 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Campana
Date: 2012-09-15 11:15
Is there an unambiguas answer to the following question, disregarding any other consideration such as tonal quality.
Is a hard reed/smaller gap more free blowing than a soft reed/larger gap.
If so why are beginners started on soft reeds.
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Author: Caleb
Date: 2012-09-15 12:18
I also have th same question.
If you are start on a Yamaha 4C with a rico 2 1/2. As we know, 4c is a quiet small gap mp(1.00mm), isn't it should use with harder reed?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-09-15 13:16
I prefer a free-blowing setup, which means that I use relatively soft reeds (#3 or 3-1/2) on a relatively open mouthpiece (the same tip opening as a Vandoren 5RV Lyre or Selmer HS**).
When I try stiffer reeds on a close lay (Vandoren 5RV, Selmer HS*), I feel more back-pressure than I'm comfortable with. Also, the close tip means I can put less air through, which limits my ability to play loud.
LOTS of people play on a close mouthpiece with hard reeds. Tom Ridenour says he gets more color this way and doesn't have to make embouchure changes as he goes higher or lower. He also says close mouthpieces are pickier about reeds than open ones, but once you get the reed adjusted, the close design works better.
All I can say is that a more open setup works best for me. You have to play many mouthpiece and reed combinations to discover what works for you.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Buster
Date: 2012-09-16 04:39
Campana
Tip openings are just a portion the picture.
Facing length will affect the feeling of resistance or back-pressure; as well as window size and rail width.
e.g. I have some close-tipped mouthpieces that feel more free-blowing with stiffer reeds than a more open mouthpiece played with less resistant reeds. Perhaps that's beside the point...
I'd think some start their pupils on (comparatively?) soft reeds for assumed weakness on the part of the student. Of course, the quandary of changing reed strength when appropriate, or needed, for the benefit of the student is never addressed by some more dense teachers.
For the record, I'd not equated reed strength with skill level; within reasonable boundaries.
-Jason
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Author: Lorenzo_M
Date: 2012-09-16 05:15
I also believe most start their students on softer reeds because of some assumed weakness of airstream generation and support. That would tend to make sense...as a child has smaller volume of air available than an adult, one would think, no?
As for reed strength in relation to mouthpiece...it's all....relative. A mouthpiece can have many many design considerations, and two pieces of the same tip opening may be completely different. I have two pieces made by the same maker, made in essentially the same style. The smaller oneis in fact less free blowing than the larger one...and they have different sound qualities (though are variations on a theme, not polar opposites). I use the same strength reeds...in fact I tend to use softer reeds on the smaller mouthpiece. You would think the smaller one is easier to play, if using conventional wisdom, but that's not really the case.
There is also the oft-ignored factor of reed cut...the same strengths (using equivalence charts and whatnot) may play and feel completely different on various mouthpieces. So, even reed strength alone is inadequate to gauge potential playability. Rico v. Vandoren, V12 v Rue Lepic v Grand Concert Select v Reserve...so many choices.
So, I guess I'm saying...there isn't an absolute truth here. The reed/mouthpiece/ligature combination has many combinations, and is only as good as the player behind it. We can make generalities, but ultimately for an advancing player those "rules" start becoming more shallow.
And for the record, I use medium reeds (about a V12 3.5+ or 3.5) on mouthpieces that are about 1.15mm and 1.09mm. I guess that makes them medium open or medium, depending on what charts you like to look at. It's more comfortable and gets me the sound I like, and really that's what should matter.
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Author: Campana
Date: 2012-09-16 08:50
Thank you all for your helpful replies. I am self teaching, only partly by choice, there is no known teacher within dozens of miles. It's not practical to travel 100s miles to a shop which would let met try a few combinations. To move away from my beginners set up, B40/2.1/2, will mean buying on spec and maybe wasting my money. I'm also elderly which is why free blowing is important to me. Thanks again.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2012-09-16 17:32
It's not "hard" or "soft," it's the "perfect" reed for your mouthpiece curve. And even that's a matter of taste.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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