 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-06-19 00:08
1.does the surface have to be completely and perfectly flat?
2.is there any pressure needed on top of the reed to keep the reed, if imperfect, flat against the surface?
3.should i let the reed dry before i put it in my reed case every single time?(some times that isn't possible, like after band rehearsal in school)
4.how long should the reed dry?
5.after it dries, will it not warp?
thank you for whoever reeds and responds
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-06-19 03:16
I'd suggest buying a reed care/adjustment book. There are a few that are recommended often on this board. I have the one by Larry Guy, which I find very good, and I've heard equal praises about some others. Do a search and you should find lots of helpful info.
In short, there are a number of things you can do during the life of your reed to significantly reduce or eliminate warping, of which the surface and method of drying are only part of the answer.
In my experience, some appropriately vague answers to your questions...
1) I suppose so, though you might wait for a few days before putting them in reed cases at all.
2) Not in my experience. For me, the pressure is mostly to keep the reed from shifting position. If it's so imperfect that it doesn't stay flat against the surface (wobbles?), you should probably ditch the reed.
3-4) Don't put a "wet" (soggy) reed out to dry anywhere. Allowing a wet reed to dry by evaporation, iirc, will make the warping worse. The changes in temperature and consistency, if left unchecked, contort the reed's dimensions, hence the warpage. Actively, but gently, dry it off yourself. Shouldn't take more than 30 seconds.
5) Not nearly as much as it will warp while it's drying
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-06-19 12:44
As someone put it in a prior post, "how long do you guys play those reeds anyway...". Some more opinions:
1. Yes, more or less, but "perfectly flat" means optically flat to me and that's not necessary...
2. Yes, I strive for moderate and uniform pressure from the tip to about a half inch back
3. Pass the reed between your lips, pass it between your thumb and one finger and put it in the holder pronto. It's a good idea to be sure your fingers are clean...I keep one of those little bottles of hand purifier handy
4. How long to dry?......Oh, say, 24 hours or so minimum
5. It might warp during the drying period....or it might warp next time you wet it in which case you hold it tightly against a flat surface with your clean thumb a minute or so...
Remember: Nature abhors a straight line....as well as a vacuum
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-06-19 12:55
Get one of the plastic [or metal] reed holders, dry the reed as well as posssible, then insert in holder, Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2004-06-19 14:39
Just stick the reed in your gob for couple of minutes and it will right itself again. If it doesn't, toss it!
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Author: William
Date: 2004-06-19 21:44
I store my reeds (V12s) in Harrison reed holders (12 per unit) and never experiance warpage of any kind. No special "tricks", just salival moistening (never water), sealing the xylum before playing and placing it back on the glass immediantly after playing. When closed, the Harrison holds the reed securly against the glass for drying. I usually let the reed dry for at least two days before reusing it. And, as I always have 12 working reeds in my "rotation", it often a week between playings. But no matter how long they are stored, they never warp. Lucky , I guess............
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Author: johnsonfromwisconsin
Date: 2004-06-21 16:42
moistening a reed causes the material to expand. Warping will happen as this moistening effect happens unevenly accross the reed. It should subside when the reed has been wettened sufficiently, if no, it's probably a bad reed.
-JfW
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-06-21 17:53
You may not be able to keep reeds from warping, but you can take measures to anticipate the warpage and compensate for it when it occurs: Buy your reeds a half-strength or so harder than the final strength you'd like to play on, then as you break in the reed for a week or two, scrape the bottom flat a little bit each day, or as needed. By the time the reed is broken-in and ready to play, you will have removed most of the warpage, although eventually most reeds will give up the ghost and warp (or fail in some other fashion) anyway.
If you just play reeds straight out of the box without any break-in or preparation, tough luck, you're on your own.
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