 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2007-12-14 05:55
I would like to start a thread that hopefully might be placed in the "keepers" section of this BB.
I know there are quite a few books written on this topic as well as information that is available on the internet.
What I and hopefully others are interested in is exactly what method works best "for you".
Please stay on topic and name the brand of reeds you normally play as well as what type of mouthpiece and ligature you use.
Please be methodical and give numbered step by step procedures that you follow in exacting detail. Please list any special tools or other instruments that you normally use. Please describe your break in process and how you determine quickly whether a reed is worth adjusting or not.
If you have learned a few "trade secrets" that you are willing to share, the more important this thread will become.
I am hoping for many variations because what works for one player may not work for another.
I am hoping that this will become an instructional thread that will be referred to by many for a long time.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the clarinet community.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2007-12-14 15:28
Over the past 5 years, I have developed a reed adjustment technique that works well for me. I use Zonda 3.5 reeds, and a slightly modified Vandoren M15,13,88 mouthpiece.
I have read several books and articles on the subject, plus just about everything that's been on the this website.
I use a 10 day break in and adjustment process.
I start working on 5 reeds at a time since that is the number in a Zonda package.
I write the date I start on the flat side of the reed.
Day one, wet reed with saliva, play each reed gently in lower register for one minute, dry reed by running between thumb and index finger, with pressure. Put back in Zonda case.
Day two = two minutes
Day three = three minutes, slightly louder and higher.
Day four = four minutes, louder, higher, start adjusting.
Day five = five minutes, continue to adjust
Day six = continue above progression. ....
Day 7 etc.
After ten days reed should be stable and adjusted., Burnish reed to seal pores (vamp and thick end).
Arrange reeds in custom reed case (which holds ten reeds) according to perceived playabilty. ( Five worst used for home practice, better ones for group practice, best two, concerts and backup.)
I rotate playing on reeds, and the position in the reed case is revised as reeds age and/or become less playable.
When I am ready with a newly adjusted batch of five, I add the five new ones and get rid of the five worst playing ones.
Many of the ideas I use are from David Pino's book, but the biggest revelation to me concerning reed adjustment, was from Ridenour's ATG video tape.
I have used the ATG and love it. and consider the ATG and the information that comes with it a very worthwhile investment. I use Tom's reed testing techniques to measure how my adjustments are progressing.
In reed adjustment I have modified the method to work with only a SHARP! knife, which I can carry in my pocket to use anywhere and anytime it's needed. This means I don't have to buy anything new, I have fewer things to keep up with, and I can adjust anywhere.
Before watching the ATG video, I used to look at the pictures of reeds and remove little bits of material where the little numbers were on the reeds.
This worked to a degree, but after watching the ATG video and using one, I realized that the adjustment should be smooth over a larger area, not just making a little pothole where the number on the chart was,
Now by removing small amounts of material (basically dust) along the reed corresponding with the patterns described in the ATG instructions, and testing the reed using Mr. Ridenour's testing methods, I have the best playing reeds I have experienced.
I rarely (almost never) throw out a new reed as unplayable.
Post Edited (2007-12-14 15:31)
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Author: William
Date: 2007-12-14 15:45
I'm a Klutz when it comes to reed adjustment/balancing, but what has helped me immensly is my Reed Wizard. But when I do have to butcher my Vandys with a knife, I basically follow the adjustment proceedures that Glenn H. Bowen (one of my old college clarinet teachers) describes in his book, "Making and Adjusting Clarinet Reeds". His methods were inspired by his Eastman (DMA) clarinet teacher, the legendary Stanley Hastey.
But what works best for me in getting reeds to play is the careful conditioning of each reed straight out of the box. Basically, an on-going ritual of saliva moistening (never water), rub down of the vamp, 5 min or less of initial play, days or rest, re-play 5 min or less, days of rest.....and then, more intense auditioning/day-of-rest process with careful (as I can be) minimal adjustment of the shoulders, rails and tip until the reed is up to performance speed. However, ALWAYS saliva moistening and rubbing of the vamp before playing. I start with reeds that are a bit to hard and work them down, so I never use a reed clipper. The Reed Wizard usually makes the hardest reeds at least somewhat usable, so I do get most of my reeds--out of a box of ten--to "work". Some reeds turn out to be gems and, a few, "duds", but that's the way it is for a lot of us, I guess.
