 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: questionare
Date: 2000-05-25 21:26
Thanks for answering my question on turns. My next is: I am moving to a higher level reed (i.e. 3 to 3 1/2) and it's pretty hard to break it in. It sounds terrible. Any ideas?
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-05-25 21:35
Why? If three suited you, why go harder? What is this machismo about playing roof tiles for clarinet reeds?
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Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2000-05-25 23:46
Beejay is right. Don't play on 2 by 4's if they make you sound icky. It's not the strength, it's the tone you get.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-05-25 23:53
beejay, how do you know it's not the machismo thing? For some players, a stronger reed is necessary, especially to enhance the tone quality of the altissimo register or to enhance the overall sound. My moving up period was in grade 11, from a 3 Vandoren to a 4, on the recommendation of one of the conductors of the all-city band. (he was a clarinetist)
But some players also like harder reeds because you can work with them more than with softer ones.My number 4 Vandorens actually become 3 1/2-3 3/4 after working with them.
Meri
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Author: questonaire
Date: 2000-05-26 00:12
Thankyou, Meri. I am trying to get a better tone; my middle range is usually terribly sharp, and my upper register sounds a little whiny. Any tips?
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-05-26 02:30
No tips, but i was going to ask how many of you all play reeds above 3 1/2.
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2000-05-26 03:12
Hi.. I currently am using mitchell lurie number 3... when I was using a number 4 ( cant remember brand ) clipped during marching band and about a 3 1/2 during stage/ concert band... during 4 state music festival in enid ok, I reverted back to a numer three, had more control and didnt tire as easily...
I was also using a med hard oboe reed for orch.... and am currently using a medium oboe...
I found the oboe helpped me hit the them thar high notes that to get to hit it we needed hard reeds...
I think the circumstanses may dictate what you may or may not need..... if your trying to build your muscle tone or your embrouchment...maybe harder would work... building endurance ( exercising. ) just like lifting weights, or running, or any thing else you use muscle for.... work them and build them..if you just want to go with a stiffer reed,
for no peticular reason.... I would say not...
good luck...
Mike
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-05-26 06:23
Hardness aside, 'break-in' was your question. This is my reply.
1.Why not reading the first two good articles
to have good understanding of reeds adjustment and
placement in this URL?
http://home1.gte.net/klarinet/articles/
Accurate reed placement practice is an essential,since
this will very much affect how reeds sound.
2.I use a Reed Profiler by Greg Smith and cut reeds sides
using it and sand the side surface of reeds.
(No sanding top and bottom surfaces yet.)
I rinse them with flowing lukewarm water to
remove any fiber dusts by gently rubbing them with my
thum and pointing finger.
Then dip them in 5% H2O2 or in Reed-Life.
This is to kill any microorganism to lengthen reeds'
lives since microorganism is the main cause of reed
deterioration.
Dry those reeds for that day, preferably in
a La Vos reed holder to straighten them up.
3.Now break-in period starts from next day. There may be
various personal ways. This is my way. Choose two reeds.
I break in each every other day. Namely, break-in
one in a day, and give it a rest next day.
For first several break-ins,I first rub reeds bottom
and surface by my fingers for 5 minutes and play them
only 5 minutes.
After then I stop rubbing them and play them 20 minutes
for a few break-ins. Then I prolong the period to 30
minutes for next few days. These break-in will need
about 14-16 days for two reeds.This will stabilize
the reeds and now I start sanding if necessary.
(My present reeds do not need sanding.)
4.After break-in, reeds become stabilized and to my feeling
become somewhat 'harder' than their new condition.
5.Every reeds should be cleansed by flowing luke warm water
to remove any teeth dirts or any dirts, which may become
nests of microorganism.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-05-26 08:32
Meri, I respect your opinion that some players need harder reeds. It depends on embouchure and mouthpiece, of course. What I am questioning is the assumption that to progress you HAVE to progress to harder reeds. The questioner said he/she sounded terrible playing a 3 1/2, to which my reply is it's probably too hard. Move down a notch. As for myself, I find I can get a better tone using relatively soft (Glotin 2.5) reeds and an open mouthpiece (B45 lyre). But what works for me is not going to work for others. I'm just trying to make the point that improvement does not depend necessarily on stronger reeds.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-05-26 11:12
Basically, I don't really break in my reeds. All I do is polish them a bit and then play them. When a reed is new, I only play it for a short period of time each day and then use one already broken in for the rest of the session or go to the next new reed.
Sometimes sharpness and a whiney or thin sound is caused by pinching or biting the reed. You sometimes don't know that you are doing this until you move to the harder reed. This habit sometimes develops trying to get up to pitch on an unbalanced setup that tended to be flat. So make sure that you are not biting or pinching and use a lot more breath support. This will improve your sound quality throughout your range regardless of reed strength.
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Author: Mario
Date: 2000-05-26 16:19
Reeds are part of a "system" of inter-related components. The reed, the mouthpiece, the embouchure, the ligature, the clarinet itself (yes, different instruments have different properties - colors, resistence, intonation, etc.). To change reed strength might require other changes in order to maintain a well-balanced system. The reed-mouthpiece-embouchure subsystem is probably the critical part.
But there is also some basic reed properties that need to be
achieved in order for this complex system to start making sense. Weaker reeds can produce nice chalumeau, but get shrill as you go up (even with mouthpieces adapted to weak reeds). Similarly, ticker reeds produce nice top notes, but get breathy (even with the right mouthpiece) as you go lower, etc. Reeds between 3 to 4.0 (vandoren V12 numbering) appear to be the nominal range that can produce reasonible sound on all areas of the instrument.
I know no accomplished clarinetist that play below 3. Very few accomplished clarinetists need to ge beyond 4. As mentioned earlier, stronger reeds are used usually to work them down by the artist.
Using a harder reed without changing mouthpiece will require
more effort. It is a good thing to do as an exercize to develop musculatur, but it gets tiring. So, work 5 minutes the first day, 6 minutes the next, etc., until your muscles have developped.
Or buy a try a new mouthpiece and see what you get.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-05-26 17:19
Mario wrote:
-------------------------------
I know no accomplished clarinetist that play below 3.
---
Sure you do, Mario - Abe Galper played on 2 1/2s - 3s throughout his playing career. :^)
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