 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-20 03:46
Does anyone know a website with a new reed break in procedure that most players would agree with? I have 29 new reeds, some 2, 2.5 and 3 strength I would like to start to break in and rotate and would like to find a generally acceptable procedure. Of course cant do them all at once but maybe start with a few and work through them. My older reeds are about 8-12 months old and though still will play I think it is time to start some new ones properly. The older ones didn't really have a proper break in or rotation.
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2015-08-20 15:01
29 seems quite a lot to have on the go. Or do people generally have lots in rotation?
My teacher has recommended that I only use 1 reed at a time (although a few good spare ones in hand)
The rationale for this is that as reeds are different, you are always accommodating the reed, whereas if you only practise with 1 reed it is easier to improve your technique as the only thing that changes is you
What is your opinion? Am i missing out by not have lots at hand?
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The older I get, the better I was
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-08-20 15:13
If you open a box at a time (highly recommended) then 10 at a time is about average. Reeds (if played on 3 hrs a day on average) should last (as you rotate through the usable 6 or so in the box) about a month, maybe two on the long side. After that point they get either brittle sounding or dull and thuddy.
A proper break-in is nothing more than playing a short duration (NO more than five minutes and could be significantly less) per reed, per day for about 4 days or so (longer in dryer conditions - less than 50% dew point).
If you only have one reed at a time then you don't even know what a good reed is because you have nothing to compare it to (and obviously no back up).
Oh, and by the way, rotation means that you don't see (play) the same reed until about six days down the road (I don't know if it is necessary to give reeds some time to sit, but it certainly doesn't hurt and it keeps your sensibilities fresh as to what works and what does not).
Also I should note that the first video pointed to by "WhitePlainsDave" is an 'optimal scenario' where Mark Nuccio gets the very best moments out of his reeds and only uses ONE for ONE particular piece during a (4 performances?) week of gigs and then chucks it.
...............Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2015-08-20 15:18)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-08-20 17:55
JonTheReeds wrote:
> The rationale for this is that as reeds are different, you are
> always accommodating the reed, whereas if you only practise
> with 1 reed it is easier to improve your technique as the only
> thing that changes is you
>
I know players who are successful playing on the same reed until they can't. And there are lots of players who find a one-reed existence uncomfortable.
29 would be overkill (by a lot), Breaking them in , as BGBG suggests, a few at a time is better if those few serve as the active rotation and breaking in the next few is started when the first batch thins out.
What's missing when you use one reed to death is that you really aren't the only thing that changes. The acoustics change from room to room (do you always play in the same place?), ambient temperature and humidity (which can affect reed response) change day-to-day, and the music you're playing changes.
Also, the reed itself changes with time. You can loose perspective on how much you're accommodating the reed as it ages (and inevitably deteriorates) and start to distort parts of your approach that should be stable. So you may be (IMO you are) better off accommodating less and keeping several - at least 3 - reeds of similar qualities that you can constantly compare for ease of play. If one gets funky you'll realize it sooner and either adjust it back to easier playability or chuck it. Also, as Paul has suggested, at some point compare what you're using (even if you stay with one reed) to some fresh reeds to see what you've grown used to.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-08-20 18:18
I was going to suggest my website too but someone beat me too it. It's FREE!
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-20 19:01
Thanks-this helps a lot. It is only 3 boxes of each with one reed started awhile back so 29 new. But the boxes are 2, 2.5, and 3 strength and I wanted some of each. Then if I rank the Good, Fair, Poor it gets more complex. Then there are just so many I didn't know how to go about it. Didn't know whether to work with one box of one strength, a few from different strength boxes or what.
I made a chart of the 3 strengths, and subdivided into smaller groups to test, about 4 at a time. It seems from what I have read that the tip end should be soaked for about a minute then dried on glass and stored, to rehydrate them for 3 days before playing. Then some days of short test and play for a few minutes. Finally put back into the boxes or plastic bags of 3 groups to rotate.
That was my current plan before posting this question. Now I will do as suggested, view the sites, revise plan as needed.
I didn't mean I actually had to be playing on all of the reeds every day or week. Just thought I should work with a whole box, with some good, fair, poor and some 2, 2.5, 3 strengths. Complicated but I shall get it figured out I think. Thanks for the info. This is my general idea but must refine it more.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-08-20 22:04
The caveats to what you describe would be:
You should wait until the new reed is dry to the touch before placing it flat on glass (flat on glass when wet will encourage it to warp)
Playing on the reed IS re-hydration, just store them in a humidor (or some such controlled environment - do NOT seal them in a plastic bag, that will only propagate mold and make the reeds water logged).
