 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-05-08 13:45
Playing on a new ligature (courtesy of Mr. Spriggs) has got me thinking about reeds, and I would be very grateful if some of you experienced players could give me a few hints about selecting reed strength. I had always assumed, probably erroneously, that one started with soft and graduated to harder reeds as one's embouchure developed. This was so in my case. I started with Vandoren 2 and worked up to 3 on a B45 lyre. But for reasons I don't fully understand, I much prefer the delicate sound I get get from a #2 VD reed with the new ligature. Would you consider that moving back in strength is ill-advised? Secondly, I judge reeds not only on how sound but also on how easily they play. Is this valid? Lastly, since all reeds look the same, I assume that strength refers to the consistency of the cane, which brings me to another question. Is it best to buy reeds of the consistency one likes and play them out of the box, or should one buy them a notch harder and scrape them down to the required strength? By doing this, would one get the advantage of a more consistent cane?
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Author: Kim
Date: 2000-05-08 15:51
How do you like the new ligature? Does it make a difference in the sound or ease of play?
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Author: Amber
Date: 2000-05-08 16:34
I don't knew what everyone else does and this could ber a no-no, but it works for me. I play on 3 1/2 Michel Laurie. But half of what I buy is strength 4. I use that to try and work up to that strength. If it is too hard I sand it a little. I sand it a lot less then when I started a month ago. This is good for my busy schedule since I can work up gradulally.(sp?). I personally think that generally the higher the strength, the better the tone. GENERALLY! But if it is really hard to play and you get a stuffy sound, drop back down a strength and work on the higher one in your spare time.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-05-08 16:57
Don't have time to go into depth now, but reed strength needs to be matched to the mouthpiece facing/tip opening as well as the player's stage of development and the style of music that one is playing. Thus the selection of a reed is not a cut and dried issue.
I personally don't care to spend too much time on reed adjustment so generally try to buy the strength that lets me play the majority of reeds right out of the box.
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Author: Nick Conner
Date: 2000-05-08 21:27
What reed strength a person uses is completely their choice. My middle school band instructor(who is a great clarinetist) said that one of the best tones she had ever heard came from a man who used a strength 1.5. On the other side, I've heard from an article on here that a man used clipped #5's with an extremely closed facing. It's all a matter of what works best, in my opinion.
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Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-05-08 21:36
Kim,
It's early days, but so far I like it a lot. Compared to the Rovner I was using before, it helps produce (for me, at least) a more delicate and light sound. It leaves reeds quite free to vibrate in comparison with the other ligature. I tried an old box of Vandoren 2s that I had long ago discarded as too easy, and was amazed at how mellow and sweet they sounded.
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Author: LJClarinetGuy
Date: 2000-05-09 00:50
Dee is right about associating reed strength with the mpc being played on, I started out in 6th gd on a VD 5RV Lyre and 2.5 reed of Mitchel Lurie which I rejected as soon as I was in 7th cause I liked VD reeds more and they were more accessable. Even now I wouldn't give up VDs or V12s unless it was for a good box of Zondas (Argggh like H.Simpson lol). What I noticed tho with the mpc I started out on, I hated my sound on anything lower than a 3.5 reed. The tip facing and opening called for something harder, so I generally used 3.5-4 VDs, even in 7th grade.My sound was clearer, more centered, and darker (which is my preferance over light sounding clarinets). I had that mpc up until 11th grade (last yr) when I began experimenting with the Leblanc Legend A10 and Gigliotti P34 mpcs with 4 or 5 VDs and 4.5 V12s. Now however, I love my Scott mpc (36108) with either clipped VD4s, VD5s or V12 4.5s. BTW I started on a Rovner leather lig too, then I used rubber rings for my first two yrs of high school, then a shoelace (works wonders if u want a good sound for an extra 30secs) and now a BG Leather lig (although I'm experimenting with my friend's Optimum). I do think that your sound depends on what you want to hear. Thanks to my teacher, I've learned to appreciate a more focused, dark and resonant sound in my playing, and I'm now described as having a nice "mellow" tone, so whatever you like is what you should go with for yourself. BTW, I think, I don't know if you agree Dee, that the B45 mpcs have a more open facing, meaning that you don't need a strong reed to play on it. 2s and 2.5s work very well on them. It's the closed faces of mpcs like the VD 5RV or my Scott that require tougher reeds. Also, instead of sanding, which can lead to small splinters clogging pores in the reed, try gettin a hold of a good reed knife, it can work reeds better, especially those ones you don't want to clip because they work well in one register but not in another. If you have questions, just email me
-Joey-
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Author: Shane
Date: 2000-05-09 14:15
I find it best to make your own reeds. Then you can find a setting just right for you.
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Author: Graham Elliott
Date: 2000-05-12 08:35
First, the light delicate sound you are getting may sound better to you, but does it sound good "out there" in the auditorium? Sounds which are stuffy close to are often clear as a bell in a larger acoustic, which may suggest that harder reeds are worth going for. But there is a risk with hard reeds that they will not only sound stuffy, but may sound bland, so if the sound you are now producing seems to have colour and texture, it may be exactly what you should aim for.
Playing successfully on soft reeds is a difficult job, since the lack of resistance makes breath control more of an issue. On the whole it is better to rely on the air rahter than the embouchure. Developing a strong embouchure in order to play harder reeds is probably undesirable even though it is the received wisdom. It can lead all too easily to a pinching approach to sound production, and an effortfull style of playing which lacks fluidity and sponteneity.
In summary, it is worth asking people if they think your sound is better (just in caase your perception of the sound is misleading) and if they say that it's fine, continue with the softer reeds, since it is just as tricky, if not more so, to play successfully on them, and very skillfull players often do (Reg Kell's set up was very soft indeed).
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-05-12 11:26
Graham Elliott wrote:
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In summary, it is worth asking people if they think your sound is better (just in caase your perception of the sound is misleading) and if they say that it's fine, continue with the softer reeds, since it is just as tricky, if not more so, to play successfully on them, and very skillfull players often do (Reg Kell's set up was very soft indeed).
-------
I've got Reg Kell playing the Schumann Fantasiestucke on http://Sounds2You.com right now.
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