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When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-05-10 22:30

And when to move on to a harder reed?

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: Burt
Date: 2004-05-10 22:36

It's too soft when it takes extra effort to play the high notes or when you pinch off the air.

Try raising the reed 1/4 mm (for comparison, the space between the reed and the mouthpiece is appx. 1 mm).
Try clipping the reed.
If these steps don't work, it's time to give up and get a new reed.

I suggest you keep at least 3 playable reeds so you're not caught without a playable reed.

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: bkmorton
Date: 2004-05-10 23:18

-1. when your reed begins to look like a chia pet!

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-05-10 23:55

-2 The serrated edges keep cutting your tongue

-3 Hard attacks mean you have to pick out the splinters

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-05-11 14:44

You know that your soft reed is shot
when altissimo notes pop out NOT!
When the sound is asthmatic
and response traumatic:
Get a new reed from a harder lot.

e e goings

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: Phat Cat
Date: 2004-05-11 21:26

When you sound like an AFLAC commercial (apologies to those outside US)

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: claclaws
Date: 2004-05-11 23:20

Thanks, Don Poulsen, for your kind explanation.
Generally I just pretend that I understood a (culturally/geographically bound) jokes, but when it comes to clarinet, I get more careful.

Lucy Lee Jang

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-05-12 10:29

He He. Thanks for the answers, both humourous and not so. I think I get the general idea of when to ditch the reed, but for someone who hasn't been playing for very long it's kind of hard to tell. For example, the reeds I've been playing on don't have obvious chips, etc.. I was just wondering when a reed peaks and then declines and if you should just switch to another one to get the best sound.

I don't have a reed clipper and would probably make a mess of it if I did.

I've got a box of Vandoren 3s that I've been saving; I think it's time to open it.

Elizabeth

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Re: When do you know a reed is kaput?

Author: BobD
Date: 2004-05-12 15:44

....however, there are some who suggest cleaning old reeds(Doc's is good), drying them and then setting them aside for another day. Personally I don't subscribe to this having found that they don't "last" long enough to justify the bother.

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