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2007-12-14 21:58
Hi!
Well, my reed adjustment process is probably not quite as methodical and step-by-step as one might like it to be, partly because every reed is a bit different so requires different adjustment, and partly because I am a bit scatterbrained by nature. So take this all with a grain of salt.
First, here's my normal setup: Gennusa Excellente mouthpiece, Vandoren Optimum ligature, 4.5 or 5 Vandoren V-12. Rico black plastic reedcase with reedvitalizer insert, whole thing in a ziploc freezer bag. Clarinets: 20-year old R-13 A with 65 mm Moennig barrel and 2-year old Buffet R13 A bell, 10-month-old R13 Prestige Bb with bell and barrel that came with it.
I don't have a set break-in process, but I am trying to improve it, so I will probably try some of the ideas I see here.
Here are the tools I most often use: Reed knife (fairly cheap, but I should probably sharpen it more often), Ridenour's ATG system.
Tools I seldom use, but are useful sometimes: Cordier reed trimmer, reed rush. I used to have a Vandoren reed stick that I liked, but I lost it.
I never soak. Except old-ish good reeds can sometimes be improved with a brief dip in hydrogen peroxide (couple of minutes).
The following is done to a reed after it seems at least a bit "broken in". (See other posts for a good procedure on that process, because I'm still tweaking mine.)
First area to work on is the tip. Feel if one side is harder than the other and do a play test, playing first with clarinet rotated one way and then the other. Holding reed up to the light can also show where it is denser. If at least two out of three of these tests agree (play, feel, and seeing), then gently remove a small amount of material on the side where it is densest near the tip. Either the knife, rush, or Ridenour system can be used for this.
Do similar tests moving down the reed from the tip, along the rails, avoiding the heart of the reed. Try not to make potholes in the reed. If the knife method leaves divots, try to smoothe it out using the ATG sandpaper tool. You want to avoid thinning the corners of the tip too much when using the ATG, so you need to pivot the tool in such a way to avoid that (lift the back of it as you go over the tip toward the bark).
Now the reed should be balanced left to right and play better than it did. Now we evaluate the response of the reed. Do some articulated passages.
Thuddy? Thin the tip a little (very little). Best way is with the ATG system. Rush also works. This should lighten the articulation somewhat.
Thin and bright, is the reed closing off? Then the tip is probably too thin. A trimmer can be used, if first you remove a small amount of material from the tip with a knife or the ATG to make sure it is tapered properly. Then trim a hair's width. This leaves you with a slightly thicker tip and the articulation and response should be better.
If the tip seems balanced but the reed still needs loosening up a little, you can make cuts near the bark. I just learned this procedure recently from Ed Palanker, and had never seen it before, but I'll try to describe it. Basically, they are 3 sets of 3 parallel fairly deep cuts. The parallel cuts are about 0.5 mm from each other. One set of cuts is just below the ridge in the bark, and they are parrallel to this ridge. The next set starts on the left side of the reed and ends at the ridge. The top one is no more than 5 mm above the ridge. They go diagonally down from left to right, stopping at the ridge. The third set starts on the right side, ending at the ridge. The left and right set should intersect each other in the center of the reed, above the bark on the vamp.
Hard to describe, but that's the best I could do. Mr. Palanker says this frees up the vibration of the reed down at the shoulders. Some folks use a shaver to remove material near the bark or on the shoulders for that reason, but he learned this method long ago and seems to prefer it. He says it will either make a subtle improvement, or it will have no effect, but you can't ruin the reed this way. I'm still giving it a try. I have a couple that work well, but can't swear it's because of the cutting procedure...need more samples.
