 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: andrewsong
Date: 2010-11-08 21:26
I am quite sad. I realize that music should be fun and enjoyable and free for the musician to make an interpretation. But whenever I play clarinet, reeds just bother me. Not like an annoying mosquito that crosses your path. I want to be free to make music, but the reeds always always restrict me. Sometimes the reeds are too hard, sometimes theyre too soft, sometimes theyre are stuffy, sometimes they are not even useable. I know how to adjust my reeds and alter them, but they still give me trouble. I spend almost all of my "practice" time just messing around with them.
I'm not just a beginning student. I am a junior in high school and have played 7 years and made All-State and other things. But if I am too bothered with this reed aspect of the clarinet, should I move on to a different intrument? I'm not majoring in music, just an avid lover.
Or is it that with a serious emboucher re-haul, I can enjoy clarinet again?
Please give me some adivce~~~~~ Thanks!
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Author: FDF
Date: 2010-11-08 21:52
Try to quit worrying about the perfect reed, you won't find one, but you will have many good reeds. Use these reeds to work on timing, rhythm, dynamics, and other aspects of musicianship. Make sure you have some practices and performances when you play for fun, not for perfection. More, could (will) be said, but my suggestion is try to change your goal from perfection to fun. If you are not enjoying your playing, then, probably, your audience isn't either. Good luck!
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-11-08 21:56
Hmm. Apparently the stuff you should be working on is not taxing enough to prevent you from bothering with reeds...
I think you're standing in your own light. If it isn't the reed, then it may be the instrument, or the mouthpiece, or the moon phase, or whatever can serve as an excuse.
Suggestion: I'm sure that after seven years you have one or two spare mouthpieces around. I know, they used to suck back then and you don't really love them and so on. Still...instead of messing around with reeds, blindly grab one of the mouthpieces, and one of your reeds, and make the best of it. Imagine you're on stage and all you have is that single reed, that single mouthpiece, that one instrument. You don't intend to entertain the cheering crowd scraping and sanding your reed, do you? Make the best of what that given set of gear is giving you, don't bother about tone, concentrate on the music, on the groove.
--
Ben
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2010-11-08 22:11
There could be several remedies... I'll post a few that I can think of, but others I'm sure will post more!
If it's the same reed, and different days it feels different, there is some normality to that, but I often times notice that when this happens, I've laid the reed on the mouthpiece differently. It's usually not a big difference, but at a very, very, VERY slight angle sometimes, and it causes me to have to work harder than normal.
If you're using a reed for a very long time, it also will change. You see a lot of posts here about rotating your reeds so that you don't over play them. Essentially, reeds, just like anything living (or once living) will die or deteriorate.
Brand is another thing also. I played on certain brand of reeds for a long time because I'd heard that they were the only reeds to use (people are the same about mouthpieces too!). Since then, I've gotten mouthpiece suggestions from friends (who let me try theirs to see if I like it), and reed suggestions as well. Some reeds, for me, are very inconsistent from one reed to the next, so I found myself adjusting every reed, which eventually got them to work, but still took a lot of configuring. Others seem to play almost exactly like I wanted them to out of the box (this is the current brand I'm using). I find using these more fun, because if I do adjust them, it doesn't require a lot of work.
The biggest thing I can suggest if you don't already have one, is a private teacher. A teacher who is a clarinetist and can give you one on one instruction is most valuable in this field. They can dissect your problems, and fix them a lot easier than a band director, who probably doesn't specialize in your instrument. It may take some trial and error, but usually can be fixed. Contact local music stores and colleges to find some teachers. Many graduate students or upper class-men in college will be more than willing to help you (of course there is a charge, but it's worth it)!
Music is a very fun field. It does take a lot of work, like life, but it is one of the most rewarding things to me and many others here. Good luck!
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-11-08 22:12
andrewsong wrote:
> Sometimes
> the reeds are too hard, sometimes theyre too soft, sometimes
> theyre are stuffy, sometimes they are not even useable. I know
> how to adjust my reeds and alter them, but they still give me
> trouble. I spend almost all of my "practice" time just messing
> around with them.
>
> I'm not just a beginning student. I am a junior in high school
> and have played 7 years and made All-State and other things.
> But if I am too bothered with this reed aspect of the clarinet,
> should I move on to a different intrument?
No, you don't need to move on to a different instrument. Any instrument presents mechanical obstacles that need to be overcome to allow the kind of freedom you want.
You say you "know how to adjust my reeds and alter them," but the problems you describe say that, while you know *something* about adjusting reeds, there's still a part of that skill you don't yet have. It's even possible that some of what you already "know" isn't right or being correctly applied. That said, knowing how to adjust reeds doesn't guarantee you'll never be confronted with a stuffy one or one that isn't playable, but you won't need to spend so much time "messing around with them." As your skill with reeds increases, you'll know more quickly what needs to be done to an individual reed and whether or not you want to put the effort into doing it. That's not something most players know after 7 years of study - it takes many students longer than that to know what a good reed actually feels like, and you can't make a reed play well if you're still unsure about what "playing well" is.
If you have a private teacher, definitely discuss your discouragement about reeds with him/her. If you are only studying at school with a band director, think about private lessons *with a skilled clarinetist.*
As a start, you might reconsider the reeds you're using. Try a strength up or down and see if you get more reeds that play acceptably (even if they aren't WONDERFUL) out of the box. Adjusting reeds is easier if the starting point is within a playable range, even if every reed you try isn't perfect.
What you describe isn't an insurmountable problem and we all deal with it to some extent. Reed solutions (players arrive at different ones as they gain experience) are part of the skill set needed to play a reed instrument well. You just need to keep at it.
