinet reed warp, ever. Because I don't do exactly the same process on my bass clarinet reeds, and they are larger therefore more prone to warp, I can't say the same thing for them but I have very little problems with them warping as well. ESP
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Author: RoBass
Date: 2010-02-03 22:05
Warping is only a problem of changing humidity. But the effect is less, if the change is from 100% penetrated to the stable breath humidity. Most of players wet their reeds shortly before use by licking. But this is not working well. I plane my reeds after wetting and store them inside an open reed guard. The soaking procedure, I use is well known from other wooden instruments (f.i. oboe).
kindly
Roman
PS: Distortion/swell induced enlargement is a function of ambient humidity and soaking time. Thin parts (many cutted fibres) to be penetrated fast, thicker parts (with uncut fibres) to be wetted later. That's the reason for warping, not more. A fully penetrated reed is flat, a dryed too...
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-02-06 16:09
After some (hours) of use, a clarinet reed will swell into the mouthpiece window. That lump will make it difficult to change the lateral position of the reed on the mouthpiece --or to place it on a different mouthpiece.
I've found that removing the "window bulge" has no effect on the reed --in contrast to the major change that occurs of you were to scrape the tapered side opposite the window.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2010-02-06 17:37
Bob, thanks for your response. It started me to think...
Does a cane reed continue to swell after it is thoroughly "soaked" before starting to play? (i.e., if a cane reed is placed in water for 5 to 10 minutes before being placed on the mpc, will it continue to swell as playing time continues?)
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-02-07 17:08
In my experience, the "window bulge" comes back in successively smaller lumps after being removed. No reed I've ever had lived long enough to go through more than about 2 or 3 flattenings.
It could be that the swelling of the reed is constrained by the ligature pressure against the mouthpiece table, so we see only the bulge into the window.
I imagine that the reed's absorptivity varies between the fibers and "filler" in the cane and that it takes some time for the harder stuff to get fully wetted. Note the discussion on wavy reed tips in another thread here. The soft stuff wets, expands and wrinkles the reed. When the harder stuff finally soaks up its share of the water, the reed (can be) flattens out again.
Bob Phillips
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