If the reed is very warped, I throw it away. If it is slightly warped but still seals well to the mouthpiece, I don't really do anything to it, although I suppose one could gently sand the back or use a scraper on the back to flatten it. But then you risk making it too thin.
So the reeds get played a bunch and rotated and adjusted occasionally with the above indicated methods if (when) they change a bit. The best ones last 2 months or more. The worst I ruin after too many adjustments. Most are playable.
Well, these are the things I've found that work for me. Hopefully some of the other posts on here will enlighten me more. Thanks for sharing, everybody.
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2007-12-14 23:22
Here is my method!
For those of you who don't know me, I have acquired a large amount of reed knowledge, as creating, adjusting, buying, hoarding, etc have caused considerable obsessive compulsive issues, related to reeds. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and once i was "in the light," seemed like in the end, the OCD paid off, because now i know what to do.
First some general things -
Good times to select reeds - When your embouchure is fresh, and your ears are fresh. On a day when i want to select some reeds, its the first thing i do, before i start playing anything else. I pick better reeds on sunny days. When you are in your studio, in a familiar place, or in the place where the performance will happen (if its quiet enough to actually hear).
Times to avoid - After a long practice session or rehearsal, after a session of playing in an unfamiliar room or acoustic, or after the concert (because thats the time to relax). If you are physically tired or agitated. When you have a performance in five minutes and don't have a reed (obviously an emergency, but clearly not ideal situation). Also don't pick reeds if 75 other musicians are warming up around you.
My setup is buffet r13 with any of several vintage mouthpieces (right now im using a goldbeck, but i do use others). The facings are all similar to an m15 style), v12 size 5 on all mouthpieces (i can also use 4.5 or 4 blue box once in a while), bonade ligature of whatever (always metal though). I also perform on homemade reeds made on a reedual, using a modified morre model reed.
Here is my method for selecting v12 reeds - assuming the parameters of *good time to select a reed* are met,
1 - i take all the reeds out of the box, unwrap them, take them out of the cases. I look at them to see if any have obvious flaws such as *too short vamp* (generally caused by the blank being slanted, thinner at the tip end) or *uneven scrape* (caused one side of the blank being thicker, this is why sometimes part of the scrape extends back past the french file cut line). I take these reeds and put them aside, because they might work somewhat but probably not well enough to really use. I find that 1-3 reeds per box features one of these most apparent defects!
2. Of the remaining reeds with no obvious defect, i examine the tip area. I use two methods to do so.
a. I hold it up to the light and look to see if there are xylem pretty much evenly spaced through the tip(the lines when you look at a reed in the light are xylem, pith is the clear stuff in between). Areas that have only pith, and no xylem, i refer to as *holes* Generally, the more xylem you find in the tip area, the more beautiful, and vibrant the tone color of the reed. Often 3 or 4 of the v12 reeds will have the quality of *good xylem in the tip area*
b. I take my fore finger, and i test to see how stiff, or springy the tip is. Tips thats seem sort of flabby, or weak, generally don't play. Not suprisingly, the reeds which have the most xylem, have a stiff and springy tip.
3. I try the reeds that pass my cosmetic inspection first. Perhaps three reeds have a nice even cut, and appear to have a lot of xylem in the tip. Usually, I will find that at least one of these reeds has a ringing vibrant sound, is not too hard, and basically is almost ready for prime time as is. I put the best ones aside.
4. I try the rest of the reeds now. First i try the ones that had decent cut, but perhaps had *holes* in the tip area. These holes will be most problematic if they occur around the corner (or ear) of the reed. A reed with this problem is basically unfixable, and will have very lousy response, and should probably be avoided. However, a reed that has a hole in the center, but xylem around the corners (or ears) might play pretty well (for a little bit anywaqy). The draw back to this second type of reed is poor longevity. A reed that has a hole in the tip area, no matter where in the tip it occurs, will not last that long, and often become problematic when the *hole* becomes very weak. This can cause chirps. So if any of the reeds from the *holes in the tip area* group plays, i don't adjust it. I play on it as is, and usually not for serious practice rehearsal etc.
