 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kes
Date: 2003-03-11 23:10
What is the average life of a reed??? I mean, how long should you play it before you switch? I know after a while that they get softer...and obviously you should change it if it has a HUGE chunk out of it, but, is there any particular length of time after which a reed should be changed??? Also...is buying reeds by the box a better idea, since you can't pick them out yourself?
Also...any good methods for breaking in hard (hard for their strength...I mean ones that generally play harder than the same type of reed...out of the ordinary) reeds?
Thanks for all the info! I'm only a teen (I have been playing for 7 years), so chances are if you explain things TOO technically, I won't know what the heck you are talking about. Also, no one has ever told me this kind of info, and I thought, what better place to find out than THE clarinet board??  Thanks bunches!
____________________
"I speak reedish. Long live the language of the clarinetist!"
_________________
-kes
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-03-11 23:23
It varies with frequency of playing, type of playing, strength and brand. I would use about 3 reeds per fortnight on clarinet, alto and tenor; on C melody I get a bit longer because it only gets played once a week. I play for about 30 hours per week spread across different horns. Bassoon reeds last me a few months each. I find, especially on saxes, that American cut eg. Rico Standard, LaVoz, Java reeds last longer than French file cut eg. Rico Royal, Vandoren Classic, Jazz Select Filed. The most durable reeds I have found are Vintage followed by Vandoren (non filed) then standard Rico. The least durable would have to be Rico Royal on Sax and Mitchell Lurie Premium on Clarinet. I have settled on Java and Lavoz on sax but I still use file cut on the clarinet occassionally.
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Author: Allie
Date: 2003-03-12 01:50
Hey Kes!
I'm in about the same boat! Sometimes this is an awkward inbetween place to be. Like, we've played a few years, so we know the ropes, but some of that stuff we just plain havn't been told yet. How do you ask technical questions w/out sounding like a total idoit to all the pro's on this board?!! ;-) Just kidding, you guys are great about answering questions for innocent and sometimes ignorant (speaking for self) highschoolers!!
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Author: squeaker
Date: 2003-03-12 05:30
I have found that you play on a reed untill it sounds bad, i.e. closes up, starts queaking a lot ect. Reeds can last as longs as a few months, or a few days depending on the reed. Some brands have shorter lives than others as well.
As for helping reeds that are too hard, I flick them. You take the lig. off, and then hold the tip on the face of the mouthpeice (the flat part where the reed lays) and then flick it a bit - not too hard though, you could break it. This is the best way I have found with the exception of sanding them down(this is time consuming and much more risky if you don't know what you are doing).
Hope I helped!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-03-12 07:04
squeaker said: "... As for helping reeds that are too hard, I flick them..."
A poor temporary solution.
Learning to adjust and balance single reeds is not difficult, and the results are lasting. It is a skill (combined with careful reed break-in) that is essential to have.
Search this site for many good tips, or consult the better clarinet texts for techniques...GBK
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Author: javier garcia m
Date: 2003-03-12 11:42
I'm an amateur player. unfortunately I only play 30 to 45 minutes per day, 5 days a week, no more time to play. So my reeds last very long, sometimes 6 months or more.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-03-12 16:46
I have seen some of my cane play for up to 3 or 4 months with no trouble whatsoever, and then I have seen some stuff after a week just quit and die.
I would say the break in period can really be the zone that decides whether or not you are on to that "fantastic" reed.
Alot of players in their impatiece overplay the new cane and thereby kill it. Reed death is nasty especially in the middle of a long solo!!
David Dow
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Author: Kes
Date: 2003-03-13 00:58
Lol...D. Dow...I know exactly what you mean!
"Reed death is nasty especially in the middle of a long solo!!" Except its not from overplaying...It was just a weird reed. It was too soft. It froze up in the middle of my wide open solo! But this was a while ago...I guess it happens to us all.
So I guess there is no definite answer to my question, except the breaking in part. My reeds don't usually last more than a month... Hmmm... But they get nasty and sometimes REALLY soft, so they just break or squeak. Considering I'm an amature, maybe this is allright and excusable. Lol...Maybe after 10 years I won't be an amature anymore? (3 more years!)
____________________
"I speak reedish. Long live the language of the clarinetist!"
_________________
-kes
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