 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2005-01-24 17:31
I play V12 3.5 on a morgan RM15 and I am officially sick of throwing out half the box. I like the good ones but that is only half the box. Please suggest a reed that may work for me more consistently. I have never played a reed outside the vandoren line. I'd prefer to find a conventional reed that is readily available through most big music shops. Is there a brand of reeds tha most clarinet players levitate towards?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-01-24 17:44
Half the reeds in any box are warped or unevenly cut. Only a few can't be made playable.
Take a reed that doesn't work well and flatten out the bottom. As you do this, look at the heel to see whether it's thicker on one side than the other. If it is, press harder on the high side as you sand.
Then check the balance from side to side. Put the reed on, twist the mouthpiece far to one side and give a toot, and then do the same on the other side. Hold the reed up to a bright light and compare it with a good one, to see what additional work it needs, and how it should look. Then, mark the area that is too heavy with a pencil and sand or scrape it down to match the softer side.
If this work makes the reed too soft, push it up a bit on the mouthpiece and, eventually , clip the tip.
Even this basic work will make most of the reeds in a box work, at least well enough for practice.
This takes a while to learn, and you'll ruin some reeds, but you wouldn't have played on them anyway, right? I feel much more comfortable knowing that if a reed goes bad, I know how to fix it, or how to prepare another one quickly.
Ken Shaw
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2005-01-24 18:01
One the things I have noticed is that I find the #4 v12 reeds a lot more consistent and easily adapted to my own playing needs over the 3 .5 Vandorens. However, THE MOUTHPIECE you use may dictate using a softer reed. I do a great deal ajustment to my reeds no matter the brand...so don't think your frustration goes unnoticed. Try to stabilize the reeds by only playing on them a wee bit at first..
David Dow
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