5. Time to adjust the reeds (or reed) from the good group! It has been argued that perhaps you shouldn't adjust your reeds right away. I just go ahead and adjust them right away. First i do a standard side to side test. I really don't even have to do this, because i know that all v12s are heavy on the left hand side. I use reed rush to scrape gently from the left of the heart to side rail, not getting too close to the tip, staying 3-4 mms behind the tip to about halfway down the vamp. Measuring many many v12 reeds, i found the area to remove wood on the v12, this area is only about 1/1000 of an inch higher than the right side, so you really needn't scrape too much. After i scrape the left side, i re-test the reed. Sometimes, it is feeling just fine already, and if so, i do nothing else. But..
6. Often, after attempting to balance the reed by removing some material from the left side, the right side will actually feel less responsive, or stuffier than the left. Don't worry, because this right side stuffiness is caused by another area of the reed. To find this area, take your thumb and rub it below the tip. Just a mm to the right of center, or so, you will probably feel a hard, unbalanced, sort of point of resistance spot. Take the reed rush, and scrape this spot about 2 times max, scraping from about 2mm behind the tip, to the end of the tip. I use almost no hand pressure, and I scrape barely barely barely anything. However, this is the final adjustment that for me really brings the reed to life.
7. I have no break in method, other than to just not play it too much as you are initially testing the reeds and adjusting them. After they have dried completely, as they have soaked up a lot of saliva, i then play the heck out of them, with no concern, until its dead. I usually have 4-8 reeds working at a time, and i just rotate them by making sure i don't use the same one for too long. No real rotation, other than to play the one i know im going to sound the best on, and be able to play in tune, good response etc.
Homemade reeds - I have been making homemade reeds succesfully for about 2.5 yrs. I will admit that they are not panancea! They present an entirely new set of problems, issues, and ordeals, just as difficult to deal with as commercial reeds. One argument for making reeds your self is the money aspect. However, I have always felt time was more valuable than money, since i can always make more money, and can never make more time. I have spent hours upon hours testing, experimenting, and trying homemade reeds. Many were very bad, and some were very very good. My best homemade reeds played as well as the best v12. As i mentioned above, they are modeled after a modified morre reed. I have developed a process using the reedual, and other tools, to largely eliminate cosmetic defects mentioned above. Things i can control are
1. perfect dimension of the blank and reed itself, meaning no issues of too short vamp, or one side of the blank thicker than another. I can also control the length of the vamp, making it shorter or longer, despite the blank thickness.
2. lots of xylem in the tip - i use a jewelers loop to examine the reed blank at magnification. If i notice there is an area with *holes* i sand down the blank to get more xylem in the tip area.
3. cane quality (to a certain extent...like i can buy the most expensive, or most high quality, but it might not sound good...who knows what will happen)
things i can't control are..
1. will it work or not. only a higher power controls this. I can make a reed with perfect dimension, with wiggle room, or whatever, but because some pieces of cane want to be reeds, and some pieces of cane want to be pieces of cane, i cannot control whether each piece of cane will have good vibrational qualities. Vandoren can't really control this either.
Therefore, i have no legit selection process for tubes. I just reach into the box, take a tube, make sure the walls are thick enough to make reeds to my specifications, and make a reed, and test it! If that reed works, yay, because now i can use the rest of that tube, and have some confidence that the rest of the tube will posses good vibrational qualities.
The cane supplier i usually use is Mdme Ghys. The best thing about homemade reeds is their amazing life span. I only make reeds a couple times per month. I try to produce 2 or 3 excellent reeds, which i practice on and perform on, and just sort of have in the mix with the v12s. I always feel a great sense of pride though, when i perform on the homemade stuff.
