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RE: Legere Reeds Stiffness?

Author: paul
Date: 1999-03-01 17:29

I tend to believe folks who say that Legere's reeds in the 2.x range seem to be weaker than what's listed on the Legere reed itself. I have a Legere 2.5, 2.75, and a 3.0. The 2.5 plays like a Vandoren regular 2.0 with a very easy blowing chalemeau and clarion, but a difficult and squeaky altissimo. The Legere 2.75 plays like a Vandoren regular 2.5 out of the box to a 2.75 (tailored 3.0). The Legere 3.0 for me is quite stiff, playing almost like a Vandoren regular tailored 3.5. I'm playing on a Vandoren B45 mp on top of a Buffet Festival Bb soprano clarinet as an adult novice.

I've also noticed the quick moisture build-up on the Legere reed. Perhaps taking the time to warm up the reed by soaking it in my mouth as I assemble the horn like I do with natural reeds would help fix this problem. There is a different embouchure for the Legere reed. For me, the different embouchure actually helped me learn the proper embouchure for a natural cane reed, which helped me with my altissimo register problems.

I believe that the Legere is a great training reed. It has superior wear characteristics. I believe that the Legere reed would be a great match with a plastic horn for marching band. A clarinet like this would be virtually indestructable. However, like some other folks, I still believe that cane produces the best tone for the clarinet. I can hear the difference between the Legere reed and a Vandoren cane reed. There is also an apparent difference in response between the Legere and a cane reed. For me, cane reacts quicker to register shifts and octave jumps (both up and down).

I believe that Legere has a good thing going. There are some times that I can't tell I'm playing on a plastic reed. It may only be a matter of time until they get their reed to behave just like a cane reed.

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