 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: JV
Date: 2008-03-04 03:15
Hi,
I'm beginning to learn the clarinet with a Yamaha YCL-250 with the standard 4C mouthpiece. I'd like to experiment with different reeds and my teacher recommended Vandorens as a good place to start.
I found 4 models:
1) Traditional
2) V-12
3) 56 rue Lepic
4) German
I've read their description at the Vandoren website but to be honest, apart from the tech specs (which weren't very meaningful to me), it all sounded like sales pitch to me.
What are the advantages of these reeds for an absolute beginner like me? Will all these be able to fit in a 4C mouthpiece?
Regards,
JV
Post Edited (2008-03-04 03:15)
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Author: davidsampson
Date: 2008-03-04 05:08
I would not even try the german reeds on a 4C, imo. They are made for a different type of mouthpiece. It's probably best to start out on the traditional reeds, though V12's might work as well. The 56's are unnecessary at your level, and they might not even benefit you at a higher level.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-03-04 06:12
JV I would try something with easier aproach and softer grade of cane like Rico,Rico Royal or Mitchel Lurie reeds. You need too much brake in time(you learn about it later in your studies) with Vandoren and many more will work out of the box for you with little or no adjustments at all. Rico #3 is about equal to Vandoren Traditional #2.5. They are also much cheaper than Vandoren. Good luck and remember to practice for shorter time like 1 or 2X 15 min a day rather than hour or two once a week.
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-03-04 07:01
As a beginner, you should stick to the traditional (thin) Vandoren or, as Iceland says, Mitchell Lurie.
You'll most likely want a 2 or maybe 2.5 Vandoren, or a 3 in the ML. The strength numbers aren't consistent between brands, nor even between different designs from the same brand.
Since you're in Argentina, you might want to try the home-grown Gonzalez reeds - the RC, not the thicker FoF. (I hate them, as it happens, but others on this board disagree.)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-03-04 07:23
NorbertTheParrot wrote:
> Since you're in Argentina, you might want to try the home-grown
> Gonzalez reeds - the RC, not the thicker FoF. (I hate them, as
> it happens, but others on this board disagree.)
Part of the initiation rite is to find one's way through the cane thicket.
(from own experience, I second the Mitchell Lurie recommendation)
--
Ben
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-03-04 12:01
My opinions: The 4C is a decent mouthpiece. Try the VanDoren Traditionals and get the 1 1/2 strength. You'll save your lip and a lot of aggravation as a beginner. You can move on to the 2 1/2 or Gonzales 2 3/4 later.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-03-04 12:16
Something like Rico Royal or Mitchell Lurie will probably feel a lot easier to play... but the Traditional Vandorens are good for the soul.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-03-04 15:40
JV -
It takes about a year to develop strength and control of the embouchure muscles around your lips. Until then, I don't think the brand of reed makes much difference. You get the "beginner" sound on anything.
Vandoren Traditional reeds sound a bit better than Rico, but they're very inconsistent. I'd go with Ricos for the time being, trying an occasional Vandoren from time to time until you notice that it sounds better, and then switch.
The most important thing for beginners is to get a reed that's perfectly even from shoulder to tip and perfectly balanced from side to side. When my nephew was just getting started, I balanced a Vandoren just right, and he sounded excellent even though he had no embouchure control.
Get a box of Vandoren Traditional or Black Master (they're quite similar) or V-12 (which are thicker at the back) and ask your teacher to do a quick balancing job on a couple of them. Then, devote part of each lesson to reed setup.
Any Vandoren model except White Master will fit your mouthpiece. Get whichever one you find the best deal on. At this point, I don't think the 56 rue Lepic are worth the extra expense.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: JV
Date: 2008-03-04 15:51
Thank you all for the good advice. Talk about a can of worms...
I will be traveling to the US and will try to get a bunch of each brand and see how they feel. My main concern is that I may not be experienced enough to spot a "good" one. During my lessons (when I didn't have a clarinet) I tried two reeds -I'm talking about two beaten up, mega-abused, post World War II reeds- and they felt like night and day. They LOOKED the same but with one I could play and with the other one I couldn't (unless you considered what sounded like a cat being tortured "playing"). And after I tried the playable one, my teacher asked me a few questions and based on my answers he filed the reed with a little knife in certain spots and it played even better.
How do you learn to do THAT!? I mean, besides from the obvious reed thickness and sizes, they all look the same to me. My teacher told me there are certain ways to modify a reed to make it play better in different registers, etc. It sounds to me that it is a craft that requires YEARS to master and that shouldn't be attempted by a beginner.
Ken Shaw, you say that 'You get the "beginner" sound on anything.' Oddly enough this actually brings some peace to me. There are SO many brands, models, thicknesses, that it can be frustrating for a beginner to feel that they've made the right choice knowing that a bad reed can totally hinder you playing.
NorbertTheParrot: I wish it were that easy! Reed prices here in Argentina are double to triple what they cost in the US even for the local Gonzalez reeds. Such a shame...
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