 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: karlbonner82
Date: 2010-04-26 07:50
I seem to be running into a Goldilocks problem with my reeds. I purchased a 3-pack of Rico Royal 2.5s and found the tone quality to be a bit weak. Then I discovered an unused Vandoren 3 (not sure if it's V12) in the box the clarinet came with! I tried it and discovered that it gave me a MUCH nicer sound but was a bit tiring to play for more than a minute or so.
Is there an intermediate reed that would give the good tone color without being too strenuous? Is it just that the Ricos are too soft and the Vandoren too hard? Or is the problem that I'm out of practice, and that by building an embouchure I'll eventually be able to get more sound quality with less fatigue. Perhaps Ricos just are not fit for getting beautiful timbre on a plastic clarinet....
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2010-04-26 09:57
>> Is there an intermediate reed ...?
Yes: Vandoren 2.5 or Rico Royal 3. The Rico and Vandoren grading systems are about half a step different.
And the Rico Royal might seem more pleasant at first, but remember that Vandoren reeds build character ... ;D
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-04-26 13:42
As Bassie suggested (though he was more specific), if the tone quality seems thin or "weak," try the next strength up. If the tone is good but it's difficult to produce, try the next strength down. In theory, this should work equally for any brand/model of reed, although in practice some reed styles and profiles just seem to play better on some mouthpieces than others.
Listen to the result in any case - the first test of reed strength for me is the sound and response in the chalumeau register, but you need to be able to continue to produce a resonant sound and get reliable response all the way up through the whole range. If the chalumeau is dull, breathy or stuffy or it's prone to squeak on articulated notes, it's probably too hard for your mouthpiece. If the upper clarion notes close up with little or no effort so that you're not able to use enough embouchure pressure to keep the pitch from going flat, the reed is probably too soft for the mouthpiece you're using.
Karl
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Author: William
Date: 2010-04-26 14:35
You are having problems with reeds???
Not since I switched to Forestone reeds. They are relatively consistant and are impervious to climate or humidity. They are making my "World of Clarinet" much less stressful to live in.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-04-26 14:45
Rico Royal is a STUDENT reed. At least for clarinet no professional player that i've ever heard of uses them, maybe on sax. I'd suggest trying the Rico Grand Concert. Rico makes several lines of professional reeds, these are the basic line and therefore the least expensive but a major step above their Royal line. I'd suggest getting a box of # 2 1/2 and eventually moving up to a #3. By the way, no matter what brand you get there are always a few in the box that are softer of harder then the average so you can't tell by just trying one. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2010-04-26 18:55
With the possible exception of the post on synthetic reeds (I've not yet tried them), I'd second all previous advice.
For what it's worth, I've been playing on Vandoren reeds, traditional and V12, since I returned to the clarinet about 2 1/2 years ago. I started with 2 1/2, moved to 3 after about five months (when I started playing on an M13 Lyre mouthpiece), and then moved again to 3 1/2. I've since switched to a Hawkins B, another close-facing mouthpiece, which has a response that I prefer to the M13L.
I've experimented, too: Rico Grand Concert Select (regular blank and thick blank), Rico Reserve, Rico Reserve Classic, Mitchell Lurie, Rigotti Gold, FOF Gonzalez. I keep coming back to Vandoren. Although Vandorens tend to be a fussier reed to make work, the effort seems to pay off more often than not.
I'm not suggesting that you play Russian roulette with reeds at this stage. Get settled with a mouthpiece and reed combination that works for you and stick with it for awhile, as you develop.
Karl's suggestion on strength, of course, is quite right and you will have to experiment to find the reed you want. Ed Palanker's suggestion is well worth heeding, too: try the Grand Concert--not the thick blank, though.
But do experiment methodically. Music stores often sell individual Vandoren reeds, by strength, so you can buy a few and compare without paying $17 to $24 for a box.
It goes without saying that your mouthpiece and the state of your embouchure will be crucial in all this, so taking some lessons---did you say you were doing so, in a previous thread?--and getting reliable guidance will go a long way toward improving your playing results.
Post Edited (2010-04-26 18:59)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-04-26 22:55
A nice comfortable reed that focuses between a beginning reed and the pro lines are the Mitchell Lurie reeds. The price is much less than the pro reeds.
These reeds are actually cut twice to assure quality performance.
I have to add to this that I do not endorse Rico reed products. I'm actually a Vandoren man.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2010-04-27 01:59)
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Author: William
Date: 2010-04-27 14:29
I would like to report that my "world of saxophone" recently became much less stressful with my switch to the new Forestone alto and tenor sax reeds. For me, they tend to run on the stiff side and I'm using F2's on both instruments (Selmer BA alto & Selmer MKVI tenor) Mouthpieces: alto--vintage "Hollywood" Gregory; tenor--Guardala "Studio" (vintage hand-finished); They both tend to be more open that the Selmer C* mouthpieces that, for me, play well with F2.5 or F3's. My ligs are original Winslow's (with the removeable bands) and traditional six-post set-up. But these new Forestone sax reeds play much better than the comparable Legeres, especially in the altissimo range. And unlike cane, they are quite consistant, require no "break-in", are not affected by humidity or temps and do not die halfway through the gig. And they sound just as good as cane, if not better.
Synthetic reeds are the future of clarinet and sax playing--and for me, that future is Forestone. Cane reeds are things of the past.........
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