 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Stuart Szeto
Date: 1999-03-28 03:51
Hi,
I am currently using Rico reeds with my Vandoren B45 mouthpiece. I was wondering if these were good reeds or if I
should find other ones.
Please comment. Thanks.
ps: I'm only on 1.5 strength reeds at this stage.
Regards
Stu
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-28 04:06
Orange box Rico reeds are not very good. Change to something else. The Rico Royal reeds are the same strength as the orange box rico reeds and are much better.
One other hint, A music store owner told me that the reed manufacturers put the same thing in the 1-1/2 and the 2 reed boxes, so you might as well get the #2 reeds.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-28 05:09
As Rick2 has said, there are many reeds out there better than the plain Ricos. Rico makes both the Rico Royal and the Mitchell Lurie brands.
However, I would suggest that a 1.5 or even 2 is much too soft for even a beginner (especially an adult beginner). Once you add the register key, this soft a reed will tend to be flat in the middle and higher registers. A 2.5 in the Rico Royal or Mitchell Lurie is reasonable for most beginners.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-28 05:13
By the way the B45 is a good mouthpiece for a beginner. However Vandoren recommends that reeds should be in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 in strength for this mouthpiece when using Vandoren reeds. Since Vandoren reeds run a little harder, that would be equivalent to a 3 to 4 in the Rico Royals or Mitchell Luries.
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Author: Donn
Date: 1999-03-28 14:56
In my limited experience, it seems that Rico Royal reeds are far more consistent than Van D. I have had very good result s with their 2-1/2, but think I'm about ready for 3's. Good luck!
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-29 04:30
=========
However, I would suggest that a 1.5 or even 2 is much too soft for even a beginner (especially an adult beginner). Once you add the register key, this soft a reed will tend to be flat in the middle and higher registers. A 2.5 in the Rico Royal or Mitchell Lurie is reasonable for most beginners.
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I started on Rico #2 and played on them for several weeks because I couldn't take 2-1/2 reeds. Then I started consciously playing them for a little while alternating early and late in my practice to build up my chops. I finally switched over and have been playing 2-1/2 for a year though I switched to Rico Royal. I recently tried a #3 and I can play it but it's a bit stiff for me. My point is that #2 might be ok for now, but you'll want to exercise your chops by using the stiffer ones for a little bit each day. You'll eventually need a far stiffer reed than a #2 or you'll need a more open mouthpiece if you want to play above the staff. I went with the open mouthpiece but even so I'll probably move to the #3 within the year because soemtimes the #2-1/2 is too soft or gets soft after playing for a while.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-03-29 13:42
I've been hacking away at the clarinet as an adult novice for about 4 years, averaging a few hours a week, one hour at a time. In a nutshell, I'm not too far ahead of you.
I use a Vandoren B45 mp and Vandoren regular reeds or V-12 2.5 to 3.0 (with some tailoring of the 3.0). This reed/mp combination works okay for me. My most recent practice session was with a Vandoren V-12 #2.5 reed, basically straight out of the box but broken-in. I was able to play predictably on command any note I wanted, all the way up to altissimo G with no problems, no squeaks, no grunts. Air support was not too bad for the altissimo, but I still need to work on it to make it better. I still have to slow down to a snail's pace for the higher altissimo notes, mainly because they are not second nature to me yet.
I believe there are some very good and relatively inexpensive drill books that can help develop embouchure and air support, thereby indirectly helping you step up to slightly stiffer but more responsive reeds. Look for Hite's version of the Baermann III book, published by Southern Music Company. The 3ds, 5ths, and octave drills for each scale in that book I believe are excellent tools for the development of basic skills. This book may be a bit much for an absolute adult novice, or for a school-aged novice. However, I have personally found that it has been very helpful for me in developing smoothness across the register breaks and for embouchure/air support development.
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 1999-04-01 16:12
As you will find by following this BB, all of the musicians are constantly trying out different reeds. We keep trying them out in hopes of finding the ultimate, perfect reed. You know, like searching for the Fountain of Youth. Try out as many different brands as you can afford as you progress in ability. You will find that your likes will change and modify considerably. But you should give any new reed type a good tryout before permanently rejecting it. You will also find that there will be a noticable varience within a box of reeds. Sorry about the long windedness, but there is no one final, ultimate answer.
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