Author: hans
Date: 2007-08-31 14:50
NHM,
Re: "how many hours should I get out of a reed before it starts to go off?", there is no simple answer to that question. A reed is a piece of dead organic matter, so that each one is almost unique, just like every piece of wood cut from a tree is. Therefore, so is the way it responds to being moistened, digested by saliva enzymes, and made to vibrate. A better quality of cane may produce more consistent results.
I use a plastic reed on my clarinet; however, on my alto sax I have had cane reeds last from mere days to about 10 months so far, playing it at least 3 hours per week. I may have that one mounted to hang on the wall when it finally fails (it's a Zonda). I mark each reed with the date when it is first played to keep track and, as David said above, I keep them clean.
A synthetic reed is much more predictable, but not everyone agrees that it can produce the same quality of sound.
Hans
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