Good luck,
Karl
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-11-09 11:46
Assuming that your instrument is in good working order...
If you can't find enough reeds that play well, then there is a problem with the combination of the reed+mouthpiece+you. Since you can't change your mouth, you should try to change your reeds and/or mouthpiece. A good reed brand + a good mouthpiece that MATCHES that brand will be successful with most reeds.
Try different reeds and mouthpieces and you should find a combination that works.
When I say "good combination", I mean 6-8 good reeds in every box.
(Disclaimer- I make mouthpieces)
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2010-11-09 12:18
If you haven't tried them yet, I suggest switching to Legere reeds or finding another synthetic reed that works for you (there are others here who rate Forestone reeds very highly).
I too used to spend several hours a day messing around with cane, trying to make it work. I read books on reed altering, asked and got advice from professionals, etc., but even as a professional myself I was never satisfied. Then I tried Legeres, switched from Buffets and Selmers to playing Wurlitzers (instead of doing the constant searching for "the" barrel or "the" mouthpiece) and have never looked back.
Now it is about making music, not messing with equipment.
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-11-09 12:35
Yes, I second the Legere tack. You can preserve your sanity (and your clarinet) by having a reed that will play consistently for many months without needing a replacement. With Legere, you should try a strength about 1/4 less tha what you use in a regular reed. So if you use 3 1/2 Vandoren, you can try a 3.25 Legere.
Are they as good as cane? No, but they are closer than any other synthetic and being synthetic they will get you through turbulent changes of season.
As for real reeds, I agree with some of the above in that you should get used to a wider spectrum of "usable." Also break them in first by only playing on one reed for five minutes a day for at least three days BEFORE playing on them for any real length of time. As winter and home heating units kick in (drying the heck out of your reeds as they sit on your mouthpiece) the break-in period should be even longer (perhaps as much as a week).
And by all means ROTATE. I use a box at a time as my paradigm, getting 4 to 6 usable reeds out of a box. I NEVER play the same reed two days in a row, usually always taking them in sequence unless I'm down to only a few "performance ready" reeds with multiple performances to worry about.
...........good luck,
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: srattle
Date: 2010-11-09 14:27
I would say that a lot of reed troubles are in the mind of the player just as much as because of the reed itself.
Try thinking to yourself that you need to play the reed, not that the reed is playing you.
Many time, we all play on reeds that are not up to standard. Sometimes we end up for one reason or another, having to perform on a reed that we wish was a different one.
The best thing you can ever do in your future as a clarinetist is to free yourself from over concerning yourself about the reed you're playing. Find something that works more or less, and that you can blow into without doing too much differently than normal, and then do everything you can to forget about it.
I used to have a lot more trouble with reeds than I do now, as I am comfortable finding reeds that I can make play, and never worry about finding a reed that will do too much of the work for me (that almost never exists)
Good luck, but don't worry about changing instruments. You've already put a lot of work into the clarinet, and if you love the instrument and the repertoire, then it would be a shame to quit because of something as silly as a little piece of wood, no?
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Author: William
Date: 2010-11-09 14:51
I have been playing Forestone reeds on my soprano clarinets since May, 2009, and prefer them to any cane or Legere reed I have ever played. They are mouthpiece friendly, most consistant, always ready to play without the usual preparations associated with cane and last indefinately. I am still able to play on the F3+ reed that I first performend "Peter & the Wolf" with in May, 2009. To my "ear", Forestones have a more cane-like sound than Legere and articulate very easily, unlike the "thuddy" response I get from Legere. I actually played Legere reeds for about a year and never did like the way they responded or sounded in the altissimo register. With Forestones, I can play easily up to C7 with a good tone quality and response.
Switching to a synthetic reed--Legere or Forestone--will certainly give you more consistancy from day to day and take some of the "scary" out of clarineting--scary meaning, cane. I prefer F4's and, fwiw, am also playing Forestone alto & tenor sax reeds. They are simply, the best new saxophone product on the market.
Forestones let you play the music without having to worry about playing the reed. Just my opinion...........
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2010-11-09 16:34
Andrewsong: I sympathise. I've felt this way about reeds for decades. I hate the fact that so much practice time goes on sorting them out, rather than thinking about musical issues. But I'm still playing - because every now and then I do find one that works as it should, and the feeling of that is so addictive that it keeps me persisting when things aren't going well. The only advice I can give for minimizing the pain is to refuse to compromise on reed quality: battlefield surgeons have to decide when a patient can't be saved, and it's the same with reeds. I used to try to adjust most reeds in the box, but this uses a lot of time and (much worse) means you spend long depressing hours sounding terrible.
Now I accept that a box of 10 will give me (at best) 2 reeds that I would be prepared to use in public. You can quickly pick out 3-4 candidates for these top performers and work on them; the rest may as well be thrown away. This makes the process expensive (easier to stand when you are older, I suppose), but still cheap compared to what oboe and bassoon players have to suffer.
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2010-11-10 07:23
Could be your m/p is warped... needing refaced or changed for another.
How do you adjust your reeds... maybe there's a basic technque problem there.
But first get your clarinet checked by a good technician for leaks. No matter what reed or m/p you have, the damned thing won't speak is it's leaking like a sieve.
Clarinetting should be much easier than you are experiencing.
BobT
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2010-11-11 18:53
Beyond the great advice received here so far, and in addition to looking at technical issues, re-evaluate your use of the word "should". It's a terribly negative word! "This reed should play how I want it to" - statements and thoughts like that set you up for failure, before you even put the reed on...
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