 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2012-11-05 17:13
I use fairly decent reeds (Rue 56, Gonzalez, Xilema) and notice that it takes me about a half hour of playing before the reeds (& clarinet) sound good and plays well (to me) , and that if I continue for 2 - 4 hours it generally keeps getting better, warmer, darker, and then at some point (seemingly all of a sudden) plays poorly. I then don't play that reed for at least 48 hours.
Also, it the reeds seem to play G6 - C7 better during the initial hour.
Is this reasonable? Your experience? Suggestions?
I water-soak for 15 - 25 min before I start, or the initial change is more noticable if I do less soak time.
Thanks
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-11-05 17:45
Your issue is odd sounding to me. I soak a well broken-in reed for perhaps a minute or two at most. I think the key is to get the reeds well broken in before you log significant time on them. Whatever you do, try to do it for 3 days or MORE before you start to really play the reed. Once "seasoned," reeds should not exhibit the sort of changes you describe. There will just be a slow trajectory toward becoming more brittle.
These days I get antsy to start another batch of ten with at least a week or more of life left in the current batch. It becomes a matter of feel.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-11-06 00:31
A few questions:
When it suddenly starts to play poorly, have you been playing 2-4 hours consecutively, or are you talking about cumulative hours over some number of days?
How do the reeds sound and feel during that first half hour? What's wrong that eventually corrects itself over the 30 minutes?
Do you really mean G6 - C7 (![[G6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/g6.gif) - ![[C7]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c7.gif) )?
What do you mean by "the initial change is more noticable if I do less soak time?" Does the reed end up better after the half-hour or not as good when you soak the reed for less time?
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2012-11-06 01:21
I think the whole way you do it sounds strange to me. First of all, I never soak a reed, read my website on warping etc., I wet the vamp half only for just a few seconds. If my reed doesn't sound good after a few seconds then there's something wrong with the reed. I break my reeds in so their ready to play in a very short time. I never suggest practicing on a good reed for more than half an hour at most, then change reeds. I use "practice" reeds for most of my practice, not my concert or rehearsal reeds. The best way to kill a good reed is the wear it out in a practice session. The reason reeds "die" is because they don't "bounce" back after being played too long and getting water sogged. It's pretty much the same as if you kept bending a piece of thin plastic or cardboard, after a while it would not return to it original shape, the same thing happens to a reed. It begins to "bend" in towards the facing of the tip because it loses it's ability to "bounce" back up straight. You can't see it but it happens. So at least that's my take on it. I do have several tips for reed adjusting, break in and avoiding warping (not sealing air tight on the facing).
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Donald Casadonte
Date: 2012-11-06 18:29
"generally keeps getting better, warmer, darker, and then at some point (seemingly all of a sudden) plays poorly. I then don't play that reed for at least 48 hours."
Generally, there is a compound, called a hemicellulose, that is very water absorbing. When you first start to play the reed, it takes a while for the water to saturate the cellulose matrix, because there are also hydrophobic elements, as well. Once the water had penetrated and reached an equilibrium within the cell walls, the reed stabilizes. After that point, until the hemicellulose is finally leached out by saliva (takes weeks), the reed will work fairly consistently. There are four breakdown pathways for reeds: loss of hemicellulose, bacterial colonization, deplasticization of the cellulose matrix, and Salic acid coating from saliva. Warping is a type of reed deteriorization, but can be fixed. The type of inward bending that Ed is talking about is called mechano-sorptive creep and can only be fixed by steaming the reed (not that anyone has tried, to my knowledge, but theory says it should work).
I have never heard of a sudden breakdown of a reed (chips and breaks, excepts).
Donald Casadonte
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2012-11-08 00:29
If you have to spend more then a few minutes each day for 4-5 days to break in and adjust a reed you're doing something wrong in my opionon. And once the reed is broked in you should be able to play it after only a few seconds or a minute or two max. I never spend any more then that on my reeds and I always have several good reeds to play at any time. I always have at least four ready to play reeds on both bass and Bb clarinet with several back ups as well.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: pewd
Date: 2012-11-08 19:12
> 15 - 25 min before I start
Try 5 seconds.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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