 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2005-06-08 09:18
Hello
I was searching through the archives and stumbled upon an old topic concerning Tom Ridenours ATG System. Because of the numerous testimonials, I'm pretty much sold on the idea, but I have a few questions. Does the brand of reed make much of a difference?? How long do fresh-from-the-box modified reeds last (on average in your experience)?? Should one order a half-size stronger than one is used to playing on since you are sanding the reed?? How does the ATG system stand up against other devices such as the Reed Wizard and Reed Dual (other than the price factor of course!!!).
Thanks in Advance for your thoughts on this matter!!!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-06-08 12:13
I don't personally have any experience with the ATG system. However, you asked for thoughts so here's mine:
Tom Ridenour is a respected authority on many aspects of clarinet playing ,maintenance and design. His book, "The Educator's Guide to the Clarinet" has been of immense help to my education. That plus reported actual experience with the ATG from respected posters to this BB would be enough to convince me if I was so inclined.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2005-06-08 12:28
Hi,
I use the ATG and it is great. I spent the first few days just re-working old reeds and got a whole lot of really fine players from former rejects. I have not changed the # of reed I start with as what you will really be doing is balancing the sides of the reed.
In most cases, I had one side of the reed that was not responding very well and just taking off a little bit really opened up the tone and response. I have no experience with the other reed devices you mention.
HRL
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-06-08 13:20
Hi,
I love the ATG system, it's easy to use and it really works!
I also spent the first few days just re-working old reeds, I did not change the # of reed and it just works great.
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Author: Keith Ferguson
Date: 2005-06-08 15:39
I also use the ATG system, and recommend it. I'd also strongly recommend that you buy the demonstration DVD in addition to the instruction book. As with the others who replied, I have not found it necessary to change my normal reed strength, and in answer to your last question, I haven't noticed any shortening of normal reed life.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2005-06-08 18:47
Stay with whatever brand and strenghth of reed has worked best for you in the past. That way you will only be doing a "touch-up" with the ATG.
Personally, I do a break in procedure first (contrary to Tom's instructions) then use the ATG. Haven't noticed any difference in reed life.
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Author: coasten1
Date: 2005-06-08 19:14
Tom addresses all your questions in his book and DVD. I have just started working with the system and have had some success. Before you start with new reeds, experiement with any old reeds you have lying around. This will save you from ruining new reeds from the start.
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Author: senator1214
Date: 2005-06-08 23:35
I have used the ATG system for the past 5-6 months and I really would have to say that this has honestly been the most enjoyable 5-6 months of clarinet playing that I have had since I can remember. I mean sure its great playing at Carnegie Hall or Avery Fisher with the youth orchestras that I play with here in NYC, but it is really great to know that no matter the situation I will always have great reeds.
Here are my experiences with the system:
First while I was deciding on whether to purchase the system or not, I read all of the great reviews but the only thing that was holding me back was the price. But then I realized that the DVD that’s included with the system is really like you're getting a private lesson with Ridenour. To make a long story short I eventually purchased the system. After watching the DVD and reading the manual I decided to try the system on some old crappy reeds that I was just going to throw away anyway. What struck me most was that of the four reeds I used as Ginny pigs, three of them turned into fantastic ones that I eventually ended up using during a few rehearsals and a concert. What also surprised me was how simple it was to use the system and how quickly I was able to get those awful reeds to actually play well (I had an I should have thought of that moment.).
As far as reed strength is concerned, I have always used a very resistant setup (usually Grand Concert Select Evos #4 1/2 or V12 4 1/2 with my Richard Hawkins Chedeville mp.) But unlike others who didn't use a stronger reed, I found that after I finished balancing my reeds, many of them were too soft for my taste. But I have had tremendous results starting out with #5's then sanding them down.
The benefit of this has been two-fold:
1. Ridenour suggests that before any other adjustments are made, you should sand the top of the reed first because this will get rid of any high spots that the reed may have. He says that this step alone will give you more consistent reeds out of the box plus it will give you a nice flat surface to work on.
2. The second benefit for a stronger reed is that once I'm done balancing the reed it still leaves me with some room for error; meaning that if I had used my normal reed strength, there would be more of a chance that I would shave too much off, I would then have to clip the reed. For me I would rather start off on the strong side then work down, shaving a little at a time until I get to my comfort level.
Overall this system has allowed me to focus more on making music rather than using the old excuse "This reed Sucks." as a hindrance.
I hope all this helps.
K.G. Lee
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Author: bobmi74
Date: 2005-06-09 04:47
Here's what I have to say about it. I think it's great. There are a FEW aspects of adjusting the reed that the ATG system can't do, but you can easily incorporate other methods to get the perfect reed. Also, he's told me that there is no actual "breaking in" of a reed. I forget his reasoning for that. I have found that i get the best reed if I go straight from the box, to my mouth, test it, then sand it. I get it to a nice, resonant ping, then it's good for quite a while...until the weather changes. I live in Louisiana, so the weather screws with my reeds ALL THE TIME! I haven't worked on it yet, but i think i'm gonna have cold weather reeds, warm weather reeds, humid weather reeds, and dry weather reeds. I've noticed a DEFINATE differance, and if I have specific reeds, i hopefully won't have a problem. Anyway, Tom made my mouthpiece very symmetrical. I don't have a problem using his system. The good part about it is that if your mouthpiece isn't very evenly balanced, it's okay. Many educators use the "side-to-side" method of testing. But there are SOOO many more steps and tests and fixes that other people use. Tom just kinda...simplified it.
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Author: sdr
Date: 2005-06-09 13:58
I have both the ATG and Reed Wizard and have gradually used the Reed Wizard more and more, the ATG less and less. In my hands the ATG's strength is in balancing and fine tuning work at the reed tip, while the RW is much better for overall distribution of reed strength heart to tip. I particularly find that many reeds work fine at the tip, yielding good clarion and altissimo tone, but are as stiff as a broom handly in the heart and give me a breathy wimpy chalumeau register. The RW is great at correcting this by judicious refinement of the thicker parts of the reed vamp.
-sdr
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