 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2000-01-29 22:07
Just out of curiousity I purchased a plastic reed today. It was called a Fiber Cell reed. I'm quite amazed at how well it plays. Right out of the box it was playing. Not wetting, warming up etc. (for the reed anyway). Also, it gave me better range than the Vandorens I'd been using. I was even playing well into the Altissimo area (this on a bass that I'd been lucky to hit high C on before). It was pretty expenive though: $10.00 US. Also it was a tad harsh although I have a cloth ligature on order so maybe that'll tone it down a bit. Anyone else have any comments?
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Author: andrea
Date: 2000-01-29 22:19
legere reeds are nice. i don't own one, but i have played on some. they are clear plastic and i think better than fiber cell. they have a web site too. a friend of mine played on one for a lesson and our teacher could not tell a diffrence.
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2000-01-29 22:29
I saw the clear plastic ones in the store and the guy their seemed to think these were better. Maybe I'll try one next.
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Author: andrea
Date: 2000-01-29 22:33
see if they are legere, though, i haven't tried any other clear ones. the guy who makes them will send you two of diffrent strengths in the mail and then you send one back, or something.
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Author: Jim Carabetta
Date: 2000-01-31 10:57
Kurt:
I've usued FiberCells for years with great success; they're especially useful for long periods of playing or for doubling.
Legere's are just as good, but normally not as available, except for through the mail; FiberCells are sold in many music stores.
As a caution, the synthetics, like FiberCell or Legere, are easier blowing than cane, and the tendency is to "get a little lazy" with embouchure and air-support. Save a portion of your practice-time for using cane reeds, just so you stay sharp in controlling them. Going from cane to synthetic is a pleasant surprise; going back to cane reminds you of the necessity to maintain a firm embouchure and to push the air through the horn. Don't throw those canes out - FiberCells are synthetic but not indestructable, and at their cost, it may be financially more feasible to carry canes as a back-up.
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-01-31 16:36
I personally own both a FiberCell and several Legere reeds. I play the clarinet as an adult novice. For me, the FiberCell sounds and reacts like a piece of plastic. The frequency response and overall "woody" characteristics just aren't there. In addition, the slick reed facing makes it really difficult for me to find the right embouchure sweet spot to get the notes out. My FiberCell reed is at the bottom of my clarinet case as an emergency reed. The Legeres come remarkably close to natural cane for responsiveness and cane-like behavior. That's because the Legere reeds have a string micro fiber construction inside, making them much more like a cane reed with internal microtubular construction. I really like the Legere reeds' chevron-like ridges. These ridges helped me find the correct lower lip placement for all notes from chalemeau to high altissimo. I like the ridge concept so well that I believe that the Legere reed would make an excellent training reed for younger students or more novice players. I have quite a few Legere reeds at the top of my clarinet case, interspersed with my Vandoren V-12 natural cane reeds.
Either way, I like Jim Carabetta's concept of having an artificial reed as a backup reed or for the main reed on a backup horn. There is no warm up, no warping, and a real toughness to a plastic reed's construction that makes it a good choice for harsh playing environments. For example, I believe that an artificial reed is great for marching band or for outdoor work.
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