 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Drenkier_1
Date: 2005-09-30 02:59
By any chance does anybody know how softer reeds get harder over time. What factors are usually involved in this.
Kevin Collins
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-09-30 03:33
Drenkier_1 wrote:
> how softer reeds get harder over time
> What factors are usually involved in this.
A reed clipper ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif) ...GBK
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Author: DavieCane01
Date: 2005-09-30 03:51
They're not getting harder. As the fiber structure breaks down, they stop vibrating. They feel harder because you have to force them to vibrate despite all of the now dead wood.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-09-30 08:56
They don't :|
Reeds, any and all reeds, don't get harder over time, they "wear out".
As GBK says, unless you do something to them they don't change on their own accord. Maybe you're moving the reed up a bit on the mouthpiece and making it "harder" that way? Otherwise, I don't quite understand your question. Maybe a little more personal detail about what happened or is happening now with you and your reed(s) will prompt a more knowledgeable response.
rb....
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-09-30 09:18
Of course they change on their own accord. DavieCane01 knows his stuff.
Also, the reed could warp which would change the way it vibrates.
Another question would be "what causes the fiber structure to break down and can it be prevented (washing off the reed after playing, etc) by any method that won't kill the reed in the process (hydrogen peroxide helps for a day but then doesn't).
Say you wet a box of reeds - does the process of breaking down start then so that the box then has a limited life at that point? Or, is it strictly a matter of actual playing time that breaks it down and the wetting process has no affect on that timeline.
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Author: DavieCane01
Date: 2005-09-30 13:31
Thanks Dave. In my opinion, some damage has to occur as the fibers, previously dessicated and quite contracted, suddenly expand. It's probably so minimal as to not be perceptable by the player, but I can't imagine that none of the fibers crack or split during this process. That's why I always advise slow and, initially conservative, wetting and playing of new reeds. The longer they've been dry the slower one needs to go. I think the fact that oversoaking a brand new reed (especially one of mine) will kill it bears this out. But, oversoaking notwithstanding, all of the wear and tear that matters is caused by the vibrating process. It might be possible to slow the process by some form of reed voodoo, but any reed will eventually give out. I wouldn't waste the energy looking for a reed life extender. It's a battle you can't win.
-Phil
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