The Clarinet BBoard

Re: "Epher"

Author: Katelyn  Date:   2005-12-10 00:27 Thanks a bunch, everyone. My concert was yesterday. I couldn't get a reed for the effer, (the old one was chipped - my friend's doing ) so I didn't play it. I'll probably end up playing it later, though, seeing as I've got the smaller fingers. Whether they'll be more precise is yet to be seen...my chair test takes a bit more precendence at the moment. Thanks again, though. I love you guys! I don't have a teacher of my own, and I'm stuck with a plastic Bb Artley for a while. This site has always come in handy.

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Re: "Epher"

Author: Katelyn  Date:   2006-04-20 20:43 My dear Nathan, of course I won't switch completely. Our director doesn't need a full time epher, and why would I want to sacrifice all those delicious solo parts I have now as first chair? I'm sorry, but the only way you'll get any is if you challenge and win. You can play the epher all you want, though. Jazz Ensemble is completely your territory, you know that! And welcome to the Board, by the way.

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Re: "Epher"

Author: Jack Kissinger  Date:   2006-04-21 15:26 Kate (of the "Kate & Nate Show"? ) wrote: "I want to get to a higher reed number, at least on Bb. They do help make your tone better as you go up, right? Like a 4 generally has a better tone than a 2 1/2 ..." This is a common misconception among less experienced players. If your last sentence were true, a 6 would be even better than a 4 and the best players would be using lightly sanded sections of 2x4's. Actually, the best tone (not to mention greatest comfort) is most likely to come when the reed, mouthpiece, clarinet and player reach a proper balance and, in this context, more is not always better. In my experience, a reed that is too light for my mouthpiece will tend to be "buzzy" sounding in the lower chalumeau range, harsh in the clarion and lower altissimo, and unable to reach higher altissimo (e.g., absent extreme biting, the standard G6 fingering will want to come out as C#6). Also, notes in the higher clarion and altissimo range will want to come out on the flat side. On the other hand, a reed that is to heavy for my mouthpiece tends to sound airy (increasingly so at lower dynamic levels) and unfocused. The right strength is somewhere in between. And, while there are certainly exceptions and with allowances for variations in mouthpiece choice, I suspect that the majority of good experienced players operate at reed strengths equivalent to around 3 to 3.5 (standard Vandorens and their equivalents) or 3 to 4 (Vandoren V12's and their equivalents). (Note too that while, for any given brand of reed, increasing numbers generally indicate increasing resistance, between brands there really is no standardization. You can find reed strength comparison charts, e.g., in the Woodwind & Brasswind catalog. You might find taking a look at one interesting and instructive.) I think a source of this misconception in less experienced players is the fact that they generally start out (at least ideally start out) with a low-resistance setup -- a relatively low-resistance mouthpiece such as a Hite Premier or Fobes Debut or one of the many other "beginner" mouthpieces that have begun to make their way into the market or, perhaps, a Vandoren 5RV and a fairly light reed, e.g., a Rico Royal #2 or its equivalent. This kind of setup makes it easier for them to produce a rather pleasing tone without undue discomfort while the muscles of their embouchure develop. However, as those muscles develop and the range of notes they can play expands, they begin to notice that their light reeds are now too light for their mouthpiece. Moving up a number restores balance, at least temporarily but, if they are using a low-resistance mouthpiece (rather than the dreaded B45), the cycle will likely repeat itself because they are still developing and are still a couple of "numbers" below the optimum strength for their mouthpiece with an experienced player. In other words, starters generally do outgrow their initial setup. The idea that can accompany this process, however, is "as I become a more experienced/better player, I need a heavier reed so reed strength must be a gauge of ability (and I won't really be good until I use at least a 5)." A side-effect of this reasoning is games of one-upmanship ("I'm using a #4. What are you using?") where a player using a perfectly appropriate (for his/her mouthpiece) #3 is made to feel somehow inadequate by someone who is quietly suffering great discomfort when playing and perhaps putting himself in danger of suffering a stroke in the near future! So, to recognize that a given level of reed strength may be too light for your current situation and to respond to that by trying heavier reeds is perfectly natural and good sense. To set goals like "I want to be playing #4.5 Vandoren regulars by next year's state competitions," on the other hand, is nonsense. Take a look at this website to see how mouthpieces can vary in design: http://www.vandoren.com/en/clarinetbb.html then click on "choose your mouthpiece" (which IMO should be labelled "choose your reed") to see how different reed strengths match up with different mouthpieces. Best regards, jnk

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