 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Irwin
Date: 2001-05-17 22:55
First thing: I swear I'm not being paid by Ben Armato to post this message!
Since I started back playing clarinet a couple of years ago, I've not been able to be truly satisfied with any reeds. The ones that have suited me best, albeit still not to my satisfaction, are Vandoren V-12, 3.5. Out of the box I find them too stiff and very hard to blow, so I always sand and scrape them a bit. My fiddling with them is always hit and miss. Sometimes I take off too little, other times too much, and once in a great while I take off just the right amount.
Well, my new Reed Wizard arrived today. Bottom line: I was simply blown away! After running the reeds through it, they blow as easily as a 2.5 yet have the strength of a 4 in terms of playing in the altissimo without chirping or pinching! Before buying the Reed Wizard, I had a long talk with Ben Armato, its inventor. He explained to me that the Reed Wizard doesn't take off much of the wood, but instead, evens out the parabolic shape across the reed. (By the way, he knows alot about all things clarinet including reeds of course, and he's a very nice man).
If anyone is having problems with their reeds, I whole heartedly recommend this amazing device. I'm still dumbounded how well it works!
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Author: Irwin
Date: 2001-05-17 22:59
Before anyone catches my mistake, I meant to say the reeds still play like a 3.5 in the altissimo after running them through the Reed Wizard.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-05-17 23:09
I agree. Before I purchased mine, Ben insisted that I visit his home so he could show me how to use it. We spent two hours together, and it was a great learning experience. I left with a Reed Wizard, PefectaReed, his reedbook, and great confidence in my ability to deal with reeds. The book is very worthwhile, too.
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Author: Gene Wie
Date: 2001-05-17 23:47
I will also throw my hat into the ring here and voice my support for Mr. Armato's amazing device. I had the opportunity to meet him when he was out in southern CA for a presentation for the San Diego Clarinet Society back in 1997, where he demonstrated the Reed Wizard and his other inventions.
I finally purchased one last year (and Ben replied to my emails/questions very quickly), and it's completely ended my long hours of playing reed after reed out of boxes and boxes trying to find one good enough for a performance. Nowadays I can pull out my reed case and have my pick of a constantly rotating set of about eight reeds, all of which play wonderfully.
His book of opera "excerpts" is superb: *complete* clarinet parts (and not just excerpt fragments here and there).
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-05-18 01:40
He goes most years. I'm in contact with him right now for another reason - I'll try & remember to ask.
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Author: John
Date: 2001-05-18 14:19
I purchased a Reed Wizard recently and also like the results. I would appreciate any helpful hints about ways to use it beyond the little instruction booklet.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-05-18 14:38
If you are good at carving with a knife, you probably do not need anything else to properly finish your reeds for plaing. But, if you are a total KLUTZ with a reed knife like I am, then the Reed Wizard is just what you need. It is a surprisingly simple device but soooo amazingly effective in giving the reed an effective profile for optimum performance. I still use my knife to balance the corners to my mouthpiece, but find the Wizard invaluable for preparing the reed for those final adjustments. And, I find that if I start with a box of reeds that is slightly harder than my actual needs, it is possible to use most of the reeds in any given box (of VD-12s, 4.5 for ex.) by working them down to the desired strength with the Wizard. Well, for me, its back to the practice room this AM and I'm.........."Off to see the Wizard," but not the one of Oz. Good clarineting!!!!!
And thanks, Ben, for all your help!!!!!
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