 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: YCL-450
Date: 2006-05-12 01:00
I switched to Vandoran #1-1/2 reeds but they seem a little squeeky. I was using Rico #2. So do I need a harder Vandoran or are they just harder to control? They seem to sound better than the Rico. Oh I'm using a Yamaha 4C and Hite Premiere on both of my YLC-450s.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-12 03:03
The lightest V12 and Rue 56 reeds are strength 2 1/2, but the Vandoren Traditional (Blue Box) reeds start at strength #1 ...GBK
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Author: DAVE
Date: 2006-05-12 04:25
I don't think anything softer than a number 2 Vandoren is at all useful. For a Hite Premiere I would suggest at least a 2.5 and maybe a 3. A 1.5 is a waste of time and money for that mouthpiece.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-05-12 06:43
Depending on mood, moon phase and weather I use Vandoren (trad.) 2½ or Mitchell Lurie #3 on my Hite Premiere. The Vandoren is a tad more resistant, but that may be my subjective impression.
(During my very first month or so I had Vandoren 1½ till my muscles had built up and I stopped slobbering)
--
Ben
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Author: YCL-450
Date: 2006-05-12 11:50
Didn't know Vandoren made 1 1/2.
Yeah, according to the chart the 1.5 Vandorans are equivilent to #2 Rico.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-05-12 12:22
But don't go for too hard a reed too soon - get your embouchure developed before using harder reeds otherwise you'll be struggling.
Find the reed type or strength that's the easiest to control (in response and volume) throughout the range, has the best tone quality and isn't resistant or stuffy.
You don't want to feel like you've done several rounds with Mike Tyson after playing on too hard a reed. And don't go for a harder reed because 'everyone else plays on 3s' - it's not a competition of who can play on the hardest reed (and wonder why their tone is wooly and hissy, and blame the clarinet for it).
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Author: YCL-450
Date: 2006-05-12 15:07
But don't go for too hard a reed too soon - get your embouchure developed before using harder reeds otherwise you'll be struggling.
Find the reed type or strength that's the easiest to control (in response and volume) throughout the range, has the best tone quality and isn't resistant or stuffy.
You don't want to feel like you've done several rounds with Mike Tyson after playing on too hard a reed. And don't go for a harder reed because 'everyone else plays on 3s' - it's not a competition of who can play on the hardest reed (and wonder why their tone is wooly and hissy, and blame the clarinet for it).
I guess I'll get use to them. I switched because I was told that Rico reeds just don't hold up well. I find that backing the reed off just a bit from the mpc tip helps a lot but is this acceptable? I don't want to go to a harder reed if I don't have to.
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Author: hans
Date: 2006-05-12 16:23
What BobD said.
But you might look at these potential squeak causes. The list is in no particular order and not exhaustive.
Some Causes of Squeaks
a dry reed
accidentally touching a key
the middle joint in a clarinet is not properly aligned
using a "wrong" fingering instead of a better alternate
a finger not covering a hole
a pad not seating properly
a weak spring not holding a key closed
keys out of adjustment (e.g., the A key)
unco-ordinated fingering
a leaking joint
a cracked instrument (in a wood clarinet)
too much mouthpiece in the mouth
a burr on the mouthpiece top rail
misapplied lip pressure
a reed is split
the reed is not perfectly sealed on the mouthpiece
a reed is too thin at the center of the tip or is stiffer on one side than the other
a poorly designed, worn, or warped mouthpiece (a warped mouthpiece can be refaced)
the mouthpiece baffle (the slanted top inside the tip) is too high
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Author: Ryan25
Date: 2006-05-12 18:02
YCl,
"backing the reed off" or lowering it down from the tip will make the reed play softer. If the reed you are playing is too soft and squeaking is happening because of a bad emboucher and/or bitting then move the reed up slightly above the tip or try a slightly stronger reed. Your goal is to use a reed that vibrates well and is light enough so that you don't have to bite. If a reed is too soft and it is hard to manage as you play higher into the clarion then this will make you bite as well to try and keep the pitch up and the sound focused.
You want your air and an arched tounge inside the mouth to do the work..........not bitting or trying to manipulate the sound only with your emboucher.
Another thing that might be useful is to wet the reed and before you put it on the mouthpiece, place as much of the tip of the reed on the table of the mouthpiece and hold the tip with your left thumb to flatten the tip and make sure the reed is not warped. This is very useful for such a soft reed. The heel of the reed should be facing to the the right at a straight angle from the mouthpiece. One other quick fix that is sometimes helpful is to take the reed and rub the back of it in a circular motion on a piece of paper. These are two easy things to do that might help the reeds playability with out causing damage.
Hope this helps.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-12 18:47
Ryan25 wrote:
> place as much of the tip
> of the reed on the table of the mouthpiece and hold the tip
> with your left thumb to flatten the tip and make sure the reed
> is not warped. This is very useful for such a soft reed. The
> heel of the reed should be facing to the the right at a
> straight angle from the mouthpiece.
If you are right handed, reverse the above directions ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif) ...GBK
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-05-12 18:59
Check the reed is seating on the mouthpiece. This can only be done when the reed is well soaked.
Put the reed on as normal, and holding the mouthpiece in your hand cover the open end of the tenon with your thumb (lick your thumb first to get a good seal) and suck all the air out of the mouthpiece from the reed end and take the mouthpiece out of your mouth still holding your thumb over the end.