Thanks very much
Evan R. Solomon
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Author: Sonny
Date: 2007-12-16 01:22
Check out: Thomas Ridenour "The Definitive Guide To Successful Reed Finishing". It has DVD w/ technique, glass slab, block and paper
practice,practice,practice
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2007-12-17 16:13
Hey RodRub,
Great post, thanks! Makes me reconsider whether a "break-in" process is really necessary, 'cuz I don't do that, either. Also, I totally agree about the xylems in the tip...those tend to respond the best, and the ones with more pith at the tip (holes) are generally worse. Although I know this, I generally don't seperate the reeds into visual categories right out of the box, but maybe this will eliminate some headaches for me.
I also often prefer reed rush to a knife, because I tend to gouge too much with the knife, maybe because I don't sharpen it often enough. I intend to replace my lost vandoren reed stick, because it was easy to use and doesn't wear out, you just rinse once in a while.
Also, I never tried making my own reeds or used any machines like reedual or a micrometer to measure thickness on my commercial reeds. Seems like too much to absorb at my advanced age (but maybe possibly someday?)! Well, maybe the measurement device would be easy enough, but expensive!
Anyway, you've given me fodder to feed my OCD and ADD. Maybe it will pay off as well.
Coupla quick questions:
1. Storage. What do you find is the best way to store reeds in your current playing rotation? (Humidity, flat storage in reed case, etc. to prevent warpage). How about the unopened boxes of commercial reeds and your unused raw cane for your homemade reeds?
2. Do you ever find need to remove material from the shoulders or bark? I'm not sure if this works well or not, but have been told it can free up the vibration if you've already balanced it and it still plays a little stuffy overall.
Thanks,
-Claritoot26
Lori Fowser
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Author: RodRubber
Date: 2007-12-22 00:24
Hey Lori u asked -
<<<1. Storage. What do you find is the best way to store reeds in your current playing rotation? (Humidity, flat storage in reed case, etc. to prevent warpage). How about the unopened boxes of commercial reeds and your unused raw cane for your homemade reeds?>>>
I use the regular vandoren 8 reed holder, andi store that in a ziplock in the winter, and nothing in the summer. Unopened boxes i put on my shelf, and raw cane i put in a box. Nothing special here!
<<<2. Do you ever find need to remove material from the shoulders or bark? I'm not sure if this works well or not, but have been told it can free up the vibration if you've already balanced it and it still plays a little stuffy overall.>>>
I have experimented with scraping the bark. I do not feel that scraping that far away from the tip has much effect if any. It is argued by many that the entire back shoulders bark does have an effect on the reed. My experimentation, though not extensive, really doesn't substantiate this. So i will conservatively say that 95% of the adjustments need to be made from the tip back to where break of the facing starts. On a v12 it seems that the vamp is pretty long, and because of the French file cut, bark is removed to a uniform length on each reed, unless of course the blank is too thick on one side.
What has a greater effect on a reed is creating one's own own file on a reed such as the rue lepic, gonzalez (less successful for me), or rico evolution (i believe these are not file cut as well). I have had very nice reeds from Rue Lepic boxes that i have actually performed on a bit. I sort of created the v12 style cut with my knife, and it improved the lepic reed in almost every case. I also apply this technique to hand made reeds. If they are resonant and have the proper resistance with no vandoren style file cut, i leave them as is. My best hand made reeds do not have this extra cut. However, as you said, if the reed is stuffy, i might try that.
The truth is i just don't mess much with the reeds that sound stuffy. Most of the v12s i play on sound pretty good right away, and the adjustments I do enhance response, etc. If a good sounding reed starts to play stuffy, leaky, weird, or whatever (any significant change for the worse in respone), flattening the swolen back of the reed on the vandoren glass thing, or sandpaper will generally solve the problem. That is of course, if you know how to flatten the back of the reed. Improper sanding or "not flattening" will often make the problem worse. Some people say they do nothing to the back of the reed over the course of its life(many of these people also complain of terrible reed longevity...the reed probably just needs to be flattened properly!! Of course, if you "flatten" improperly, or "not flatten" you will kill the reed). For handmade, I try to make every reed work, but like with v12s, the ones that sound good right away are obviously the best. I really think it just comes down to whether the cane wants to be a reed, or if it wants to be cane, and nothing more. Same goes for commercial reeds.
