 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-25 01:11
Lately, I've been seeing lots of posts about only being able to find x amount of good reeds in a box of ten, and it leads me to believe that maybe it's not completely the reed company's fault (let's not pick names, although I'm sure you all know which one seems 'notorious' for low amount of playable reeds in a box). I'm starting to think that maybe the particular people offering up this conclusion/accusation may have a mouthpiece that is too 'picky'.
For instance, the music instructor at my high school told me that he plays on Vandoren M13s. He likes it, and it works well. He then told me that he did have a mouthpiece that he liked better, a custom-job (one of those mouthpieces you'd buy for around $200), however found it a pain in the ___ to find a good reed for it. Then he added, "But when you do get a good reed for it, it really sings!"
My Greg Smith (although it may be a 'fluke') seems to play pretty damned well with ANY reed. Of virtually ANY size. I've played mouthpieces where a half-size too hard or soft causes it to squeak uncontrollably or hiss or chirp or any number of other things, however my mouthpiece seems to accept them all. The only stipulations being that if the reed gets TOO soft I inadvertantly jump up a register when I'm not trying to or it squeaks a bit in the altissimo, and if it gets TOO hard it becomes a chore on the embouchure to play those lower chalameau notes. However "TOO" in this case means an entire size either way. So I believe that my mouthpiece just might be what is referred to as extremely "reed friendly".
So I'm just wondering if others have or have had mouthpieces which seem to allow EVERY reed in a box to play (as mine curiously seems to do, albeit performance reeds are a select few . . . I get about 5 performance reeds per box), or if others haven't, and maybe are just reluctant to think that they're mouthpiece is too 'reed dependant' and might be putting unnecessary blame on inconsistency in boxes of reeds.
Alexi
PS - Also, when I talk about it allowing "every reed" in a box to play, I want to clarify that I haven't adjusted any reeds for the past year in any way, aside from sanding the back flat and breaking them in. Other than that, they've all played dependably.
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2005-08-25 01:11)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jangjiman
Date: 2005-08-25 05:12
you are very lucky then. My pomarico accepts most reeds as well. Of the strength matters though. For me, if I get a strength other than what I play on now, it becomes very hissy. My vandoren mouthpieces accept mostreeds as well. Although there are reeds that I prefer.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Morrigan
Date: 2005-08-25 10:27
Yeah, my Greg Smith will play very nicely on anything I've ever tried, particularly Gonzalez!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-08-25 11:17
The Greg Smith Mouthpieces have a great reputation - they should play well as he's a really great craftsman.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-08-25 12:01
Some mouthpieces are indeed much more reed friendly, in the past I had some really bad ones.....
Currently I love my viotto B3, it's really reed friendly! But if it doesn't accept a reed, then 2 minutes with the ATG system will do...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed
Date: 2005-08-25 13:20
I have often repeated, as one of my old teachers used to say "A good mouthpiece is one that accepts a lot of reeds". I have also had some mouthpieces over the years that sound great with that right reed, BUT, I have had to go through a box or two to find that reed. It is a waste of time. It is better to spend your time playing. I currently have a Clark Fobes that is great and plays with many reeds, many different brands.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BobD
Date: 2005-08-25 14:30
"aside from sanding the back flat "
I wonder how many clarinet players bother to perform this rudimentary task. If you don't do it you are probably among the group that complains of faulty reeds.
Bob Draznik
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Markael
Date: 2005-08-25 15:00
Ironic--I love my B45 mouthpiece by He Who Must Not Be Named.
But not his reeds!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-25 15:36
Markael wrote:
> ...He Who Must Not Be Named.
Great reference! Very nice.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2005-08-25 15:41
I've found that some of my mouthpieces are more "reed friendly" than others and that the better-quality student mouthpieces are most friendly of all. I can put anything on my Hite Premiere. It seems to me that a fairly open tip is more forgiving of differences in reeds. I use that Hite mouthpiece to get the last bit of work out of a reed that's wearing out, or to get any work at all out of a reed that won't play on a fussier mouthpiece. I'm fussier about reeds for a classical mouthpiece with a much more closed tip, because that type can be so hard to blow that I feel as if I'm turning purple, with the same reed that feels normally free-blowing on the Hite.
The mouthpieces that seem fussiest are old (1930s, 1940s) mpcs that modern reeds tend not to fit, although when I find the right reed, it's worth the trouble. Typically, the older clarinet and sax mouthpieces tend to be shorter and fatter than modern ones. A skinny reed, such as Vandoren "Jazz" for sax, is too long for those mouthpieces (and loses quality if cut down enough to work, although that may say more about the quality of my attempts to cut a reed down...). The long reed doesn't cover the rails adequately, either, since the old mouthpieces are broader, so I get squeaks. Some mouthpieces also take a harder or softer reed than others. By buying old instruments, I've ended up with a ridiculous reed collection.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-08-25 16:55
I've recently ruined a mouthpiece by sanding the lay. The result is a twisted lay. At the tip, the reed is not parallel to the mouthpiece surface and must twist to close on the facing.
Of course no reeds will play out of the box with this abomination.
BUT, using the Ridenour ATG system, I can make a reed play. What has to be done is the reed must be thinned dramatically on the side with the biggest gap to the mouthpiece.
The altered reed won't play well on a straight(er) mpc, of course.
SO-I wonder:
IF:
Reeds have a small manufacturing difference in left/right stiffness, and a mouthpiece has a fixed twist in its lay,
THEN:
Wouldn't the reeds that compliment the warped mouthpiece be those that are softer on the low side of the mouthpiece?
