 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Contragirl
Date: 2000-04-06 19:11
I have a problem with "bum" reeds. I was wondering what I could use to maybe sand them down without them breaking, like some kind of reed paper stuff or a block. I don't know what I'm looking for. I'm tired of having to break in reeds that are a little too hard, or having to waste them and throw them away. Some reeds are perfect, others are just crap. I play B-flat clarinet 3.5 VanDoren V12s, by the way.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-04-06 20:16
C G [are you KG?], I trust you are sanding the BACK of the reed, not the front "scrape". A number of our "good books" and some lesser-known ones [from Gary Van Cott] teach about reeds, well beyond what I do "to survive" in what playing I do. There is much info available. Good luck. Don
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-04-06 20:24
Contragirl,
An instructor (or good book on reed "mechanics" if you can't find an instructor) and a reed knife can do wonders for unplayable reeds. Considering that the reeds are already unplayable, you can't hurt them all that much!
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-04-06 20:28
Although I know how to adjust reeds, I seldom bother. Have you tried moving the reed and/or ligature down on the mouthpiece a bit? It will make the reed play as if it were a little softer.
Every once in awhile, I post a list of suggestions on positioning of reeds as a partial solution to reed problems. If you search the bulletin board, you can probably find it. Today, I'm feeling too lazy to re-post.
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Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2000-04-06 22:17
No, she's not me.
Anyway, I love my trusty reed trimmer. Also, very fine sand paper works wonders, or at least it does for me. Just always remember, never sand the front of the reed. It takes a little practice to do it just right.
Kontragirl
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Author: Amber
Date: 2000-04-06 22:20
My teacher taught me this trick:
If your reed is too stiff or hard, then wet the flat part(not soaking wet) and then put it down on top of some REALLY fine sandpaper (ie 600A), then put your fingers on the tip and the back of the reed and gently slide it across the paper about 1/8 of an inch, no more than 1/4. What you take of is forever, and you can always take off more. And be careful not to catch the tip and chip it! This makes the reed a little more soft and is also wonderful for bringing a dead reed back to life for that last minute performance crisis. I hope this works as well for you as it did for me!!:o)
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Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2000-04-06 22:28
That's a great tip too...I forgot all about that one. My private teacher has some sand paper on a little rectangle of plexiglass (sp?) so she can take it every where. All you have to do is find some, and take hot glue (super glue would work too, but this is not the right time to use duct tape) and attach your sand paper to it. She told me it will last for a very long time, so replacing it shouldn't really happen.
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2000-04-06 22:45
First of all, just because a reed will not play today does not mean it will not play next week. Some of my best reeds are ones that I thought were poor right out of the box. A week later and they played wonderfully. Do not throw a reed away simply because it does not play well at first. It just may need a week of seasoning. Also I want to second Kontragirl's point on the plexiglass with sandpaper. When I adjust reeds I usually just have to flatten the back as it may have become warped. You could pay up to $15 for Vandoren's reed resurfacer(sp?) or go to a hardware store and make one for the fraction of the cost.
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Author: KevinS
Date: 2000-04-07 03:39
I have to agree with the part about bum reeds. There are a lot right out of the box. Recently, I went to Tom Ridenour's website. He has some good, quick tips on making reeds playable. I have been able to salvage many reeds that were waiting to be trashed. His site is here:
http://home1.gte.net/klarinet/
Give it a look. He also offers some reed services that he guarantees. Once I wear my existing reeds out, I plan to give this a try.
Good Luck!!
Kevin
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Author: Dave Lee Ennis
Date: 2000-04-07 12:12
3.5 Vandorens!!!!! Aren't they a bit too hard? I only use 2.5. Anyway, I know someone who uses a special material to soften the reed in places - to make it balanced. When I remember what it is (If ever), I'll let you know. And by the way, why did you steal KC's name??!! Surely, that's against some rules of sneezy!
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-04-07 12:14
Dave Lee Ennis wrote:
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3.5 Vandorens!!!!! Aren't they a bit too hard? I only use 2.5 ...
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Depends on the player, the mouthpiece, and what they want to do with the music.
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Author: KevinS
Date: 2000-04-07 14:21
I think the material you are thinking of might be Reed Rush. It does a good job of taking a little material at a time off the face of a cane reed. It's inexpensive and usually lasts a long time. I think you can buy it through WW and BW or Brookmays.
Kevin
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Author: ron wise
Date: 2000-04-07 15:06
I thought I knew what everyone meant by the front and back of the reed, but now I am not so sure what is meant by some contributers. Maybe we should refer to the flat versus curved sides. Have got it correct now that we are adjusting by sanding on the "flat" side?
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Author: William
Date: 2000-04-07 15:29
All of the above advice is great. Some time ago however, I "invested" in a Reed Wizard (got a great deal through a clarinet teacher from Sioux Fall College who bought it at ClarFest--Chicago, but never seriously tried it) and was surprised to find that it works wonders on reeds that are "too hard" out of the box. After using the Wiz, a little balancing to my mp and I am able to use almost every reed (VD's #4) at least to practice on. Most turn out great-to-excellant. No, I am not on Ben Armatos payrole--just a satisfied user of his product. FYI only. Good luck.
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Author: Pam
Date: 2000-04-07 23:23
I picked up some very fine (600) sandpaper today at an autoparts store for $2-3 and tried it on a reed that played too stuffy for me before. Now it plays a lot better! Thanks for the tips!
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Author: Donn
Date: 2000-04-08 15:48
Thought I might mention: Use Wetordry paper on wet reeds or the sand will come off on your reed! Reed rush works well, too
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