 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rapidcif
Date: 2009-10-09 02:38
in other words i heard that it would kill ur embochure if u use it, unless ur an really advanced player. Im not thinking of using size 5 reeds, it's just my friend's giving away a free rico grand concert size 5 reed haha
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Author: bcl1dso
Date: 2009-10-09 02:56
It will hurt you more than it will help you. Not worth the price ; )
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2009-10-09 03:57
"Advanced" has nothing to do with it. Luis Rossi plays on a 2.75, and he's not the only top-flight player who uses "soft" reeds.
I'll let the other posters chime in as to why they do or don't use "hard" reeds. Just don't fall prey to the myth.
B.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-10-09 04:17
Depends on the mouthpiece.
There are believers of the school of "Use as hard a reed as you can to get a dark sound". I believe you match the reed to the mouthpiece. So I've used size 5 reeds on an appropriate mouthpiece before. Didn't kill my embouchure, and didn't need to bite or use any pressure in order to play. Right now my mouthpieces sound fine with 3.5's, and I don't intend to change a sound that I am pleased with.
Alexi
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Author: Ed
Date: 2009-10-09 13:28
There are mouthpieces that work very well with a #5. It all depends on the facing. I had used some that played very comfortably with hard reeds.
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Author: Lee
Date: 2009-10-09 16:28
After college I quit playing. Then about 20 years later I started again still using the same Buffet mouthpiece that came with my R13. As the chops developed reeds would get to the point that they felt like wet noodle and I'd incerase the stringth. Finally I wound up playing ML 5's. Then I started experimenting with other mouthpieces til now with a Bay Neuance I find the Forestone 3 1/2 gives me what I want. Just an anecdote to support the fact that the reed needs to match the MP.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-09 16:46
It does depend on the mouthpiece and the way you play. You did say "give away". Try a few and see for yourself. If you have to bite, pinch or generally blow too hard than don't use them. You shouldn't play a reed that's too hard for your comfort level the same way you shouldn't play a reed that's too soft for it either. Generally a reed that's too soft for you will give you a brighter sound and you will have problems keeping the throat tones and upper register focused. On the other hand, if the reed is too hard for you instead of getting a darker sound you will get a forced, reedy tone that can also be very bright and harsh and you will have trouble articulating and running out of breath. Try a few and see for yourself. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Joseph Brenner, Jr.
Date: 2009-10-09 20:08
My first teacher (a Bonade student) told me that Robert McGinnis played #5 reeds with a George Genny(sp?) mouthpiece. That mouthpiece was reputed to be wide open. My teacher characterized McGinnis as " rugged individualist." At the time, McGinnis was principal clarinetist of the NY Philharmonic.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-09 22:40
Joe as I said, everyone is different and have different requirements in their playing. What's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Each to their own. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2009-10-10 05:56
David, you most definitely were not stupid for using Mitchell Lurie 5 1/2 reeds!
I've written about this before, so I'll keep my comments brief. Back in the 70s, I don't remember having as many reed choices as we have today. Yes it's true--many professional performers used to use Luries. I remember having a discussion with my teacher in college about it, and he was fine with me using them. In fact, he told me names of some professionals who used them. Loren Kitt may have been one of these performers, but I honestly don't remember for sure (unfortunately I didn't write any of these names down and I don't recall them today).
My usual routine was to use Vandorens (I only remember one type back then) in the warmer months and to switch to Luries in the winter. I found that the Vandorens didn't work as well in the very dry music building, but Luries were more forgiving. I don't remember for sure, but I think I used a 5 or 5 1/2. I use a different mouthpiece today and I would never think of using a reed that hard anymore, but those Luries worked very well for me then.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-10-10 17:18
There was a time during that period - may have been the early 1970s - when distributorship problems (or was it weather damage to the cane crop? - there was always some excuse or another) were making Vandorens hard to get in the U.S.. Gigliotti started using Luries as the best alternative he could find. I think (but it's been a long time, so memory may be foggy) that the Lurie 5.5s came out about then in response to the orchestral players who were playing on VD #5s with close-tipped, longer facings and found the Lurie #5s a little too light.
Karl
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-10-10 17:29
I haven't had time to go through the other replies yet, so I may be repeating what others are saying - I'm on my way out the door. But the idea that hard reeds necessarily are unresponsive or hard-to-play always fries me a little, so I want to get off a quick response.
The reed and the mouthpiece form an integrated system which then has to work with the instrument. There are mouthpiece styles in use by many skilled players that require a stiffer reed (#4 - #5 of most brands). On these mouthpieces a #5 is not a chop-buster but a way to get a clear, vibrant, responsive sound on a mouthpiece that with anything much softer tends to produce thin, edgy sound and too easy reed closure even with normal embouchure firmness and no jaw pressure against the reed itself.
It isn't that one strength is for skilled players and another is for less advanced ones. Good players tend to make their choices based on what will achieve a musical goal with the least effort. The reed must fit the mouthpiece much more than it must fit the player.
Whether or not a #5 is good for you to play on depends completely on how it responds on your mouthpiece. If it's a chop-buster, it's too hard.
Karl
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2009-10-10 21:32
KDK said:
There was a time during that period - may have been the early 1970s - when distributorship problems (or was it weather damage to the cane crop? - there was always some excuse or another) were making Vandorens hard to get in the U.S..
I think you're right. I suppose that some people may have ordered from mail-order outfits back then, but in the days before the Internet we relied mostly on our local music stores. Now that you mention it, I can recall many visits and phone calls to music stores asking if they had Vandorens in stock. Sometimes they did (we'd breathe a sigh of relief), but often the answer was, "I'm sorry, but we're sold out." I'd ask when the next shipment was due to arrive, and the answer was usually, "I don't know, but I'm hoping it's soon. Maybe in a couple weeks."
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-10-10 22:28
As I say, it's a little foggy in my mind, but I think Boosey & Hawkes may have been the worldwide distributor but had assigned U.S. distribution exclusively to (I think) Leblanc U.S.A.. Leblanc (or whoever the U.S. company was if I'm wrong) was having business problems of its own and Vandoren reeds just weren't getting here. Some players had gotten into the habit of replacing them with Olivieri reeds during earlier Vandoren droughts.
You're right - most everyone then either bought at local music stores or bought directly from the Vandoren factory if they were going to Paris or could find a friend who was. Very different times.
Karl
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Author: ABerry
Date: 2009-10-11 07:45
While in college back in the mid 70's, I played Mitchel Lurie, La Voz 3.5 reeds, on an old Selmer Series 9 with a HS* mouthpiece. My instructor suggested it was past time for some new equipment…So, I purchased my first Buffet R13 in 1975, with a Vandoren B45 and Vandoren 5 reeds. My instructor also played Vandoren 5 reeds and man, what a sound he had… My current instructor plays 3.5 V12s and she has a beautiful sound as well, so it completely depends on the individual player and their equipment.
I still play Vandoren 5s today although I use V12, Black Master, 56 Rue Lepic as well as a few other brands. I have also switched from the B45 to a Morales-Backun and a Walter Grabner K14.
Allan
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