And don't forget that you can mark the reeds (see the Mark Nuccio example) in some way to indicate which reed you are looking at and what's been done to it.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2015-08-20 22:51
29 seems quite a lot to have on the go. Or do people generally have lots in rotation?
My teacher has recommended that I only use 1 reed at a time (although a few good spare ones in hand)
The rationale for this is that as reeds are different, you are always accommodating the reed, whereas if you only practise with 1 reed it is easier to improve your technique as the only thing that changes is you
What is your opinion? Am i missing out by not have lots at hand?
--------------------------------------
The older I get, the better I was
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-21 02:18
I tried to find website eddiesclarinets.com but all I got was a welcome page and no links. Did I do something wrong?
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-21 04:53
Actually I never thought of which side goes on the glass. I only read to put it on the glass, supposedly to dry without warping. If you finish playing, rinse tip in water, wipe it with fingers, where do you put it while it dries and then is it placed flat side down on glass or flat side up. And how long is it left on the glass if it is already dry?
And where is eddiesclarinet.com? All I get is a welcome page and no links. Cant do anything.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-08-21 05:12
BGBG wrote:
> If you finish playing, rinse tip in water, wipe it
> with fingers, where do you put it while it dries and then is it
> placed flat side down on glass or flat side up. And how long is
> it left on the glass if it is already dry?
>
To be honest, I never store reeds on glass. I use reed holders that hold the reeds up on their edges - Buffet many years ago used to supply a plastic version of the reed boxes I use in the cases with their clarinets. Mine are sturdier, but they're hard to find.
While the reed is drying, lay it on the glass (or any surface) flat side up so air can circulate around all the cut surfaces (the ones not covered with bark) and evaporate the remaining water evenly. After the reed is dry the goal becomes protecting the tip from breakage - if you use a glass reed holder, lay it flat side down so the tip is protected against the glass.
Karl
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-21 06:57
kdk: yes that sounds like what I read. I don't store them in glass and I lay them flat side up to dry then put them in reed holder they came it. I guess if leaving them on a sheet of glass you WOULD lay flat side down. So I think we are in agreement here. If wet, lay it flat side up. If dry lay it flat side down.
I agree they should not be sealed up in a plastic bag especially if wet. I have them in open plastic bags right now to keep them together. Plan to wet and dry them for 3 days as mentioned, then test them, then rank them, and finally rotate them in groups of 10. should be able to play short while on 10 reeds, then 10 more, and 9 more. And the older ones, then start rotation again. Want to be sure and get it right and in agreement with most people who are experienced.
And Ed Palanker: I still cant seem to get anything but a welcome site and nothing more.
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-21 07:06
OK...forget it. I found the trouble with the eddiesclarinet.com site. The links here only got me the picture and welcome but did not for some reason show the links above the picture. I Googled it and found lots of URL links that gave me the correct site with further links. Don't know why it didn't work before - URL looked the same whether typing it in or clicking the link here. Don't know why but problem solved and OK now.
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-21 07:16
Funny - I tried all of the links again and typing it in also and they all work fine NOW but not before. Maybe PC wasn't loading the page fully and correctly. All is well. Got lots of homework though.
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Author: Jim22
Date: 2015-08-22 05:47
My approach was to break in reeds about three at a time. I use the ATG system to balance them and adjust resistance, and to refine the tips to get a nice sound. You Kay get a bad reed once in a while, but the ATG tool can usually get them playing. Then, after some time playing them, break in another three. Play the new ones once in a while for comparison. When the old ones get noticeably worse than the newer ones, weed out the old ones.
I play vandoren blue box reeds, and store them in a Rico case with a 59% humidity pack. That keeps them from getting bone dry in the winter.
Jim C.
CT, USA
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-08-23 03:16
Allo this has really helped a lot, especially when I finally got the Eddies page to load, and also the videos. Just went through 34 reeds, testing all for sealing and wet/dry the 29 new ones. Found 5 older ones that leak air and need samning. All the new ones sealed well except one.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-08-23 05:16
BGBG, how long did it take you to go though the process with all those reeds?
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