It is always important to take an analytical approach to any problem, and not hope for magic, or a miracle, or something to fix it.
Its too bad more people haven't contributed to this thread. Considering the spirit of the original post, i think 7 responses is a pretty weak showing.
Best regards
Post Edited (2007-12-22 00:46)
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2007-12-22 02:31
I stopped using #5 Blue Box Vandorens...so I stopped wasting time adjusting reeds that were too hard for me. I also took a few lessons one summer with Ian Greitzer in Boston, which was the impetus for changing my approach to reeds. He showed me the side to side test for determing the balance of a reed, which was a light bulb moment. I now use sandpaper or a knife to balance a reeds...nothing more complex than that. I keep two different strengths on hand of Vandoren Blue box and Gonzales RC, which is important when the seasons change in the Northeast. I find Summer reeds don't play well in the winter and vice versa. I don't soak or have a special reed case or pray to various dieties. Overall, I've adapted a KISS approach (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
I never stressed about reeds until my first college instructor, who had the reed rush and the reed gage and the soaking and the rotation and the humidifier. It took 10 years to break out of that psychological trap clarinetists subcum to - the reed starts to play us. Now I find the ability to adapt a reed on the spot a much more practical tool than all those items I listed above.
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Author: Alexis
Date: 2007-12-22 03:33
My current way of thinking is to try and find patterns from box to box.
I use 3.5 V12s and a Viotto B3 mouthpiece.
Generally I find 2 reeds with the qualities I'd want to play on. And 4 or 5 on which I'm happy to practice. Then maybe 3 that I think aren't worth the effort.
Usually these 3 will look as bad as they play - most of the time I assume the cane isn't so great. The 2 that I do like usually do have a similar cane structure.
My philosophy as the moment is to work on other things before I worry about the reed.
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2010-09-11 21:11
It's funny to read about these long, complicated methods and expensive machines. I have a good blade, a piece of transparent plastic and two ears:)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-09-11 21:57
I have my recommendation on my reed page on my website so I'm not going to print them out here. If your interested check it out. I list all of my "secrets". I use Rico thick blanks, reserves, reserve classics and I make some myself. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: William
Date: 2010-09-12 00:00
Since this thread was originally started, I have given up on cane clarinet and saxophone reeds in favor of the new synthetic Forestone reeds from Japan. They do not require any conditioning or balancing, are ready to play from day one and keep on playing indefinately. They product a great sound with instantaneous articulation throughout the entire clarinet and saxophone range and require no moistening. Consequently, they do not dry out if left too long on the stand and do not go soft during a performance from becoming "water logged". They are consistant, reed to reed ending the neccessity for the endless reed searchs to find "the best one in the box".
Forestone reeds let me play the music without having to worry about playing the reed.
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2010-09-12 02:50
Assuming you have a good mouthpiece and appropriate strength reeds with decent cane (which isn't really a difficult thing to do) reed adjustment is not that difficult, and sometimes it's better to do nothing than too much.
FWIW: I play a Behn Vintage Model D and a Bay silver 2 screw ligature with Blue Box 3.5 reeds.
Generally, 4 or 5 out of the 10 I could play on with no adjustment and get good to excellent results over the course of the reeds life (month or two, several boxes worth in rotation so not played every day).
There's usually 2 reeds in a box that are just poorly cut or a bad piece of cane. Trash.
If I do adjust, and I usually do a little bit, I use the ATG system's reed sanding block. I don't go too crazy with it, but just do some basic balance work.
If it takes longer than a few sentences to describe what you do to adjust reeds, then you're assuming that 1) The reed companies don't have a clue what they're doing and make something that's not even close to functional or 2) What works for many couldn't possibly work for you, because you're just that unique or 3) you have way too much time on your hands
I work on reeds with the knowledge that the design of my chosen reed is good, the overall quality of the cane is good, the mouthpiece is designed with these reeds in mind, and therefore all I should have to compensate for is a slight variation in the machine from reed to reed.
