 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LissyClarinet
Date: 2014-08-15 12:12
Hello
Please can anyone help me. Yesterday I was told that I was allergic to cane reeds and this was what was causing me to have a sore lower lip. I googled clarinetist's cheilitis - and it appears to be quite a common condition but I cannot find any advice on how to adapt for this.
I am working towards LRSM and hope to play clarinet professionally. The Dermatologist's advice was to stop playing!!!
Is anyone aware of any methods, barriers or specific makes of reed which might help? Plastic reeds are out if the question.
Feeling pretty gutted- so would really appreciate your advice.
Thanks
Lissy
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Author: BobD
Date: 2014-08-15 14:25
I guess I'd put just the reed in my mouth for a while and see if my top lip reacts to it. "Clarinetists' Chelitis" sounds like a knee jerk diagnosis.
Bob Draznik
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Author: ruben
Date: 2014-08-15 15:48
Lissy: I sympathise! How about trying cane from a different part of the world? You never know; it could work. For example, if you're playing Vandoren, try Gonzales, whose cane comes from Mendoza, Argentina. The dermatologist sounds he has about as much psychological sense as a ton of bricks: "just give up the clarinet. Anyway, it's a perfectly futile activity." Along with changing reeds, I would change dermatologists.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2014-08-15 16:36
I'd pursuing the diagnosis by getting another opinion, and I like Ruben's idea of trying cane from different places.
That said, there are a number of professional clarinetists, some quite well-known, who have switched to synthetic reeds. If you have the choice, it may not be your cup of tea, but as a way to keep playing if, indeed, you can't use cane, it's a viable solution.
Karl
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2014-08-15 17:29
New reeds have nearly invisible fibers sticking out of the vamp that irritate my lip. I always wet the vamp and rub it hard with a fingertip to knock off the fibers. I finish with well-worn 600 grit sandpaper.
If you're allergic to cane, you should try a Legere, which also has no fibers. Ricardo Morales and John Moses perform on them. I do all my practicing on one.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-08-15 17:45
Finding cane "from another region" may not be so simple. Vandoren uses a lot of Gonzalez' cane.
If you're certain that a natural reed is NOT possible, then the Legere is definitely the way to go. I'd start with a Legere Quebec cut at the same strength as what you used in cane. This will initially seem harder, but the resistance curve (I don't know a better way to describe this) of plastic seems to dicatate this bump in resistance. If you don't find this strength and cut to your liking, the experimental move through the various cuts (Classic, Quebec, Ontario, Signature) and the quarter strength increments can be daunting to the wallet, but it will be worth it once you've found "the right combination."
Just keep in mind they do respond differently than cane (you need to get used to how to play them) and the flexibility with pitch vs. timbre is a much tighter tolerance.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: ruben
Date: 2014-08-15 17:53
Karl: They use pesticides, fertilizers and what not on cane. This could be what Lissy is allergic to. A friend of mine from Mendoza told me the Gonzalez cane just grows wild like weeds, by the river.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2014-08-15 18:13
Lissy: I forgot to mention something. You could try a kind of chapstick that's made from pure bee's wax on your lip. I don't know if it's available in your part of the world, but you can always order it. Boxers used to put bee's-wax on their hands in order to avoid irritation of the skin when they were knocking their opponents' brains out!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2014-08-15 18:41
Ben Armato visited the San Diego Clarinet Society many years ago and told us about his practice of using electrical tape on the vamp of his reeds to minimize irritation from long hours of playing at the Met.
I have employed this technique over the years and found that it can make contact with the reed less irritating. I don't know if this would also be helpful for you, but it's worth a try.
I would recommend using as little tape as possible and covering the portion of the vamp nearest the bark. If the tape extends significantly towards the middle/tip of the vamp it can (adversely) affect sound and response.
Perhaps with some experimentation you can find a middle-ground between adequate coverage and leaving the most critical parts of the vamp exposed.
Good luck!
Bob Barnhart
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2014-08-15 18:50
Yes, we had another BB member, who hasn't posted in a long time, now that I think of it, who said he actually had a lawsuit in progress against one of the major reed manufacturers in connection with their use of pesticides. He never came back to the BB to let us know what if anything came of it.
Karl
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-08-15 18:56
Switch to a Legere for a few months, if the problem doesn't go away, its something else. If it does go away, switch back to cane and see if the problem returns. Then you'll know if the cane is the source of the issue.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: nbclarinet
Date: 2014-08-15 22:12
Hi Lissy,
I sympathize and am sorry to hear of your dermatologists (poorly thought out) solution. As stated above you have several options.
-Definitely give Legere Signatures a try (for many they are a good enough substitute to cane)
-In the past there has been talk of Rico (now D'addario) using pesticides on their cane. Vandoren and Gonzalez both explicitly state that pesticides aren't used in the process. It is possible that this is bothering your lip.
-I would also try taking your reeds and rubbing them with fine sand paper (600+ grit). this will smooth the surface that contacts the lower lip, and should not make the reed play any worse. I have found that if a particularly rough reed is irritating my lip, this solves the problem.
Hope this helps
NB
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2014-08-15 23:08
I just got an e-mail from Woodwind & Brasswind stating that they have Zonda reeds and made a point that they are made from pesticide-free Argentinian cane. Perhaps these are an option.
----------
Rachel
Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max
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Author: ruben
Date: 2014-08-16 09:40
Lissy: Once you have found the solution, keep us posted. This will be of help to the next person that has the same problem, though there is no such thing as one solutions fits all.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2014-08-16 10:05
Perhaps it's a long shot but an allergist might help.
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