A vacuum should have formed within the mouthpiece and you'll hear a hissing sound, and a few seconds later the reed will pop open (and it will go 'pop'). If there is no 'pop' at all or it pops straight away once the vacuum is formed and you've taken the mouthpiece out of your mouth, this means the reed is leaking against the mouthpiece somewhere (which could be due to warped or damaged mouthpiece rails or a chipped reed). This can cause squeaks as well.
If the vacuum holds for a long time (over 5 seconds) this means the reed is sealing well against the mouthpiece and should perform well, provided it's the right strength reed for you.
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Author: D
Date: 2006-05-12 21:12
To make sure you are putting the correct amount of mouthpiece and reed in your mouth, look at the set up sideways with a good light on the other side. You should be able to see where the reed and mouthpiece meet. This is where your lower lip should be. Having it elsewhere can cause some quite impressive sqwarks.
Another thing to try, if you know anyone who plays fairly well and doesn't seem to have any contageous germs then get them to play your mouthpiece and reed just to check there is nothing really odd going on there. Although they will use a different set up, they should be able to test yours well enough to see if there is a fundamental problem. You'll probably still have problems for a while though as very few mouthpieces are designed to work with such soft reeds. While I totally agree that playing a plank of wood because it has a high number is daft, I can't deny that some mouthpieces just demand certain reed strengths.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-05-13 01:20
If I remember correctly you've been playing for a few months now and it sounds like you play a fair bit. You are probably developing clarinet 'chops' and it is time to move up to stronger reeds. 1.5 seems soft, especially after a few months of practicing. I say go fr a box of 2.5 V12 reeds, worst case if they are too hard you can use them a few months from now!
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: YCL-450
Date: 2006-05-13 02:06
Sean.Perrin wrote:
> If I remember correctly you've been playing for a few months
> now and it sounds like you play a fair bit. You are probably
> developing clarinet 'chops' and it is time to move up to
> stronger reeds. 1.5 seems soft, especially after a few months
> of practicing. I say go fr a box of 2.5 V12 reeds, worst case
> if they are too hard you can use them a few months from now!
>
I've been playing for just a little over a month now about 4 or 5 hours a day. I can bring my clarinet to work so I can play during breaks and lunch. BTW is that too much practice? What does the V12 mean. I think I have just plain Vandorans.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-13 02:19
YCL-450 wrote:
> What
> does the V12 mean.
The thickness at the heel of the V12 blank is 3.15mm (0.1240").
That is from where the name V12 is derived ...GBK
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-05-13 06:29
4 or 5 hours a day is a remarkably large amount of practice for anyone except perhaps a young professional.
Maybe you are playing too much. Better an hour of concentrated practice than several hours of unfocussed tooting. It is important that you don't practice playing badly; if you aren't fresh enough to play near your best, don't play. Otherwise you will just reinforce bad habits.
---
Vandoren V.12 reeds are thicker than traditional (blue box) Vandoren reeds. The numeric gradings are different, so a V.12 #2.5 is about as hard as a blue box #2.
All brands of reed are inconsistent in strength and quality from one reed to the next. However, some brands are more consistent than others. Vandorens have the reputation of being particularly inconsistent. If you find some of your Vandorens squeak and others don't, you may simply be finding this inconsistency.
As a beginner, I found Mitchell Lurie to be the most satisfactory brand. Subsequently I moved away from them, but I not sure to what extent this was caused by me improving and to what extent I was put off by one or two bad boxes. If you try them, be aware that their strength grading is a lot different from Vandoren; most likely you will need a 3 or maybe even a 3.5. Mitchell Lurie "Premium" reeds come in boxes of 5 rather than 10 so are a cheaper way of trying several strengths if you are unable to buy individual reeds.
-----------
If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2006-05-14 16:32
Since I've resumed playing I've tried just about
every reed known to man. There's about 25
boxes of reeds staring me in the face at this
moment!
I think of the Vandorens the #2 Traditional
"Select" are the best for me. Every single one
is playable (for me) right out of the box. Don't
worry about using soft reeds... they say Bonade
used soft reeds and he did OK.
You'll pay through the nose for the "Select"
reeds, but the cane really does seem better.
They even smell better!
Clarinet Redux
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Author: Avie
Date: 2006-05-14 17:55
I have played 3's and 4's but I find Vandoren V12 2.5's to be the best for me and my clarinet. They vary somewhat but most are easy playing and dont require refacing with my setup. They are a bit pricey at 2.99 apiece but are worth it. I also prefer the tone with the V12 2.5's which is important. I have no other reason to go to the harder 3's and 4's unless maybe I want to improve my embouchure although I use them every now and then. Experiment with your particular setup.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-05-15 08:33
4 or 5 hours a day? that makes me feel horrible! I have no idea how someone could do that and still have a full-time job or attend school (whether it be music or otherwise).
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-05-15 21:36
4 or 5 hours a day? that makes me feel horrible!
Stop lamenting and go practicing. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
(it's about half an hour here, and even that one must literally be squeezed in)
--
Ben
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Author: YCL-450
Date: 2006-05-15 23:02
4 or 5 hours a day? that makes me feel horrible! I have no idea how someone could do that and still have a full-time job or attend school (whether it be music or otherwise).
I'm a bit lucky as I can bring my clarinet to work with me and practice during my lunch hour and breaks. That's good for about a hour or more. Then when I get home I can get in another 3 or 4 hours but that includes breaks.
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