 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: as9934
Date: 2014-08-01 02:48
I am starting marching band camp on monday and am looking into getting a synthetic reed for outdoor performances. I have heard good things about the Legere Signature reed and am leaning toward it over the Forestone reeds. I have a couple of questions about them though:
1. Do you prefer the Legere Signature or the Forestones?
2. Are they worth the $25-30 they are going to cost me per reed? Why are they better than cane for outdoor performance? are the brighter/louder? More consistent? Why should I get these over a box of Reserve Classics for Marching Band?
3. Will they work with my 5RV Lyre and/or Vandoren B45? Metal or Rovner Style Ligature?
4. Do they taste bad?
5. What size should I order? 3.5? 3.25? 3.75? I currently use Rico Grand Concert Select Thick 3.5. Is there a break in process?
6. Can I use them for jazz? Classical?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wind Ensemble
Buffet E11 clarinet , Vandoren Masters CL6 13 series mouthpiece w/ Pewter M/O Ligature, Vandoren V12 3.5
Yamaha 200ad clarinet, Vandoren B45 mouthpiece, Rovner ligature
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2014-08-01 03:05
The Signature is a very nice reed....probably too good to waste on marching band. Save yourself some money and use the Quebec or Ontario cuts. Thy are perfectly fine for marching at a much lower cost. i would not want to use an expensive reed or mouthpiece while marching. Save the good stuff for concert seasons.
To answer your other questions, the will work fine with either of those mouthpieces. Check the reed conmparison chart on the Legere site to determine reed strength. I would assume you are playing a Bb clarinet, so order the Bb size. They don't have a taste to them,even less so than natural cane.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
Post Edited (2014-08-01 03:09)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: TomS
Date: 2014-08-01 03:34
I've used the Legere regular cut on a Vandoren M30 lyre with good results.
You will find the Legere regular reeds to usually have a darker sound and a more open quality. They soften significantly during the course of a rehearsal or performance so have to be moved higher on the mouthpiece or swapped out for a "cold" one.
Recently, I've moved back to a Clark Fobes SF and/or Debut with a CF+ facing and Vandoren V12 #3-3.5 reeds. A big departure from what I was using a few weeks ago!
I've found the M30/Legere setup to have less ring and projection to the sound, compromised high register response with low tuning, longer warm-up time and less maximum sound-pressure levels. The Legere are also effected by temperature and play softer in warm venues. This is my opinion, your mileage my vary ...
I still keep some Legere reeds in my case, if I just can't find a cane reed that works, usually a Legere will do OK until I can find a new cane reed or make some adjustments on what I have with me ...
I have not used the other Legere cuts (not stocked locally), so those may be better ...?
Just try them! I may do some more experimentation someday.
Good luck!
Tom
Post Edited (2014-08-01 03:39)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: as9934
Date: 2014-08-01 03:43
How do the regular, quebec, ontario, and signature cuts differ?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wind Ensemble
Buffet E11 clarinet , Vandoren Masters CL6 13 series mouthpiece w/ Pewter M/O Ligature, Vandoren V12 3.5
Yamaha 200ad clarinet, Vandoren B45 mouthpiece, Rovner ligature
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: TomS
Date: 2014-08-01 05:13
I realized it didn't answer your questions. You will get many variations on opinions ...
1. Do you prefer the Legere Signature or the Forestones?
Not played Forestones
2. Are they worth the $25-30 they are going to cost me per reed?
Try the regular cuts at $15.00 each, 1st ...
Why are they better than cane for outdoor performance?
Not necessarily better for outdoors, depends on weather
Are they brighter/louder?
Darker, covered, not as loud, IMHO
More consistent?
Yes
Why should I get these over a box of Reserve Classics for Marching Band?
Probably better for Winter use outdoors
3. Will they work with my 5RV Lyre and/or Vandoren B45?
Yup! I'd stick with the 5RV-lyre ...
Metal or Rovner Style Ligature?
Don't matter much, but Rovner may keep reed in place better than
some metal ligatures
4. Do they taste bad?
No taste
5. What size should I order? 3.5? 3.25? 3.75? I currently use Rico Grand Concert Select Thick 3.5.
Email Legere for recommendations
Is there a break in process?
Yes, and they get softer and less responsive with time
6. Can I use them for jazz? Classical?
Absolutely!
Tom
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-08-01 15:07
I have delved into the Legere recently with some pretty mixed results. For my money I'd say the Quebec cut is the closest in overall performance to a standard, good reed. For the Quebec, I would use an equivalent strength which will start out playing a bit more resistant. I would not say there is a break-in period, only a period where you NEED to figure out how the Legere plays and what you can, and cannot do with it. They sound best at a VERY narrow band of "stress" (I wish I had a better description for this). So the tuning has to be spot on. All pitch adjustment comes from where you adjust your barrel. That narrow band is the same for timbre. This makes them MUCH less flexible in sound at different volumes.
After three months of purely playing Legere reeds, going back to my trusty Vandoren was like walking into a whole new world of color (analogous to the beginning of the "Wizard of Oz"). So, NO I don't think there is a synthetic that will work nearly as well as cane yet......on a French clarinet (the German acoustic is different and their results have been proven to be different).
But if you ultimately are satisfied with the results you get in your sound with them, the cost is SIGNIFICANTLY less than cane: $25-30 for three to six months of play compared to $35-50 per box per month.
............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2014-08-01 18:26
Having played on both Legere and Forestone, I much prefer the Forestones tone quality and response, especially in the upper registers to C7. I use them on all of my clarinets and saxophones for all manners of work--orchestral, wind ensemble, pit orchestras (especially good) and jazz ensembles. It takes a little time to get used to how synthetic reeds feel, but relief from the hassle presented by cane reed inconsistences and care is well worth it in the end. Forestones "good enough" for a marching band?? I would say, TOO GOOD--but they would play just fine.
An alternative choice for marching and jazz that might work for you would be a Harry Hartmann carbon fibre reed from Germany. For my Kaspar #14 clarinet mpc, a medium works quite well. You can find more info on his website.
Legere reeds will also work good for marching band--in fact, many good clarinetists on this BB use them for serious performance. I just prefer my good old vintage Forestone clarinet reeds for their response, tone quality and durability--they do not soften during a gig and are always ready to play with no warm-up or prep.
BTW, do not use your wood clarinet for marching. I recommend any old plastic clarinet, such as a Bundy Resonite--they "take a lick'n and keep on tick'n" and will not crack like wood would. Have fun.........
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David clarinete
Date: 2014-08-01 19:59
I prefer forestone
http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musicalclarinet.com%2F2014%2F06%2Fclarinete-canas-sinteticas-forestone.html&langpair=es%7Cen&en=es&en=UTF8
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David clarinete
Date: 2014-08-01 20:02
Forestone black reed it´s made with bamboo fiber and carbon material is indicated for clasical playing. On the other hand the natural color reed (brown color) is indicated for jazz music.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2014-08-02 00:51
The sound isn't the greatest, but in cold weather the Rico Plasticovers aren't a bad choice.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2014-08-02 01:32
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> Tenor Saxophonist Plas Johnson told me that he has played the
> plasticover's for several years
He didn't use it on Pink Panther, though 
...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2014-08-08 00:48
When I was in marching band, I decided to go with synthetic reeds for reliability especially with a couple solos I played in the show. I tried both Legere Signature and Forestone in rehearsals and stuck with a Forestone #5 as opposed to a 3.75-4 Legere Signature. The Forestones run pretty soft, so a #4.5 or maybe even a #5 should match your current #3.5 GC Thick Blank reeds well, but they were always ready to play and very, very comfortable!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
