 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ben Shaffer
Date: 2015-08-05 22:59
Quick question.
I'm an Adult learner.
When you sand a reed to make it weaker, what part do you sand?
Do you sand the full length to the shoulder?
Or do you just sand the middle and leave the actual tip alone?
Thanks!
Ben
Normandy 4 Clarinet
Hite Artist d model MP
Rovner Mark 3 Ligature
Mitchell Laurie Reeds
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-08-05 23:23
This is a very complex area and only considerable experience gets you anywhere near relaible adjustments.
however in general you leave the very tip area alone unless you have a very good reason to touch it.
Which other areas to adjust depends on how the reed is responding.
There are articles on the subject on (or referenced to on) this board but primarily you have to learn by experience and expect a high percent of failure on the way.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-08-05 23:42
If you truly want to make the whole reed "weaker" you might try sanding the flat side - lay the reed on a piece of extra-fine (400) wet-or-dry on a flat glass plate and slide it back and forth with very light pressure over the abrasive. Better to hang the tip a little beyond the end of the paper so you don't sand the tip - especially avoid sanding the tip as the leading edge.
I agree with Norman that most experienced players are a little more surgical about this. If you use Tom Ridenour's sanding tool and follow his instructions (the ATG Method - sanding Against The Grain), you will work more generally over the tip and side rails with less deliberate precision than other methods using sandpaper, rush, a knife or other available tools. But reed adjustment techniques tend to be idiosyncratic to individual players and you can find written instructions by many players advocating many different approaches.
Whatever you do, the goal is generally to make the tapers in each direction even, without bumps or "boundaries" that can encourage unwanted division into partials. The test of success is how the reed feels and sounds.
If you really feel a need to make all of your reeds weaker by sanding them in some way, you may be (probably are) buying reeds that are too hard to begin with. Try a lower (softer) strength to see if that reduces the need to do anything to your reeds except play on them.
Karl
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