 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Grandpa
Date: 2010-03-01 19:08
I have a box of 3.5 strength, which I thought would be too strong for me so I tried deflecting one side and then the other, thinking of doing some scraping. I noticed that one side is much stiffer than the other. How is this normally adjusted? I can run my finger gently over the tip of the reed and hear a different sound on each side so I am going to try and adjust the strength on each side to get an identical sound, but I am just guessing on how to adjust it. Sometimes when I ask a question like this, I think everyone else knows the answer so please bear with me, as I am new at this.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-03-01 19:35
The only sure way to check reed balance is to play it first and check how each side responds.
I'm sure Ed Palanker covers all this on his website - plus a lot more.
check it out.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2010-03-01 20:30
Excellent question! Should both edges be of the same strength? Is there an advantage in having one edge slightly less flexible?
How does this affect the vibration of the reed and consequently the sound of the clarinet?
Steve
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2010-03-01 21:48
Or, if you would like to spend a tiny amount and learn about all this at the same time.. you can consider getting Tom Ridenours ATG reed finishing system. I've been using it for about 2-3 years now and have never had a problem. Works fantastic. Comes with a book and a DVD which is highly advisable to watch over the book to learn the methods that he teaches. Very valuable info. Highly worth consdering.
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-02 15:15
The reed should be "balanced" to your mouthpiece, not necessarily equally balanced to itself. To do this, position the reed on your mouthpiece first dead center, then slightly shifted to the left and right of center. Then, take a little cane from the side that plays too stiff until it matchs the other side or plays to your satisfaction. Ex--if the reed plays too stiff tilted to the left, that means the right rail side of the reed needs adjustment. Remove only a small amount of shavings before retesting--for this I use a reed knife, others may use "dutch" rush, sandpaper, etc. Generally, this removal should be made in long stokes towards the tip from the side of the heart that is stiffest, but not too close to the tip. These minor adjustments may be done while the reed is mounted on the mouthpiece for easy play-testing between scrapes. Many may disagree with this, but it worked successfully for me for many years without any mouthpiece damage. Of course, eventually you will want to center the reed occassionally to determine if the balancing process has been successful, but initial adjustments are doable with the reed still tilted. Sometimes, a reed will play wonderfully slightly off-center--if this is the case, I just resolve to play it that way with no further balancing. As long as it plays great, who cares if it isn't perfectly centered?? Of course, all of my advice here is just basic reed balancing "101"--it is actually much more complex and requires more in-depth study and experiance. There are many good books--one by my forer college teacher, Glenn Bowen, "The Making and Adjustment of Reeds". Tom's system is also recommended, but if you can become just as good with a reed knife without. What Tom Ridenour offers is precise "how and how much" advice and is probably worth the investment--at least, for the video. BTW, when I knew Tom at Leblanc (1990's), he was making his reeds from blanks on a Redule and finishing them mounted on his mouthpiece with a reed knife, much as I have described--at which, he was then a master.
Bottom line: balance your reeds to your mouthpiece, not strictly to themselves. Good luck.
However--I must add--for the past year, I have been "liberated" from these balancing issues and the inconsistancies of cane by switching to Forestone reeds. Many other clarinetists are using Legere--particularily, the Signiture series (which do not work for me, but perhaps for you). Personally, I may never go back to cane as its such a relief to have a reed that is always ready to play, never requires preparation or adjustment and never "die" on the gig, maintaining it's resiliance from down-beat to final bows. Forestone of Legere, for me, better than Vandoren or any other cane brand. Definately, the reed of the future.
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2010-03-02 15:35
For some time I have noticed that the left side of Vandoren V12 reeds are stronger than the right side. I think this is true of the "Blue Box" ones as well, but I don't play them as often.
I believe that in his "A Clarinettist's Compendium", Daniel Bonade first raised the possibility that because we hold the instrument in our RIGHT hand, it causes a tendency to rotate counter-clockwise creating more pressure on the LEFT side of the embouchure, thus requiring the reed to be stronger on that side. It is possible that Vandoren has taken this to heart (literally), making the left side of the reed slightly stiffer.
Whether this is the case [for me] or not, I find that working the left side of the reed to allow it to flex identically to the right side usually improves the reed's tone and flexibility. It also helps reeds that seem to stiff to play more easily.
I'm sure there are many ways to do this, but I've adapted Bonade's techniques for using reed rush as it is convenient, portable, gives good results.
I take a 1/4" long section from a soaked tube of reed rush and flatten it so you can hold it between your fingertip and the reed so that the "ridges" are perpendicular to the vamp--like an organic "file". Using a small plate (2x5" plastic or glass) I flex the reed against the plate (holding it very gently between my finger-tips). In this way I can accurately feel/observe where the reed is strong/weak. I usually begin by "polishing" the entire vamp to ensure that it is smooth (and for you mathematicians, so that the 1st and 2nd derivatives of the curve are also "smooth"). I will flex the reed using the above technique and gently "polish" areas that are too strong (a very gentle pressure is sufficient and ensures that if you go too far, you can re-balance by polishing the other side). On almost every reed, I will polish the entire left-hand 1/8-3/16" of the vamp. For me, this usually improves the tone and makes the reed more flexible (i.e., it makes it easier to play both loud/soft without as much effort). I occasionally polish the right side if the response becomes impaired. Once it is balanced, the entire vamp can be polished evenly to reduce the reed's strength.
The amazing thing is how little material need be removed to make a significant difference, hence the "polishing" technique (i.e., minimal pressure). However, if you really need to take the strength down a LOT, you can of course use much more pressure.
I don't fix the reeds all at once, but work each one for a few minutes during perhaps 3-4 sessions over a period of perhaps 3-7 days, after which they usually play well and consistently. While many people complain about not getting usable reeds, I find that with about 5-10 minutes of work (max) per reed and breaking them in properly, you might be able to play well on 90% of the reeds you buy.
I encourage you to experiment with techniques of adjusting your reeds. I'm sure that with a systematic approach, you will discover what adjustments work best for you to get your reeds to sound and respond the way you want. The effort will be well spent.
Good luck!
Bob Barnhart
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-03-02 17:02
For a quicker appraisal of reed balance, twist the clarinet so that one side of the reed is severely restricted on your lip. Play an open G and attack it sfzp. The sound should ring. Twist to the other side and repeat.
With no hands on the keywork, you can do this test holding the reed to the mouthpiece (centered) with your thumb.
The dull(er) sounding edge is too stiff, so you "feather off" a bit of it and test again.
If your mouthpiece is not symmetrical, you'll have to more often remove material from the same side of your reeds. Assuming that the variability of cane will put the hard side of the production reed with equal probability on the left or right side, it is likely that, if you have to consistently remove material from the same side of all of your new reeds, then you might want to check your mouthpiece because it certainly is not "reed friendly."
As I try to keep a dozen or so reeds in playing rotation, I balance all of them centered very carefully on the mouthpiece --so that I don't have to remember that reed #7 in the rotation "leans to the right/left."
If the reed is not balanced, it will play dead and be most uncooperative in the altissimo register. BUT, still, I have to be very careful about reed placement on the mouthpiece, and about 1 out of 3 times when I mount a reed, I'll have to shift it a bit to get it back to "perfect" --where it was when I balanced it.
Bob Phillips
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