 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Exiawolf
Date: 2015-06-09 07:55
How long do find that your reeds generally last? (Both in play hours and just timespan would be useful). I'm just curious as my reeds die after about a month, but others claim to get them to last 2 months.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-06-09 12:23
I don't keep track of specific numbers of hours but in the rotation of a box of prepared reeds (with usually seven that get a good workout) I get a month and a half, maybe two at the most.
The point is having replacements ready to go at any given time, or knowing in advance of the current reeds' demise when it is time to have new ones in the mix.
In the past I have used reeds that are strictly more "focus oriented" to their cut, Vandoren standard and the Rue Lepic 56. These reeds will begin to sound more and more 'brittle' as they get less and less usable.
Currently I am using the newer V21s which are slightly more diffuse but have wonderful colors to it. With these I find that the reeds just seem to loose their strength and become less predictable again (as they were in the beginning of their usable lives).
Judging that point with your reeds is key, however long that happens to be.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-06-09 17:22
While my results are similar to Paul's, the issue is (as I suspect the O.P. appreciates) highly user specific. Not only are we dealing with each player's perception of when a reed has become unusable, but measuring the time a reed lasts (days, weeks, months) without also tracking the hours it's used (especially concurrent hours it is used) can lead to findings that may not be reliable/reproducable.
Not to hijack the post, but on a tangential line, I wonder (and suspect) that the playing hours a reed lasts increases as the player has more reeds to choose from (to Paul's point), and swaps them all regularly (rinsing them after use). I'd love to see reliable data that confirms or refutes this. It's not uncommon for me to switch reeds during a practice session not because my current reed has become bad, but in my belief that this action preserves all my working reed's lives.
My gut tells me that on the whole, my reed's playability over time might be approximated graphically by a sine curve with peaks that diminish over time. Despite keeping my resting reeds in a 72% humidity environment, I think that resting reeds may desaturate somewhat, and return to a similar state they were in prior to play, especially if the digestive agents in saliva are cleared from the reed first.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2015-06-09 19:23
My students in school seem to use them for years!
;-)
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-06-09 21:00
I find that most reeds are shot after two or three rehearsals or performances, but last a couple of months if I only use them for practising.
As Principal in a section of five clarinets versus 14 trumpeters, I've had the coating peel off of a brand new Plasticover by the end of a rehearsal. Alexander Superial reeds stand up to extremely loud playing better than anything else--I can usually get four or five sessions out of a Superial..
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Author: William
Date: 2015-06-09 22:34
I have been playing Forestone reeds for nearly six years and can tell you that they last indefinitely.
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Author: Exiawolf
Date: 2015-06-10 02:21
Today while practicing I just thought of something that might be related to reed life and I haven't really seen or heard it be discussed. How often do you wet/lick (terrible term but whatever) your reed during practice? I seem to lick it every time before I put my horn up to me out habit and comfort, yet I see other people that barely ever wet it ever. Do you think a habit such as this could reduce the longevity of my reed life, or is this completely normal and the people who never wet their reeds are just different?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-06-10 02:46
Exiawolf wrote:
> Do you think a
> habit such as this could reduce the longevity of my reed life,
> or is this completely normal and the people who never wet their
> reeds are just different?
It's in your mouth and in contact with your tongue and saliva all the time you're actually playing. It's hard to see how an extra lick now and then would matter.
Reeds change as you play because they absorb moisture and, for some players, because they put enough embouchure pressure on the reed to gradually bend it toward the rails, effectively reducing the tip opening.
Do your reeds revive after an overnight rest?
I find, too, that reeds become more resistant as I play during a rehearsal or performance if the venue is warm. I haven't thought through why this seems to happen. I just change reeds when necessary. They feel better the next day after they dry.
Karl
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Author: hinotehud ★2017
Date: 2015-06-11 05:52
When I was in college, (1970-71) I rotated my reeds every 30 minutes and kept meticulous records of how long I had played on them. It was uncanny, but they always lasted 26 1/2 hours before a noticeable decline.
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