 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TianL
Date: 2011-01-28 18:30
I've read articles of how people test if a reed has warped. Many of them use the technique of putting a reed on a mouthpiece, then suck out the air, and see if there is the vacuum holds.
But this will only test whether the bottom of reed has warped (since that's where the reed contacts with the mouthpiece).
The way I've been taught to test warpage is to put a reed flat down on a piece of flat glass, and then tap either side to see if it "rocks" from side to side. From my experience, my reeds almost always pass the "sucking-vacuum" test (or whatever you call it), but many times it would fail the second test, especially if it has been played for a while.
This means that the top half of the reed has warped while the bottom half is not. This would make sense because the top half of the reed gets a lot more moisture while the bottom half stays dry.
My teacher strong believes that even the top half of the reed is warped, that will negatively affect how the reed plays.
I'm just wondering about everyone's opinion on this.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-28 21:29
The reason to even test your reed for warpage is because it doesn't feel or respond well. With that said, if it doesn't bother you there's no need to even test it. Usually the problem with a warped reed is that it has a delayed response because air is escaping from someplace on the side and once you apply a natural pressure on the reed you "seal" it and it responds. If you do what I do to your reeds they will never warp anyplace. Seal the back, keep them humidity controlled, like in a sandwich bag with a Rico Vitalizer in there and never, never, I mean never, let them sit out in the opened air for more then a minute. If the reed does not go from one extreme wet to the other extreme of drying out it won't warp. See my website forf more information. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-01-28 22:43
It's absolutely essential that the bottom of the reed be flat. Otherwise it leaks, subtly or dramatically. Even a slight leak spoils the response.
If you leave the reed on the mouthpiece when you put the clarinet away (which you shouldn't do), or leave the clarinet out all day with the reed on, the bottom will warp down into the window. If you don't line it up exactly the next time, it will leak.
I put a piece of 400 grit sandpaper over a piece of plate glass, press firmly on the bark area and sand the bottom to a near mirror finish. If the butt of the reed is thicker on one side than on the other, I also press harder on the thick side to equalize the strength.
Once the area under the bark is shiny, I change to well-worn 600 grit, put my fingers gently on the vamp and sand very lightly, avoiding the tip.
Kalmen Opperman taught me to finish the polishing on a plain US Postal Service prepaid post card -- the one with the surface like a manila folder. A piece from a manila folder will also work.
For me, the flatter and smoother the bottom of the reed is, the better it plays. Of course YRMV.
Ken Shaw
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Author: moma4faith
Date: 2011-01-29 01:10
I noticed a difference in how long my reeds played well once I bought a good, quality reed case. I now have a Selmer reed case - the old black kind with the glass insert - and it keeps my reeds in very good shape. Like the others mentioned, I don't leave my reeds sitting out and I keep them in the case.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-01-29 01:28
My feeling after playing tons of reeds at Rico all reeds warp. they can also get soft and simply stop playing after 1 minute, sometimes they don't play at all.
You have to break in these beasts. Sorry to say I don't like using 400 wet/dry sand paper, because it takes too much off of your reeds. I use 600 and when I want to really seal a reed, once it's broken in I will use 1500 to make the reed really smooth and add a long life to them.
Part of the problem at Rico, I tried many times but failed, they use 220 sand paper, not the wet/dry paper. I don't mind 220 paper in order to get the blanks to the right size, but I always felt and wrote many memo's sayng they should use 600 wet/dry paper to polish/seal the reed blanks. Close the pours of the grain.
For me a really good reed, taking proper care can last around 1 to 2 months with 4 hours a day of hard playing. Yes you have to adjust them, but a good piece of cane will last a long time.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-01-29 14:42
I've found that the tip of a reed often warps when I take it off the clarinet to dry out, but when I re-moisten the reed and start playing on it, the warpage flattens out quickly. I don't find that tip-warpage is a problem at all. If the reed warps more than about half an inch down from the tip, though, that is a problem: won't flatten out during normal playing. That's when I get out the sandpaper.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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