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 warped reeds
Author: Betty 
Date:   2005-03-15 02:30

Should one replace reeds when they start to get a tiny little warp? (*you know the tiny waves Im talkin' bout) I use the standard plastic holders that most reeds come in but still, they get 'the warp'. I take care to dry them off after playing and before storing, but still...
So, should a person whip out a brand new reed, even though the slightly warped one still sounds good, plays easily, and is not that old? *You know how hard it can be to find a reed that plays without effort*........whatchoo think?

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: bflatclarinetist 
Date:   2005-03-15 03:28

What brand are you using?

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: Shorthand 
Date:   2005-03-15 03:34

The Vandoren reed holders are not sufficient to prevent that. You need to get a real reed case.

As for that little warpage - its no big deal as long as it goes away once wet (which it usually does). The important kind of warpage happens further down the reed.

However, when you let a reed flex like that when dry, I find its a lot less consistent than if you use a reed case that actually keeps it flat.

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: BobD 
Date:   2005-03-15 15:14

Some reeds do it and some don't. If after inititial mouth wetting I notice the rippling I simply put the tip on a flat surface and press a finger tip on it for a bit. That seems to remedy it but if it doesn't a second press does. In my experience the reed holder doesn't seem to be a factor.....it's the character of the reed itself. "Wing tips" seem to be another matter....I've never been able to salvage a reed that produces this defect.

Bob Draznik

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2005-03-15 16:40

In my experience, the riffled tip flattens out by itself as you soak the reed. It can take as long as 5 minutes. When I'm impatient, I press the reed tip on a piece of glass with my thumb. Then the tip flattens out in about 4 minutes and 59 seconds.

Ken Shaw

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: Robert Moody 
Date:   2005-03-15 16:47

As a matter of semantics, the ripples in the tip of the reed after drying is not "warpage". Warping of the reed that is so dreaded is on a larger scale wherein the flat lay of the reed (underneath) no longer lies straight and flat as a whole.

There really is a big difference. Then ripples do go away as a reed wettens again.

"Wettens"? Is that a word? [frown]

Robert Moody
http://www.musix4me.com
Free Clarinet Lessons and Digital Library!

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: bob49t 
Date:   2005-03-15 16:58

Would "rehydrates" fit the bill ?

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: larryb 
Date:   2005-03-15 17:26

usually, the riffles at the tip disappear immediately after I snap the read sharply between thumb and fore-finger... the riffles end up in the same waste basket as the rest of the reed

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: David Spiegelthal 2017
Date:   2005-03-15 18:27

Here's the best plan: buy reeds a half-strength or so harder than you typically play --- then as you break them in, and they warp a little, scrape the bottom flat with your reed knife. After a couple of weeks of this and a few rounds of scraping, the cane will have pretty much stabilized and the reed will be playable for a relatively long time before it goes into "terminal self-destruct" phase.

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 Re: warped reeds
Author: mkybrain 
Date:   2005-03-16 01:49

The only problem I have with buying a half strength, or even a quater strength, higher(gonzalez fof) is that it is VERY difficult for me to properly break them in. They are so resistant that playing for 10 or more minutes on them is a real struggle. But at my normal size that is not a problem. I would love to be able to break in harder reeds since it would me easier to adjust them how i see fit. I had this one reed that wasn't too hard but was harder than the usual 3.5, more like a 3.65 or w/e. Anyway, it was the best reed i've had so far. After I broke it in and adjusted with the Ridenour system, it responded very well and I was able to play it for several hours straight without it giving out. I would kill, yes kill, to have a reed like that again.

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