 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lee
Date: 2000-03-19 01:21
Someone directed me to this bulletin board when I was asking about clarinet reeds. Which brands are the best? It seems that the Rico I bought are deemed horrible, so are vandoren's the best? Also, I had the impression that the numbers on the reed actually depend on the brands, that a 3 might be the same as a 3.5. What strength do most good clarinettists eventually use?
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Author: Jeff
Date: 2000-03-19 02:32
I wouldn't say that Vandoren's are the best, but when you get a good Vandoren, they are hard to beat. Some reeds are different in hardness. For example, a V12 is softer than a Vandoren Traditional. I use 3.5 Traditionals and get very good reeds. I would never buy Rico Reeds!
Jeff
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-19 02:33
As I am sure others will mention, there is no one best reed and no one best strength. Every one likes something different.
Every reed maker grades their reeds slightly differently. There is no "standard" that they all adhere to. There is an excellent chart comparing reed strengths at the following site.
http://www.intlmusicalsuppliers.com/catalogx.html
My personal preferences are Mitchell Lurie #4 and Vandoren #3.5 reeds. These give me good results. However other people prefer other brands and other strengths. You will need to learn what works for you.
Here are some of the popular ones (in no particular order and it is by no means complete):
Mitchell Lurie & Mitchell Lurie Premium
Vandoren regular
Vandoren V12
Glotin
Oliveri
Grand Concert
Rico Royal
Alexander Superial
About the only reed issue that clarinetists agree on is that the plain Rico reeds and the gimmick Flavorreeds are poor.
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Author: Rick2
Date: 2000-03-19 03:34
I've had reasonable success with Rico Royal (blue box), but I have recently changed my preference to LaVoz reeds. In fact, its good to try different reeds when you are starting out. You'll settle on one or several brands that you like. That way, if you are short on reeds and need to run out to buy some, you'll know what's acceptable out of what is available. I would only buy a Rico (orange box) reed if I were desperate for a reed and it was the only game in town. Even then, I'd buy only one reed. Once you settle on what you like, you can buy them by the box and order them by mail to save money.
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Author: Christine
Date: 2000-03-19 04:04
I've tried lots of reeds but find the Vandoren 4s(regular) to be the best for me. Most people where I live play either Vandoren 3s or 3.5s
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Author: Justin Silber
Date: 2000-03-19 04:28
I got my basic start on the Rico Symmetricut reed. Please, for your own happiness do NOT use it. Invest a few more dollars in the Rico Royal, which I feel is a good reed to learn on. If you can afford it, I suggest you purchase a higher wuality reed such as the Vandorens. I just got a clarinet, and am considering switching to a Vandoren V12 #3. A ten pack is fairly expensive, ($30 Canadian dollars, or I believe about $20.99 in the US) but since I bought an instrument from them, they gave me the box for free. I consider this a good thing, since the #3s are about 1 full step harder than the 2 1/2 rico royals I am used to, and since to reach some of the higher notes I need a slightly stiffer reed, I may try the V12 2 1/2s. Best of luck.
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Author: Keil
Date: 2000-03-19 14:00
correction V12's are not Softer than traditional Vandoran's it's the other way around.... V12's are actually thicker than traditionals
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 2000-03-19 14:08
In addition to all the excellent comments concerning the different reed manufacturers and Dee's url reference, there is one other element concerning reed strength you should be aware of:
Reed strength is very dependent on the mouthpiece opening you are using. Closed mouthpieces need a higher strength reed than open mouthpieces. Thus if your mouthpiece is very closed you may need a 3.5 to4.0 or 5.0, if open a 2.0 to 3.5
Also, as your embouchure matures (improves) you will gradually increase the reed strength to a higher value that your embouchure can support.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-03-19 14:39
Keil wrote:
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correction V12's are not Softer than traditional Vandoran's it's the other way around.... V12's are actually thicker than traditionals
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No, number for number the traditional are harder than the V12s. A traditional is on average 1/2 strength harder than a V12 (e.g., traditional 3, V12 3 1/2 are about the same).
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Author: Meredith H
Date: 2000-03-19 22:59
I have always been a fan of Vandoran classic reeds and play on a #3. I have tried Mitchell Lurie (#4), Rico, Rico Royal, Marca, Vandoran V12, Zonda, Vintage, Studio, Studio+ and, at the prompting of comments on this BB, Grand Concert reeds. I still prefer good old Vandoran Classic and do not like Grand Concert reeds at all and alas I bought 2 boxes of them in #3 and #3.5 to try. Each to his own preference, it depends on whether or not you like the different sound various reeds will give you. There are a lot to try but experimenting can be fun. I quite liked the box of Zonda reeds I bought and may give them another go.
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Author: Laur
Date: 2000-03-20 00:25
Tonight's not a good day to ask about reeds - I'm in an I hate reed mood ! I broke my "good" reed, now i have to work in some new reeds for tomorrow. Great. Anways, I typically use Vandoren 3, but if I want a fuller tone I play on the 3 1/2. Good Luck !
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Author: Alan
Date: 2000-03-20 20:40
I have just picked up my clarinet after many, many years of silence and am having to learn a lot over again.
I had trouble hitting the high notes at the top of the staff until I switched from the OLD Rico #3 to a Rico #1 1/2. The notes sound good to me but I am still going to buy a tuner to help me be sure.
Is this normal for a beginner like me to have to use a 1 1/2 and then work up. All comments/links welcome...
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