 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarionman
Date: 2008-10-09 22:13
Does anybody body know if a Reed trimmer for Contra alto clarinet reeds exist or can somebody give me some advice on how to trim Contra alto clarinet reeds. I got some reeds and are not strong enough so I need to trim them just a little. I already destroy 2 reeds while trying to find a way to do it. Considering that contra alto reeds are more expensive then regular Bb reeds I don’t want to keep trying without knowing how to do it properly.
Thanks.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-10-09 22:28
A bass sax trimmer, if such an animal exists, should work.
To do it manually, trace the curve of the mouthpiece onto a [piece of paper and use a brand new fingernail clipper (I use the Trim brand) to cut a little bit at a time. A sharp fingernail scissor or podiatrist's nail clipper should also be OK. Do the final smoothing with 600 black sandpaper over your fingertip, always going from the corner toward the middle.
And I buy Vandoren # 5 contra reeds for that very reason. All of them are warped and have to be sanded flat along the bottom anyway, and that brings the strength down to a manageable level.
Ken Shaw
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Author: clarionman
Date: 2008-10-10 14:08
Thanks for the suggestions. About two months ago a bought a new contra alto clarinet and I was not sure what strength reeds to get, so I ended up buying 2 ½ Rico reeds and they are just too soft. Now I use Vandoren #3 but I want to see if I can get the Rico reeds to an acceptable playing condition. The Rico reeds are just awful.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-10-11 22:00
I believe the Bari sax trimmer is the one that fits. I know for sure the Tenor and bass clarinet are the same size. Get one from a mail order place that will allow you to send it back if it's not correct. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457 Listen to a little Mozart
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Author: LCL
Date: 2008-10-12 14:22
I'll admit that I'm sort of off the target, but here goes! I own both a Bb & Eb Contrabass & Contra-alto and use as soft a reed as possible. Actually just hard enough that it does not slap against the mouthpiece. This was the advice of Dr. Lucien Calliet, who wrote a pamphlet for Leblanc about the Contra-bass. So although reed strength is dependent upon several variables and personal preference could be one of them, I could never use a #3. In fact today, I planed down a Legere #2 Bari-sax and Reeco #3 Contra-alto and they play wonderfully.
Best regards,
LCL
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Author: clarionman
Date: 2008-10-12 17:32
Ed thanks for the suggestion I will definitely order a bari sax trimmer and see what happens.
I will also try the other suggestions.
Thanks everyone.
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