 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-03-12 16:13
i just opened a new box of trad. vandorens. did what my teacher said to do ...
lightly sanded/polished each one and numbered them and put them in reed guards.
next I played each one for a couple minutes and wrote down what it was like - good, bad, soft, hard, airy etc... to my surprise, about 7 out of 10 were great.
then put them back.
the next day, I again very lightly sanded each reed and went thru the process again, playing each one for just a few minutes. each one had the same outcome as the day before.
day 3 - all my reeds are hard to blow/airy.
what happened?
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2008-03-12 16:15
soak the heel in water for a few minutes, that should loosen up the reed a bit.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-03-12 16:18
o-kay i will try that but WHY did that happen. i played each one only a couple minutes. why did they change so drastically?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-03-12 18:12
I do the same thing.....except I don't sand, polish, or balance until day 4. The reeds WILL change by the end, sometimes the worst reeds on day 1 will be the best on 4 and vice versa.
I too like the idea of soaking the reed for 2-5 minutes FIRST. I dip the heel but let the vamp soak.
The other wildcard is the prevailing humidity in the room where you are playing. If you're indeed in Massachusetts, chances are you're running the heat A LOT and the air in your place is starved for moisture. Any relative humidity under 60% is LESS than ideal and under 40% you might as well get yourself some Legeres at a quarter strength under what you normally play until you can straighten out this problem with a humidifier.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-03-12 18:42
thanks for the good answer paul. i do indeed live in MA and keep a humidfier in my bedroom, but not my music room. perhaps i should move it in there as the reading is well below 40% when it is not on.
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2008-03-12 20:24
Yesterday and Monday were very dry and today is very humid, that will definitely change how your reeds play, especially since they are being broken in.
As far as the 40-60% humidity range is concerned I think some may disagree with Paul as above 50% mold can start forming.
Nevertheless keeping your reeds storage in a humidity controlled room/case is a good idea to get consistent results out of them. Although I must say that reeds have the unfortunate habit of surprising their owners with all sorts of erratic behaviors,no matter what one does to them
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
Post Edited (2008-03-12 20:25)
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-03-12 21:35
When I was in Germany with my concert wind band in September 2006 all my reeds were too hard here in Iceland and it was quiet humid and about 5-10°C. But in Germany it was 25-30°C and very dry so all my reed(I was using 4 reeds for about 3-4 hour playing outside each day) sounded good. So when I came back after 5 days and back to very humid enviroment all my reeds sounded again too hard.
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2008-03-12 23:13
As mentioned above, the weather plays a huge role in the behavior of reeds. High humidity seems to have a strengthening effect on reeds and they play harder than normal conditions. Being in Texas where the weather is usually crazy, especially as of yet, I know it all too well. I mean seriously, who ever heard of two instances of snow in the same week, much less in March? In Texas no less! Then just yesterday morning the fog was so thick you couldn't see for more than a block down the street!
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Current set-up:
Classical:
Strength 4 1/4 Legere Signature Series
Vandoren M13 Lyre
Jazz:
Strength 3 3/4 Legere Quebec
Pomarico Jazz*
Clarinets:
Buffet E11 Student Model
Buffet R13 Greenline
<http://operationhighschool.blogspot.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-03-13 03:03
Just to drive home my point, I have had reeds that I had soaking in a bottle for up to 10 minutes in a VERY dry, Massachusetts apartment in mid-winter. Within 60 seconds of being on the mouthpiece the reed dried up completely and went from playing well to barely making any sound at all.
Once reeds are thoroughly broken in (probably twice the time in the winter....perhaps a full week of only a few minutes a piece), they should retain moisture well enough to hold up, but I insist on a humidifier during the winter.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2008-03-13 03:13
Try something different. With new reeds don't even bother to wet them.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-03-13 07:08
You should store your reeds in a reedcase and eather put it in a ziplock bag with a wet spong or just like I do just put the spong inside the reedcase. Works wonders for me.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-03-13 10:17
The trouble with breaking in reeds is I reckon it takes a good ten minutes for a reed to settle down but you're only supposed to play them for five... hmm. My own approach, and what I remember being taught, is to sit and suck one for the five minutes or so while I assemble the instrument, stand, music etc. (Actually you can tell a lot from this. A good tasting reed is usually a good sign in my experience.)
It also makes assessing new brands tricky, if you have to break them all in before you can judge them properly. A reed that sounds good straight out of the box might fall apart with prolonged playing; a reed that sounds good in the comfort of your own home might fall apart on stage. What I do now is select a few 'likely' reeds at home and then play them all in rehearsals. (I'm sure the other guys in the pit are going 'look, one of those crazy clarinetists with a different reed every ten minutes!'). Only then do they sink or swim for sure. And I keep coming back to a few favourite suppliers. A reed that gets better the longer you play it is a good friend to have in performance.
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2008-03-13 14:58
You got a lot of good advice here but you can't have too much when it comes to reeds.
You might get yourself a copy of Larry Guy's book on adjusting single reeds...he's got a 10 day routine for handling new reeds that's worked for him and many others.
Clarinet Redux
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Author: Tim P
Date: 2008-03-13 17:43
They are just being the reeds, that they arel. Did you know that Vandoran actually puts 9 good reeds in the package and one bad one, but by the time you get it most of them have been corrupted? You must have gotten a fresh pack in order to get 7, but maybe you let them mingle with each other too much after opening.