Thus, if one's mpc were warped, the reeds with an uneven stiffness would be those preferred in an audit of a box of reeds.
I wonder about those who have posted here about "all XX reeds are too stiff on the left side" don't have a measurable warp in the lay of their mpc.
Bob Phillips
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-08-25 19:06
Well Bob, Gigliotti for one wouldn't allow his students to do it. He said that it made the sound much more bright and that was/is unacceptable.
And it does too...... (but I do it sometimes anyway as it does help to stabilize the reed)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-08-25 21:11
"Well Bob, Gigliotti for one wouldn't allow his students to do it. He said that it made the sound much more bright and that was/is unacceptable.
And it does too...... (but I do it sometimes anyway as it does help to stabilize the reed)"
Well... if everyone sanded the back of their reeds flat, then everyone would have a brighter sound. We'd still concieve that different people had different characteristics in their sound though. Some people would still be characterized with a darker tone and some people with a brighter tone since everyone is sanding the back then it practically neutralizes the "brightness" effect.
I sand the back of my reeds after they are broken in and they play so much better. I reed that I label a dud will sometimes go to fabulous within 5 seconds of sanding.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ah Clem
Date: 2005-08-25 21:44
Beginner question:
Is the back side of the reed, the side which touches your lip, or the side that rests against the mouthpiece?
To what extent should this be sanded?
Thank you.
Ah Clem
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-08-25 21:46
None, don't worry about it - too advanced. (just being realistic - you would probably do more damage to the reed than good).
However, the back of the reed is also the bottom (where the label is printed).
What you can do is to rub the reed in a circular pattern on a piece of white paper creating heat to seal the bottom of the reed. That can help (but will brighten it up a bit)
Post Edited (2005-08-25 22:04)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bradley
Date: 2005-08-25 21:49
I've found that the right ligature greatly improves the amount of reeds a mouthpiece will accept. Possibly as important as a friendly mouthpiece is a friendly ligature to me.
Bradley
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: davedmg
Date: 2005-08-26 00:58
After trying all sorts of mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures over the years, I want to second Bob Phillip's recommendation of Ridenour's ATG reed finishing system: it works wonders.
Let me tell you about my experience with it. From time to time over the years I've tried to play the clarinet without success, mostly because my childhood surgeon removed most of my uvula when he removed my tonsils. As a result, air would escape from my nose when I played the clarinet for more than a few moments. As a further result, I started playing the tenor saxophone because it was so much easier to blow.
But after too much honking and squeeking, I tried Ridenour's method on sax reeds. The system magically allowed me to play in all registers. I then tried the system on my ancient Evette clarinet. Bingo! I was so encouraged by the now "easy" blowing Evette that I bought one of Ridenour's Arioso clarinets, of which Ridenour's website proclaims "If there ever was such a thing as an easy blowing clarinet, this (the Arioso) is it!"
I am still a lousy woodwind player, but I can now play in all registers for perhaps and hour at a time with no air escaping from my nose. And I can now play in tune! -- Dave
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-26 01:07
Dave,
Don't take this as a sarcastic question or anything, but in all seriousness, do you think something like noseplugs would work? I always hear about people with soft palates or other problems of air escaping through the nose, and I figured that if that passageway was blocked off there's only one other way for the air to escape. Through the mouthpiece. Just wondering if maybe you tried it or questioned about it to a doctor and what the verdict was.
On the ATG system . . .
It does work great. However to be honest, the thing that I liked the MOST about it, was the information it gave me. I got a DVD with it (don't know if it's still offered in that package), which explained a lot of how to use it. To be honest, I find it a little bulky, and the glue wears a bit, and I know I can get the same effect with some sandpaper wrapped around my finger. But for the price I paid, I gladly would do it again for the information booklet and DVD and what I learned in the process.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: davedmg
Date: 2005-08-26 16:35
Alexi:
I agree with you regarding the value of the DVD (and the book): very enlightening. But I think you are wrong about being able to achieve the same effect with a finger wrapped in sandpaper. The whole idea of the ATG system is to get rid of the high and low spots in the grain of the reed. This, I think, REQUIRES a flat sanding block and a flat work table. -- Dave
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: C2thew
Date: 2006-11-29 07:07
My Greg Smith (although it may be a 'fluke') seems to play pretty damned well with ANY reed. Of virtually ANY size.
Damn his mouthpieces! they are so good and seem to iron out all the problem notes just by the mouthpiece facing. definitely did his mouthpieces right. when all other mouthpieces fail, his will always be there to keep you playing on. Play on!
just wanted to rant
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-11-29 12:07
I'm inclined to agree with this thread: if you can't play many of the reeds in the box, then the mpc/reed combination is wrong for you. This need for dependability is (perversely?) why I'm back on Vandoren Blue after a break of 5 years: I got a new mpc and it needs the Blues. There is no escape... :-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2006-11-30 12:35
IMO, voicing reeds is critical to happy clarinet playing. Those who were wise enough to find a single high-quality mouthpiece and stick to it like a marriage benefit here, though I believe having at least a second - and quite different - style of mouthpiece does enhance your pleasure with the clarinet.
I do believe more time should be spent in the music and less with equipment, but the exception is learning to voice reeds. It was Bonade's big thing. If you do not touch your reeds, that "perfect" playing experience we all cherish will come too seldom.
Start with a reed just slightly harder than perfect and voice it to a perfect flexibility in all tonal modes.
Bill.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bcl1dso
Date: 2006-11-30 19:42
I find that making your own reeds with a Reedual and ALOT of patience can solve this problem. You can then makes reed especially for you mouthpiece
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
