 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: licorice_man
Date: 2006-12-27 23:58
How much would you trim off the tip of a 3 reed to make it a 3.5 reed?
Do you have to trim/taper the rest of the reed?
Thanks
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-12-28 00:08
Trimming the tip of the reed changes the profile of the entire reed. Thus, to regain the original template design, it usually necessitates taking additional material off the vamp and/or shoulders of the reed...GBK
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-12-28 00:11
Or slide the reed up the mouthpiece so the tip of the reed is proud of the tip rail by about 1mm.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-12-28 00:38
Vandoren purple-box reeds in particular are all the same thickness but vary in resistance because the cane varies in hardness. Pick another reed out of the box, at least for the time being.
You can usually clip about the width of a thin pencil line off the tip of the reed without needing to alter the vamp. This will increase the strength about 1/4 of a number, from 3 to 3.25. If the reed loses responsiveness, you'll need to thin the tip slightly. I've used a knife to do this for many years. It's much more precise than rush or sandpaper. I hold the reed along my left index finger with the tip on the pad of my finger and my thumb just back of the tip. I then brace the top of the knife blade against my thumb, with the edge resting on the reed, and scrape by rotating the knife.
To find hard spots in the tip, hold the butt of the reed between your thumb and index finger, with the tip pointing down. Then hold it up to a lamp, with the butt above the edge of the shade and the tip with the light shining through it. The thick places are easy to see. Sharpen a soft pencil (#1 or 1.25) slightly crooked, so that there's a lot of the lead showing on one side. Rub that side of the lead gently over the reed area that's thick. Then scrape the pencil lead off gently.
If the tip is even, and all of it is too thick, the easiest way to thin it is from the bottom. Get a sheet of 600 grit black-coat sandpaper, put it on a flat surface (preferably glass), dampen the tips of your right index, middle and ring fingers with saliva and put the reed on the sandpaper with the tip facing right.
First, press hard on the bark with all 3 fingers and sand the bottom of the reed until it's flat and shiny all over.
Then the bark down with your middle finger and rest the other two fingers VERY LIGHTLY on the tip. Sand back and forth 10 or 12 strokes, check the color at the lamp and test the reed on the mouthpiece. If necessary, do another cycle, but be careful not to press on the corners, which can abrade clear through.
You'll ruin some reeds. OK, a lot of reeds. However, it's essential to learn how to tweak reeds. Once you know how, you can get almost all reeds to play at least well enough for practice.
Ken Shaw
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2006-12-28 00:46
When clipping reed tips, it is always safest to trim in very small increments, play testing after each clip. (You can take more off, but you can't add any back.)
Although the profile of the reed is changed, sometimes you get lucky and further triming/tapering isn't required. Usually it is required.
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