 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-08-24 18:09
Hey, I doubt anyone cares, but I'll share this anyway (maybe somebody in a similar situation can learn something... who knows).
I had posted before about trying to learn to play on softer reeds. Well, after several weeks of trying different strengths, I decided to stay with my original strength V12 4.5.
I found that while the soft reeds required less air and allowed for great ease in control expression and tone color, the sound just wasn't there. (I could easily create many different tone colors, but they all sounded like a 6th grader! - no offense to any 6th graders, but anyone who teachers knows what I mean).
I listen to alot of clarinet music and pay a lot of attention to the clarinets' sounds. Sounds I enjoy the most is Emma Johnson (I like very robust, woody clarinets). I REALLY dislike clarinets that have a thin, overly bright sound. The only way I've found to achieve the powerful, controllable sound I like is with the hard reeds. So that's what I've decided to stick with.
As discussed before, I don't seem to be expending an overly large amount of effort to play the 4.5s, and while the ease of softer ones would be a plus, the sound they create is a non-negotiable for me. Oh well, at least next time I think "gosh. it'd sure be nice to play on softer reeds" I can search for this post, and save myself a lot of time and aggrevation!
Thanks
Don Hite - theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-08-24 21:12
I find the same thing. It's easy to make those tones, but they seem just not as full as a harder reed sometimes. I use 3.75 and after this box expires will move up to 4. I can play 4 now with a bit of dificulty, but I'm in no hurry so I'll just play 3.75s (since I have the box) and will get to 4s when i get to them.
Alexi
Retired, playing more sax than clarinet, but still playing clarinet and still loving it!
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-08-25 11:54
I am going back after using a Yamaha Custom 6CM with 3.5 to 4, I am going back to my poly crystal blank with a custom wide facing and the trusty Lavoz medium much to the horror of the purists.
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2003-08-25 18:42
Don,
Doesn't this discussion about reed strength need to take into account the tip opening and/or facing curve of your mouthpiece?
Using softer reeds on a mouthpiece with a 1.10 mm (or smaller) tip doesn't make much sense. But, if you have a more open mouthpiece then it would then make sense to use somewhat softer reeds.
Tip opening and reed strength are like two sides of a formula. Both have to be taken into account.
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-08-25 18:59
I agree. While I don't know the exact opening of my mouthpiece, it's a Chedville and I'm told it's relatively closed (from the person who sold it to me). -- I went into this a little bit in my original post, but not a whole lot.
However, I've noticed that I do tend to play harder reeds than other people. Friends of mine will play on my mouthpiece with my 4.5 reed and they think it's way too hard (although they sound fine to me). On the same note, if I play on the setup of another clarinetist (someone who uses a 3.5, say) it feels like tissue paper to me, while they say it's fine. From the original thread, it seems as though my endurance is acceptable and that I'm not using more effort than normal.
It seems that it strength reed one needs relies on something more personal than just the tip of the mouthpiece. I'm not sure, though, if I just have a "stronger" mouth than other people, or if my embouchure is the same as others, but my concept of what is an acceptable sound is different... Obviously, not everyone aims for the same sound, so the latter is probably more true.
Just some thoughts
Don - theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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