Legend has it that when Satan fell from grace and was cast from the heavens, he sought a soft landing and headed for a marsh. He passed through a bed of reeds on the way to the bowels of the earth. As our poor luck would have it, a bit of his nasty soul scraped off and became lodged on the reeds. So to this day we are left to suffer with their mean, despicable and wretched ways. They will lead you on, only to dash you when you lest suspect it. Even the mightiest of the clarinet world can not overcome them.
I was at clarinet concert this weekend to hear a one of the great clarinetist of our day. At intermission I saw him fussing with and cursing his reed (well not really cursing, we were in a church). Apparently the reed had performed stellar during warm-up only to go dead on him during the performance.
So the point being made is; here was one of the greats of our time, in a church, during Easter Lent and the reed still found the power to bash, and infuriate.
So just be careful with your reeds and never, never trust them. Be sure to put them securely in the reed case at night and close it TIGHT.
"saving the world, one beer at a time"
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2008-03-13 18:55
Here's a technique that might help. After playing on newish reeds make sure they dry awhile before putting them back in their case. Perhaps putting them away with the underside wet and the upside dry isn't good. Lay the reed upside down for a few minutes until it doesn't look soaked .
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: AS
Date: 2008-03-13 20:46
I don't quite get it - how can air humidity change the reed response? I suppose, reed is soaked with water/saliva well above the relative humidity when you're playing. Even if you start playing, most players soak the reed in water. The same with temperature - when playing reed should be warmed up to the body temperature, or at least quite close to it. What makes the difference then?
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2008-03-14 03:26
After soaking a reed in water and placing it on the mouthpiece it begins to dry out. The vamp of the reed dries quicker than the underside which is sheltered from the elements inside the mouthpiece. My take on this is that a "tipping point" occurs with humidity. If it is very low then problems start. The reed is drying unevenly. Repeated wetting and drying expands and shrinks the reed. Somehow it is like Humpty Dumpty, you can't put it back to where it started out. After a time reeds are more stable.....older reeds seem so...perhaps they are just less porous and are sealed more. They dry out slower and absorb water slower. In summary the reed is probably less static than you made it out to be. It isn't just a "soaked reed".....it is in a constant flux...drying out...moistened with saliva and humid breath etc. All this can cause change in response.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2008-03-17 20:32
I can proudly agree with Ronish. My real breaking point, though, was when I pulled out a brand new Vandoren V12 from its plastic case (these were bought before the whole flow packaging deal) and found three slits in the tip, rendering it unplayable.
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Current set-up:
Classical:
Strength 4 1/4 Legere Signature Series
Vandoren M13 Lyre
Jazz:
Strength 3 3/4 Legere Quebec
Pomarico Jazz*
Clarinets:
Buffet E11 Student Model
Buffet R13 Greenline
<http://operationhighschool.blogspot.com
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2008-03-17 21:13
gomez tool? is that a reed clipper?
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-17 21:20
No, it was a reed enhancement product. Put about 6-7 slits in the tip of the reed (maybe even further down closer to the heart??).
Was out in the 70's and early 80's. If I recall he was a student of Abe Galper.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4172482.html is the patent link
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2008-03-17 21:23)
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2008-03-18 01:03
Yes, it might have played had the chips not worsened when I checked the severity of the chips (I felt stupid after that because I turned three slits into three notches). I've never had much luck with slitted reeds anyways...
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Current set-up:
Classical:
Strength 4 1/4 Legere Signature Series
Vandoren M13 Lyre
Jazz:
Strength 3 3/4 Legere Quebec
Pomarico Jazz*
Clarinets:
Buffet E11 Student Model
Buffet R13 Greenline
<http://operationhighschool.blogspot.com
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2008-03-18 04:16
I have been hearing a lot of advice from another clarinet player - extremely good professional, him not me. I use a 2-1/2 Gonzales. I like them. Anyhow Sunday I was playing during a jam set and he came up to me afterwards and said that my reed was way too soft. He said you sound screechy and edgy on your high notes. I said I don't really know what that means. He said let me look at your reed. Off it came, spitty complete with a little lipstick to boot. He said put a harder reed on but first shave the harder reed quite a bit, and down on the reed further. I usually shave the reed in the middle. So when I got home I got out a #3 Gonzales and shave away. I tried it out and it was okay. Tonight I practiced on it for an hour and it was okay, but my poor lower lip is dying a slow death. He also said that there was something wrong with my mouthpiece which is a Vandoren B45. So he wants to measure it and fix it. Ok by me, but I'm kinda bewildered by the whole screechy edgy comment. I don't squeak (much). NOw I find on the #3 it is much easier to get the very high notes. Oh the problems, the problems, my poor brain has had it. I don't soak reeds, I just wet them before I put them on the horn, and that's all I've ever done. While I'm putting the horn together, as somebody mentioned. I'll let you know what happens when I get my new rebuilt mouthpiece!!!
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-03-18 09:02
Did he ask you what mouthpiece you were using before he said that you were using too soft reed? One of my teacher used the Buffet mouthpiece and he sounded just as good on V-12 #2 as on.#3 but on the #2 he was a bit to low in pitch.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-03-18 12:49
Hi Carol,
Sounds like pretty intricate advice, perhaps overly so. Questions of tone are tricky and a bit subjective. Equipment can help, but so can the slightest change in technique. Objectively, B45 is usually good with soft reeds, but can be a bit unforgiving. I would suggest trying to work out what he might have heard in your higher notes: try playing them in different ways, and listen very carefully to any differences you can create, and try asking the guy. In fact I would suggest getting him to demonstrate!
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-03-18 13:58
Im glad it works for you. I tried that and the pill bottle with holes drilled in and a sponge inside. it didn't work out to well. the mold was rampid!
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