Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-06-04 15:51
Hi All:
Yes, I am now using Legere synthetic reeds on all my horns at WICKED on Broadway!
That said, here's a little info on my findings about the new Legere reeds:
I have been sent several strengths of their reeds for all 4 of my horns;
Eb clarinet, Bb clarinet, Bass clarinet & Soprano sax.
The only "Signature" series I've received & play on, are Bb clarinet reeds.
I believe they will eventually make the "Signature" series for all the horns, but they will wait to see the response they get from all of you who are interested in their new line of reeds.
At WICKED, in my Summer outdoor concerts, and in many cold studios, the Legeres work better than most good cane reeds... and that's saying a lot, but I'm sure there are some who will disagree.
At the show we have smoke, fans, hot & cold spells, and humidity. I have been fighting these conditions for years, but to no avail. The best cane reeds suffer under these extreme circumstances. The Legere reeds are not affected & play great.
At Carnegie Hall last month, I tried the Legere "Signature" for the first time on that great stage with great acoustics & conditions. My report and feed-back from my colleagues was only positive, so I will continue to use the new Legeres at all my playing venues.
I will use it on July 4th for the outdoor Macy's fireworks show on TV, at the Diana Krall concert at Carnegie Hall on June 23 & 24, and at SomerStage in NYC's Central Park on June 12th with the NY Pops.
A word about the Legere reeds:
1) You must find the correct strength for you & your set-up, and the reed must "seal".
2) You must give the reed a few days of "break-in" time.
3) You must let your embouchure adjust to the new "feel" of the synthetic reed, it is different than cane, so a slight adjustment might be necessary.
4) You should try to remain open-minded about cane vs. synthetic, there are differences, and you must weigh the most positive features of each.
5) These new reeds will improve in time, and feed-back is necessary for Legere to improve this wonderful new product, so contact them.
6) Legere reeds may not be the best reed in your case, but it will always work and come through when all your cane reeds fail for whatever reason.
I still play on my very good cane reeds, but the consistency of my new "Signature" Legere reeds are astounding! So I'm using them more & more.
I find my normal set-ups for all my horns work just fine for the Legere reeds. I currently use for:
Eb clarinet: Buffet R-13, Selmer/Kaspar mpc. w/Harrison gold ligature, FOBES barrel & extension.
Bb clarinet: Buffet R-13, FOBES 2L mpc. w/"new" FL silver ligature, FOBES cocobolo barrel.
Bass clarinet: Selmer 67 silver w/low C, FOBES CL mpc. w/"new" FL silver ligature.
Soprano sax: Selmer Mark VI, Selmer ? mpc. with Selmer France ligature.
The various Legere reeds I use work beautifully on all these varied set-ups. You will have to find which of the many Legere reeds to choose from works best for you.
Good luck, and we're still clarinet friends if you stick with cane. Although I do believe synthetic reeds will be the reeds of the future.
Disclaimer: I am a Legere Artist & endorse their products.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
Post Edited (2009-06-04 15:56)
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