 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2002-05-28 14:42
Would anyone be interested in sharing their reed "rituals."? Do you soak and they play and then shave if needed? Do you automatically trim the left side of a Van Doren reed? I'd love to know!
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Author: William
Date: 2002-05-28 15:10
I soak them in water, briefly, for their first trial playing, then use only saliva after that, with "rub-downs" before and after each use. With VanDorans (V12's) I find that I "routinely" shave (if I have to at all) the right side of the reed. But that may be a result of my particular mpc facing, a "crooked" Chicago Kaspar #14. You really need to balance your reeds to your own mpc needs, so generalizing about shaving practices is not realistic. As for trimming (the tip), I never bother with that. My approach is somewhat (but not necessarily exclusively), play the reed, don't let the reed play you. I condition and balance all of my reeds, but I do not require them all to be perfect before I use them. Rather, I deal with their ultimate inconsistancies through the strength of my embouchure and playing technique, not relying on every reed to be the "best one in the box." Others will probably disagree with this approach, and that's good. It is up to every clarinetist to study and experiment, and then use, whatever works best for themselves. Good Clarineting!!!!!!
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Author: Mandy
Date: 2002-05-28 15:30
I always try to purchase each new box of reeds around the time of the full moon,I then make a circle of salt approximately 12 inches in diameter on the ground in the light of the moon.Lying all reeds within the circle I perform incantations to the Great Cane Goddess.Using this method I find I am able to get 6-8 usable reeds from each box of V-12's.
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Author: Nick Conner
Date: 2002-05-28 16:18
My clarinet teacher, who recently graduation college, told me about a colleague she had that would burn one reed in front of all the others, so that they would see an example of what would happen if they "misbehaved." I don't know whether or not it worked, but I suppose it is a nice catharsis over all the annoying reeds that most clarinetists must sift through to find workable ones.
Nick Conner
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-05-28 16:54
Aside from very slow and careful break in of the V-12's and Gonzalez FOF, being watchful not to over-soak or over-play them (are there really such words?) in the early stages, sealing and balancing, I don't do much with the vamp of reeds, as I find the shape, for the most part, satisfactory.
One can usually tell if the sound of the reed has good coloration, or will be a good candidate almost immediately.
Poor quality, miscut reeds will never be brought back to concert quality, so it is best to move on and not waste your time. All the adjusting, balancing, sanding will not accomplish anything but a colossal waste of energy and frustration.
Remember that old saying about working on poor reeds:
"You can put a pig in a tuxedo, but it's still a pig." ...GBK
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Author: Wes
Date: 2002-05-28 18:22
In addition to the above, I find that it helps to frequently scrape the crud off the flat side of the reed with a single edged razor blade, not removing any cane. If I were to remove any cane from the flat side, it would be in the area from 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches from the butt, allowing this part of the reed to vibrate up and down over the table of the mouthpiece. Good luck!!
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-05-28 22:00
Wes-what "crud" do you mean? After playing a reed for a while? Or is there some "crud" you're finding on new reeds??
I rarely "seal" the front of my reeds. I've found for some reason (climate??) that that usually reduces their playing lifespan. It's no substitute for breaking them in slowly.
Katrina
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-05-29 02:32
Hm - in addition to the above - I always find it very nice to pick up my clarinet and play it.
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Author: Michael Blinn
Date: 2002-05-29 19:02
I probably shouldn't post this, it being a family board and all, but you asked, so here goes:
1st) Pour yourself a tumbler of whiskey (Scotch, preferably). Add sweetener and lemon juice.
2nd) Soak reed in mixture for a few minutes.
3rd) Drink whiskey, then play your heart out.
4th) Repeat step three as often as necessary.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-05-30 19:04
My brother used to see my drying reeds between my fingers, and his comment was that my playing problems were due to "rubbing the reeds the wrong way"...
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