 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Betty
Date: 2005-05-04 04:38
Ok...if a person is buying a box of 5 or 10 reeds (standard size), how many reeds (on average) should one expect to be duds? No brand seems to be any better as far as getting a few unplayables...
AND, if you get a dud (one that just wont play or plays with only the greatest of effort) is there anything that can be done to make it playable??
*I seem to be getting quite the collection of unplayable reeds and am thinking of using them for crafts...like popsicle sticks..or perhaps I can build a reed house instead of a log cabin...hahaha
thanks Betty
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Author: ned
Date: 2005-05-04 10:39
I'd expect them all to be playable actually. By the same argument, how many bread rolls in a bag may be allowed to be stale?
Does anyone complain to the manufacturers? I don't, I just cut and shave or whatever and they all work eventually.
There are a few ways of making ''dud''reeds work, just search this site.....oh, and a stale bread roll can can be made edible by toasting.
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Author: Mike Clarinet
Date: 2005-05-04 12:10
Often, the problem is not that the reed is dud, but it does not suit the way you play. It may be the answer to someone else's prayers. My school clarinet teacher used to give away reeds to beginners, but get intermediate students upwards to to buy their own boxes. If I bought a box of reeds, he would go through them visually and say "that one will suit another student" and swap it with one he had taken from someone else that he thought would be good for me. He never took one without giving one back, but most of his students would end up with ten good (for them) reeds in a box. As he taught in several schools, he had a very large pool of reeds to choose from.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2005-05-04 12:55
It really depends on your climate, the climate they were made in, how they grow their cane, how they cut it, how they package it, how it gets to you, what you do with it before you play it, what you do when you start playing it, what your saliva does to it, how it goes with your mouthpiece, ligature, instrument, and the acoustic you're playing in.
They're called variables and they're here whether we like it or not. Think of reeds as a blessing and a curse: brass players and flautists can't change one small relatively inexpensive piece to change their sound if they're having a bad day, can they?
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-05-04 13:38
You can stuff about a dozen Milk Duds into a reed box.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-05-04 13:44
The term "bell shaped curve" comes to mind.
A box of X strength may vary up or down by 1 standard deviation to accomodate a wider spectrum of players.
Balancing the reeds will make them more playable. Thinning the tip or clipping, likewise. (see the many posts on reed adjustment via the search feature).
Also, today's unplayable reed might do well tomorrow after a few honks on it today. Some brands need more breaking in than others...but once tamed, might last longer.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Markael
Date: 2005-05-04 14:17
Interesting that you should bring this up now.
I’m pretty clueless when it comes to altering reeds. And, my old reed clipper from the ‘70’s is missing a screw or something. However—I have been using regular Mitchell Lurie reeds (#4) and have had very good luck with them. I almost never find an unplayable reed in a box!
Judging from posts on the bulletin board about reeds, it seems that Vandoren still is the standard bearer. So last night, when I bought some bass clarinet reeds at the music store, I also bought two Vandoren soprano clarinet reeds, a 3 ½ and a 4.
First I tried the 3 1/2. I tried it first because Vandorens are a little stiffer than Rico/Luries. I expected the 3 ½ to be just right. It was very stuffy and hard to play, except for the upper register. Then I tried the #4, expecting it to play like a 2 x 4. To my surprise it was much better, more what I would have originally expected in a Vandoren 4, a good reed, but a little stiffer than the Lurie.
Granted, sampling two reeds is far from being scientific. Still, it’s noteworthy considering the reason I use Luries in the first place. When I returned to clarinet playing after many years, a friend advised me that he no longer liked Vandorens because they had become inconsistent.
In my book, the Lurie is a consistent reed that plays well out of the box. People who have skills at tweaking reeds might prefer something else. (?)
I’m also intrigued by all this reed mojo on the board. I basically do two things with reeds: 1) Soak them in water instead of saliva, 2) Keep eight reeds and alternate for each playing session.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 14:38
If you don't know how to break in reeds, and don't know how (or are too lazy or timid) to work on them with a knife/sandpaper/rush/ATG/whatever, then you'll be lucky to get 3 out of 10 "good" reeds.
If you break in reeds properly and can/do work on them a bit, you should get 8 or 9 out of 10 good reeds.