If you have to make serious adjustments to every reed in order for it to play well, you have a problem. Could be any or some of the following:
-Poor embouchure (biting in many cases leads to poor reed longevity)
-Reed is too hard. Many people try to carve that 4 or 5 down to a 3.5. why bother....
-Bad mouthpiece (imbalanced facing, inappropriate for desired sound concept or too much work having to be exerted to get desired sound).
My thoughts are basically that if you have 1) a good mouthpiece 2) appropriate strength quality reeds 3) good playing fundamentals especially regarding embouchure and 4) a ligature that allows the reed to vibrate, you should have NO problem finding reeds out of the box that function well.
Things like the ATG system are simple ways of improving the good ones and making some that are unplayable into playing alright, but will not make bad reeds into good ones.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-09-12 03:30
In the near future I will have something on an upcoming website. Not to brag, and I'm not, at Rico I was in charge of the Mitchell Lurie reeds, the designer of the Grand Concert reeds, Eb reeds, and the Hemke soprano reeds for 15 years. Rico sold about 15 million clarinet and soprano sax reeds per year. I think that translates to about 200 million reeds or so for 15 years. I sorta feel like an expert here. So much goes into producing great reeds, starting with the cane.
I will have a section on my site devoted to reeds. This will include special devices designed to measure reeds within a 1/2 thousandth of an inch. I will also talk about cane quality, how to adjust reeds that are too soft or too hard, how to balance reeds and much more. I'm toying with making an actual video.
Please give me about 3 to 4 months to get this right. Hopefully, this will take on a more scientific approach and a less guessing game, or having that magic touch. The tools my be for sale at a decent price. Beginners won't have the knowledge to understand how to make decent reeds but it will surely add new light to high school students all the way to the top symphony players.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: salzo
Date: 2010-09-12 09:43
Depending on how much playing I am doing, I take 3 or 4 new reeds from the box.
Before playing, I balance the sides and heart using a perfecta reed, and a knife.
Start by making the left and right tip area balanced, and the center tip area balanced. I have a tool that I made that I use to balance the tip, the rest of the reed I use a knife.
After reed is balanced using guage, I play on each reed for a minute or so.
I gradually increase playing time, playing on them once a day, maybe skipping a day, for a week. After the second day of the "break in", I rub the backs slightly on glass.
Usually, after a week my reeds are ready to go.Usually The only adjustments I have to do after the initial adjustment, is I sometimes have to work down the tip a bit. Basically, I divide the tip in 4 sections, the outer sections matching in measurements, the inner sections being matching in measurements, which is usually about two thousands of an inch thicker then the outer edges. If I am having delayed response, or altissimo is sluggish, I remove more cane from center area of tip. I can usually tell after the third or fourth day that the tip needs to be taken down more, and I do a little, maybe over a couple of days.
On the rare ocassions that I find the tip is too thin (after adjusting), I use a medium grit sanding stick to work down the tip. Some use a clipper for this, I prefer using a sanding stick. Before working the tip, I try moving the reed up on the mouthpiece to see if I can avoid sanding. Sometimes just moving the reed up is enough, sometimes I have to sand.
USUALLY, if I have worked three reeds, I get one really nice reed, the other two are OK. When working four reeds, I usually get two really nice reeds. I play ALL of my reeds-the ones that arent great sometimes become nice after playing over time.
I do the "break in" part after practicing. I never start off a practice session working on reeds. I want to have been playing on a nice reed for awhile before working on newer reeds. THis helps me to avoid making embouchure adjustments when playing on the newer reeds, to compensate for unbalance.
I generally get a month or two for every series of reeds. Usually, all of my reeds get discarded at the same time. I usually start a new series about three weeks into the current series of reeds that I am using.
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2010-09-12 18:41
Wow. Takes me back to a time when reeds tortured me - which I mentioned 3 years ago above in the thread. To elaborate on my method:
In a lesson I had with Ian Greitzer years ago, I learned the most simplified method for working a reed that has saved me time and money. The "Side to Side" test.
