 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tww
Date: 2003-02-21 23:38
Hi,
I'm an advanced high school student who will not be majoring in music, but I'm certain I will continue to play all my life. I am wondering what the picture will be like when I'm 30 years older and still playing clarinet for fun. I assume there will always be companies and master craftsmen to make excellent clarinets and mouthpieces, but what will the reed picture be like?
Will legere introduce new lines of reeds that blow cane reeds out of the water?
Will overpopulation and exceedingly high demand increase cane problems, reduce aging time, and drive up the prices?
Will technology advance so that reed making processes become simpler, more efficient, and more consistent so that reed quality goes up while prices goes down?
I am reminded of my slight jealously of flute and brass players who have no need (that I know of) to worry about the future of their instrument. I guess this post is just a hope for assurance that I will be able to derive decades of enjoyment from my instrument without worrying. The reed picture for me is fine right now, but it's scary to think that the quality may take a nose-dive in the future.
- tww
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2003-02-21 23:48
All I know is that more and more people are ditching Vandoren...
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Author: Ken
Date: 2003-02-22 00:00
If I were you I'd be more worried about collecting a social security check and recouping the loss after paying into the system 50 years.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-02-22 00:30
Brazil nut reeds, anyone? ;-) (See "weird dreams" post below . . .)
But seriously, I think cane reeds are going to still be the top choice. No matter what Legere or any other synth. reed company does to improve their synthetic reeds, they'll probably never sound or feel *just like* cane. Same thing with goes for natural pads, clarinet material, even in other fields, such as wood-tip drumsticks. It seems there will always be the "old-fashioned" alternative for those who prefer it.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-02-22 00:31
Getting the highest grade cane to market with excellent quality control in all aspects of production should be the goal of every reed company.
Unfortunately we have been subjected to a few bad growing seasons of cane from Vandoren, and with demand out-stripping production, much of this inferior, under-aged cane which normally would be rejected, is now been used.
Thus more reed players are now breaking "tradition" and looking elsewhere for companies which are producing reeds with better primary raw materials, and careful aging/drying of the cane.
Consumers, on their part, should also be vocal in demanding that a company keep their product a predictable commodity. The recent unannounced change in the tip profile of Vandoren reeds (for reasons yet to be explained) soured many of their previous long time users.
These days, look for companies which are young and hungry in entering the reed marketplace. These are the companies that are taking the extra step to make a quality product which will establish their unique market niche.
I would single out Gonzalez as a company which exhibits this philosophy. They are doing everything correctly - taking the time to turn out a quality product without cutting any corners, and using a combination of customer feed back with excellent customer service, to continuously better themselves.
If there ever was a textbook model for how to establish and gain a foot hold in a very difficult marketplace, Gonzalez would be a shining example...GBK
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2003-02-22 03:33
If you are worried, buy as many of the best reeds you can find and salt them away for the next 30 or 40 years. Who know you may be the king of the reed world. Enjoy today and don't worry to much about thirty years from now. Today is a present so enjoy it and do the best you can.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-02-22 05:04
Hi tww:
I appreciate your concern about the future of cane reeds, I felt the same way 30+ years ago.
Put away a box or two of your favorite reeds every time you use up a new box. Store them in a cool, dark place (closets work), and don't use the stored reeds for a least 5 years.
I have 200-300 boxes of aged reeds, like many players on this BB, so it can be done. It's not a huge outlay of money, it just takes a little discipline and time. Do not use up all the new reeds you buy. Eventually these will become the fine aged reeds you will appreciate having.
We cannot tell what the future will bring. But I know that with all the new synthetic reeds being developed, someone soon will hit just the right thing. Look to the innovators, and encourage them. We have made great strides in many areas of music, I can only hope that something wonderful will surprise us in the future when it comes to reeds. Then we'll need something else to worry about!
JJM
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Author: Wes
Date: 2003-02-22 17:25
There will be no shortage of arundo donax. Literally millions of dollars are spent in California to eliminate this weed which invades the waterways and beaches. Whether or not it makes good reeds is another question. Mr. Moses' advice is sound as usual.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-02-22 22:56
GBK, excuse your pun concerning reed manufacturers: "taking the time to turn out a quality product without cutting any corners"!!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-02-22 23:05
Liquorice...Bravo!!
You are the first person to catch my intentional pun (on the Vandoren tip change)...GBK
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-02-23 00:52
GBK wrote:
>
> Unfortunately we have been subjected to a few bad growing
> seasons of cane from Vandoren, and with demand out-stripping
> production, much of this inferior, under-aged cane which
> normally would be rejected, is now been used.
It's actually a lot more complex than that. Vandoren lost access to their supply of South American cane (no, not all the Vandorens have been made with French cane from the Var region for quite some time) a few years back so they've had to get the French plantations back "up to speed". Much of the cane used in the past couple of years has been early-growth French cane, inferior to what they normally used. The cane should significantly improve in quality over the next few years as the plants mature.
Or so I've been told by more than one source.
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