This assumes your mouthpiece is decent. If your mouthpiece has a bad facing, all bets are off.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-05-04 15:17
I still find that the Grand Concert Reed is the most consistant, followed by the Gonzalez (closely) and then the V-12 Vandoren quite a bit behind.
It has everything to do with the Cane Quality.
your mileage may vary.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-05-04 15:38
Since the original poster seems to be feeling his/her way through this morass, welcome to the club, and thank your stars that you dont have to leap through the hoops that oboists jump.
Rigotti Golds seem quite consistent, but they are more like Vandy regulars in their playing characteristics.
Oliveri Elites are also more consistent if you like them. (the non-elite Oliveris leave me cold).
Initially I disliked the Rue Lepic...now I like them a lot. They do follow the bell shaped curve, but there is somewhat less variation.
Hope this helps.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-05-04 16:06
Alseg -
you might have more success with your reeds if you place them on the mouthpiece, rather than the bell... just a suggestion.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2005-05-04 16:21
I agree that it is important to learn a bit about adjusting reeds. As they say, it ain't rocket science. I find that the most important factors are to 1)make sure the reed is flat, especially as it breaks in so it lies flat on the table and is not warped. 2)Be able to balance the reed, especially at the tip 3)be sure the tip will respond. 4)As others have said, take time to break your reeds in properly. You can always do more, but these simple things can get most of your reeds working.
There are some great resources out there by Larry Guy and Tom Ridenour among others.
I also believe that as one of my teachers used to tell me- a good mouthpiece is one that accepts a lot of reeds. If you have a mouthpiece that you think plays with a lovely sound, but you have to go through dozens of reeds to find any that work for you, you are either using the wrong strength reeds or should find a better mouthpiece. You should spend your time playing the clarinet, not playing WITH the clarinet.
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2005-05-04 18:09
I would like to share some personal opinion on contra reeds: cane vs synthetic.
I started using Vandoren and Rico contra reeds a year ago. Based on personal experience and other online resources, soaking, scraping and sanding became a daily routine. Yet I would be lucky to get 50% usage out of a standard box.
Then I spoke with some other contra players about this annoyance, they persuaded me to give Legere a try. I had my first exposure a month ago, now I am hooked on its user-friendliness.
Some would say I am sacrificing tone for simplicity, but I’ve done comparison of Vandoren, Rico, and Legere on my contras, and I honestly cannot say that an average Legere isn’t competitive with a good cane reed. This may not be the case with smaller size clarinets, but for contra, the great facility of a Legere far outweighs its alleged tonal shortcomings (which may or may not be real) which are minor to me.
The price factor is also favourable to Legere. One Legere contra reed is approximately listed at twice the cost of a Vandoren reed. However, when considering the dubs that one would come across in the blue box, and the great consistency of Legere, the cost difference now begins to decrease. Additionally if one factors in the amount of time and energy (and emotional strain…) spent on working and reworking a cane reed, it would be obvious that in the long run, Legere reeds are much “cheaper” in the overall scheme of things.
Why not take advantage of technology to make your life easier?
I kept my stock of cane reeds because I intend on using them, but now the option of when is mine.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-05-04 18:23
How many duds in a box of, various brands of, reeds... hmmm, right outta the box and playable. In my rather extensive personal experience I've never, as far back as I can remember, encountered a dud.
- ron b -
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2005-05-04 18:41
Take 10 reeds (any brand) soak them for two hours in a glassfull of 7 year old Kentucky Sour Mash Bourbon. Remove one reed. Lick dry and blow bubbles thru butt-end. Play reed for five minutes then set aside. Take a drink of Bourbon. Replenish glass as necessary.
Repeat procedure with another reed for as long as you can still blow bubbles thru reed.
You will smile a lot and irt will improbe y'ur armbrusher.
Bob A
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 20:00
Thassa riilly good idear, Bob A, I sink I'll try it (burp) necks tyme ah plays ma klarnet.............
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2005-05-04 21:41
I'd heard that sustained high pressure blowing did things to your brain, but I though it applied only to Oboe players...
JDS
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-05-05 02:09
I tried it with a combination of Bourbon and water......I got drunk.
I then tried it with Scotch and a water chaser.....same thing happened.
It must be the water.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-05-05 13:39
In my experience Dave S' comments above are right on target. If you are having a real bad experience with reeds it could very well be your mouthpiece that is the problem.
Bob Draznik
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