It works if you are on the right strength reed, cut and brand that is compatible for your mouthpiece. After that its simple:
1.) Blow straight on into the MPC
2.) Tilt the mouthpiece to pinch of one side of the reed and leave the other side free to vibrate...blow
3.) Tilt to the other side. Blow.
4.) Compare.
In a balanced reed all three will sound the same.
In an unbalanced reed one side will usually be fuzzier than the other. I then use my thumb nail to see where both sides of the reed (that touch the MPC rails) bend. The fuzzier/stiffer side usually does not bend as much as the freer blowing side. I then scrape a bit from the fuzzier side using a reed knife at just below the point from where the bend stops and smooth it into the bend point gently. Scraping even a tiny bit can open up a reed. Repeat. Sometimes this opens up a reed so much I then do the other side if that sounds a bit stiff.
Occassionally I have to scrape at the heart...after years I can tell after the "side to side" test if a reed has too much there.
I don't soak. Ever. In my experience all this does is warp the back of the reed. My reeds don't warp on the back now that I don't soak. Occassionally the tip does warp if the reed has not been played in a while (mostly during the winter), but this usually resolves itself by a quick wetting in the mouth.
Post Edited (2010-09-12 18:44)
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Author: Connor
Date: 2010-09-13 04:25
My $.02 worth (that hasn't been said):
Mouthpiece: Behn Vintage C, 100/36. Reeds: Vandorens (blue box, V-12), Rico's (classics) and Xilemas (Art, Cla), usually 3.5-4's in all brands. Ligature: one that is exclusively made of metal (Vandoren Optimum, Bonade, Spriggs, ect.)
Never throw away a reed unless it has been thoroughly deformed. I keep a large box for 3's, 3 1/2's, 4's ect. for all my 'dud' reeds or reeds that have been played out.
My justification for this:
1. Over the course of several years, our physical approach to the clarinet changes slightly as does our equipment. New mouthpiece? Dig out a couple of old reeds to get a better idea which reed brands you will prefer in the future. Those involved in school are especially subject to changes in embouchure, such as my self, while still search for the ideal embouchure. What was a less than ideal reed with a past concept of embouchure may now be ideal due to new or different mussel groups functioning in the embouchure. Sometimes, the embouchure develops weakness on either the left or right side due to poor practice habits or after long breaks form playing. In order to function with a weak corner, an unbalanced reed give the ideal results.
2. Concept of sound is something that can be subject to change, hence a change in reed profile may help facilitate a new concept. This also explains a changing preference to one type of reed over the other over the course of a year.
3. A change in season may require a change in reed concept, pending where one lives. I find that softer reeds play better in the Colorado winter, and harder reeds function better in summer. When tropical storm Hugo went through Austin, I favored harder reeds. The moral to these examples is that having a stock pile of "old bones" becomes a pheasant luxury to have when the weather turns unfavorable for a current selection of reeds.
4. Aged reeds tend to play better. Though this is rather un-scientific, I find that less than ideal reeds tend to play better after they have sat around for about a year.
5. Experiments are fun, this is where all of the other fabulous information posted above comes into play. (I also have the DiLutis Reed Machine, great results can be had by profiling less than ideal factory reeds into something nice)
6. Keep the played out reeds, they may be functional on a future mouthpiece or for taking measurements to create clones.
7. Sell the "played only once but don't work for me" to students for $1. They will have the luxury of going through many of your duds and finding those 2 or 3 reeds that are fantastic for them without the confusion of trying to find good reeds from a box or having to spend too much money.
Why bother altering reeds, why though out Brand X reed that sound bad today, why trash reeds that are to hard/soft when they may be jems 6 months down the road or after a nice long week of vacation when something a little softer would be nice?
Connor O'Meara
MM. Clarinet Performance University of Texas at Austin (2012).
BM. Clarinet Performance University of Northern Colorado (2010).
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