 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-07-31 22:59
Well sure, this is the clarinet forum, but I thought I'd share.
I was on a gig last night and our bassoon player seemed to be using a reed that looked like it was made of plastic.
During a break from play I approached him and inquired, where he, nice guy that he was, explained that he's been happily and exclusively using Legere synthetic double reeds for quite some time now, but interestingly enough, purchases them not like you and I acquire Legere single reeds, but by physically visiting his vendor and trying the reeds, purchasing only those that work for him, effecting no physical adjustment to them at any point.
This got me interested in what human controlled steps might be involved in the creation of their double reed products that might explain a level of variability among them that seems, based on his description, to exceed the consistency I've found in their single reed products.
(Conflict of interest: I'm a cane clarinet player. I love having Legere's as backups and am impressed with how close they are for me to good cane, but not as good for me as good cane, and how consistent they are regardless.)
I think this video might help explain some of that variability, much that, in fairness, this is tale of one player, where other double reed players may have different stories on both their like of, and feeling of consistency in the Legere synthetic double reed space.
https://youtu.be/g4NHmmFwPpo?si=nmgMzrhNlSfwo3ti
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-07-31 23:54
I've been using Legere oboe reeds since they first hit the shelves and today I had their much eagerly (to way beyond the point of desperately) awaited brand new cor reed arrive at my door.
I've only just posted this over on the oboe page:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=10&i=31354&t=31354
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2025-08-31 00:44
A Bassoonist friend of mine who is a world class player, told me that there was nothing wrong with the Legere sound and response but he just like the feel of the texture of cane better and he has been making his reeds for over 40 years so it is a second nature to him.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-08-31 06:09
Erez Katz wrote:
> ...there was nothing wrong with the Legere sound and
> response but he just like the feel of the texture of cane
> better
sounds like me sentiments on single reed Legere products as well... 
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Author: Hautbois baryton
Date: 2025-10-03 02:34
I've used Légère oboe reeds for years now, and now I use their English horn reeds as well. The only winds I still use cane on are Oboe d'amore and Bass Oboe.
Good riddance to cane. Never going back
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-10-03 12:53
If they shorten their cor reeds at the staple end by a few millimetres, they'd work on d'amore.
Or you could use the much shorter Loree d'amore crooks on Howarth or Marigaux d'amores with standard length cor reeds.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-10-04 13:43
When Chris writes "Cor" he means what you Americans call "English horn". When I first went to the USA I'd say "Cor" all the time and no one knew what on earth I was talking about....
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-10-04 17:11
And Americans call cors 'EH'!
I was once told by a musical director that I needn't worry about the English horn parts in an oboe/cor part I was playing for a show as the (French) horn player would cover them. Abso-bloody-lutely NOT on my watch! I even had to put in the horn cues they'd miss.
Just last week a load of music was being handed out in a concert band I play in and one of the clarinet players handing out the parts handed the English horn part to one of the horn players, who promptly handed it back to her.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2025-10-04 19:29)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-10-04 17:47
Well, Americans don't always recognize "cor" as being short for "cor anglais," which more American musicians would recognize. We often refer to French horns as "horns," so the mistake in speech doesn't seem so egregious.
I'm curious if people in France make similar mistakes - "cor anglais" and "cor français" should present the same problem. Do the French (or Europeans in general) not call the French horn a "horn" ("cor")? You'd have to work out which "horn/cor" is meant from context.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-10-04 18:03
French just call horns 'cors' and cors anglais 'cors anglais'.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-10-04 18:50
Chris P wrote:
> French just call horns 'cors' and cors anglais 'cors anglais'.
>
It's the same in the U.S.. Musicians would recognize cor anglais (used interchangeably with English horn) as a double reed and would understand horn (cor?) to be a brass instrument.
There are probably ignorant (in the literal sense) people everywhere who would assume a French horn could cover an English horn part.
Karl
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-10-04 19:28
This diversion into French and English horns: there perhaps only commonality being the use of the word "horn" in which to describe them, otherwise being as distant as members of the wind instrument family can be, reminds me of a scene I've linked from the 1980s movie "Fame."
In this scene, the character of Ralph Garcia is trying to bluff his artistic abilities in front of the NY High School of Performing Arts teachers and auditioning staff, claiming, no doubt in the character's ignorance, that his dad played both of these instruments.
https://youtu.be/td1GnFmTpJU?si=N3nOWjst2sDb3lfG&t=16
I think the comedy or essence of the line was to show Garcia for the ignorance in musicality he actual had, trying to bluff his artistic pedigree based on a false belief that if two musical instruments had the descriptive word "horns" in them, they were probably close enough in construction to justify a player doubling on them, like perhaps the saxophone and clarinet.
Post Edited (2025-10-04 20:27)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-10-04 19:41
The one good thing with the woodwind horns (basset horn and cor anglais) is they tend to be pitched in F, so it's an easy transposition to do and can always read or cover horn parts with basset horn being the better of the two as it has the bigger range to cover horn parts that go down to a semitone short of a full 8ve below the range of a regular cor anglais (built to low B).
On the brass side, it's all Bb, F and Eb depending on the instrument. Or everything else including those pitches when it comes to orchestral horn parts.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-10-05 02:53
I was doing a gig, not that long ago, where the person anointed to play significant Cor Anglais solos was clearly NOT at a professional level (even giving some sympathy for reed issues etc).
I offered to play the solos on the Saxophone but the conductor was absolutely horrified by this prospect. Maybe it would have been horrible, the end result was horrible anyway, I could but offer.
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-10-05 04:02
Regarding consistency of Légère reeds, I have found some variability in resistance and tone among their clarinet reeds. Not so much perhaps with their alto sax reeds, though that is perhaps due to a different instrument and different kind of set up that is more flexible than clarinet and for me can more easily accommodate more variability.
Much less variability than cane of course.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-10-05 15:22
Provided the polypropylene formula and machining processes are all exactly the same each and every time, the end result should be consistent. The problem with anything with cutting tools is they get blunt and have to either be resharpened or replaced and that's where things can change.
This was always an issue with bedplace cutters at Howarth as they'd come back from being resharpened and they'd often cut differently and sometimes worse than when they were before if the honing wasn't done well or the profile was altered. Same with bore reamers.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-10-05 17:35
Legere reeds are not produced using cutting tools but my a printing process that involves laying down 1000s of little plastic strips.
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Author: smokindok
Date: 2025-10-07 03:07
donald wrote:
> Legere reeds are not produced using cutting tools but my a
> printing process that involves laying down 1000s of little
> plastic strips.
Légère may have changed their manufacturing process, but the description of the process on their website still reads:
“All Légère reeds are cut from our own unique polymer on a 3-axis, computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting machine. Each reed is individually strength tested, delicately sanded and packaged by hand.”
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