 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: pzaur
Date: 2003-07-17 00:32
I'm currently working at a music store and the repair tech and me were playing around with Eb clarinet reeds. I remember a long time ago reading a blirp about using Bb clarinet reeds for the Eb, but trimming them down. I found that shortening the butt of a Bb reed makes a wonderful Eb clarinet reed, but I digress.
The repair tech used an uncut reed for his Eb and found that it sounded incredible. The downside being that it went a good deal beyond the table of the mouthpiece and over the barrel tenon rings. So we cut the butt down to make it fit the length of the table appropriately. After that was down, the reed sounded horrible. So we thought for a minute and wondered if the angle created by raised butt of the reed played a part in how the reed sounded. To recreate this effect we shimmed the now shortened reed by placing the shim underneath the end of the butt and found that it played the same way it was before! Has anyone else ever tried doing this with your reeds?
For the past few days the repair tech has been playing reeds with and without shims (on Bb and Eb clarinets) and noticing that it greatly changes the performance of the reed. Somtimes for the better and some times for the worse. Currently it's been more for the better.
- pat
Any thoughts?
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Author: Tim P
Date: 2003-07-17 11:26
Actually I did something similar. I used the taper half of an old reed and put it on the table before placing the good reed. My thought was to close the tip opening a little. I had varied results and never did go back and try again. Of course, what I know about reeds and adustments would fit in a thimble with lots of room left over (maybe for my brain).
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Author: John Scorgie
Date: 2003-07-17 20:01
Shimiming the butt of a reed with a tiny piece(s) of paper is a quick fix solution for a reed which plays well but is too resistant. The shim makes the lay of the mpce effectively closer, so that the reed plays "softer".
BTW, if a player will just invest a little time in learning how to adjust reeds, he/she can accomplish the same result with a razor knife in less time than it takes to tear off and fit a piece of paper under the butt of the reed.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-07-17 23:39
"You play the clarinet. Don't let the clarinet [reed, mouthpiece, whatever] play you."
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Burt
Date: 2003-07-19 00:32
I used an uncut Bb reed on the Eb. The only problem was having to take the reed off before I disassembled the clarinet.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-21 14:05
"Lucky Strike Greens have gone to war".........
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-07-22 17:14
Shimming reeds in order to make them softer sounds like a marketing tool if I ever heard one. Is this thing made of glass/ and why not just admit you play on softer reeds instead or are incapable of using sandpaper.
Adroit marketing strategy noted!
David Dow
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