 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jrain54
Date: 2016-05-25 12:26
Opinions on synthetic reeds? Are they any good?
I've read they're more consistent than a box of cane reeds - which is usually the biggest problem for me as I tend to find there are a lot more dodgy reeds than good ones in a box... And this means I tend to stick with the good one for as long as I can, and so if it chips I'm in trouble. I also find that from so much use, the good reed will eventually start giving me trouble when reaching notes in the altissimo range.
So I was wondering if any of you here have tried synthetic reeds, your thoughts on them.. are they worth it?
Thanks for your time!
Jess
EDIT: wow, what an overwhelming response, thanks all!
Jess
Post Edited (2016-06-15 05:08)
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Author: kilo
Date: 2016-05-25 12:51
Quote:
Thanks for your time!
Hi Jess.
This topic has been discussed, investigated, and argued over on this site for as long as I've been visiting it, and for some time before. Do a search on "synthetic reeds", "Legere", or "Forestone" and you'll have hours of reading on the topic.
I'd say the upshot is, some like them, some of us love them, and some hate them. Some players who wouldn't use on as their primary reed see the utility of keeping one around for certain occasions, like doubling in a pit situation.
You just have to experiment with them until you find a combination that works for you — as with cane reeds. I'll just say that there are some very fine musicians who use them with excellent results but they're not for everybody.
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Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-05-25 18:38
I'm using the same Legere signature from back in December from last year and it still works great. Clean sound every time. My reed problems are long behind me now.
Fernando
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Author: basset
Date: 2016-05-26 22:31
I tried Forestone a few years ago but gave them up quickly. I then learned about specially prepared Légère reeds from my teacher who was a dedicated traditional reed user. They were sold by PlayNick in Austria (PlayEasy reeds). I tried them and really liked them. My teacher quickly adopted them too and we have been using them now for over a year. Recently I tried the new Légère Signature European Cut and fell in love with them. I still use traditional reeds from time to time. In some pieces I love them for their warmer tone, but more often then not I find them too "dark" and prefer the brighter sound the synthetic reeds give me. Add to that the fact that they just "work" and I don't have to sift through a box to find some good ones. Also, they last quite a long time. Synthetic reeds have become vastly better than they used to be!
PS. Check whether the Légère European Cut reeds fit your mouthpiece. I gather from my reseller that people have complained they do not always fit. I have had no such problems on my PlayNick PlayEasy B2 mouthpiece nor on my Maxton D9-5 (both for Boehm clarinet).
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Author: Mirko996
Date: 2016-05-26 22:55
Hi,
In the past I used to play Synthetic reeds on my Pomarico mouthpiece. I had "Plasticover" made by D'addario, They weren't bad, but I stopped to use syntetic. I prefer Normal Reeds.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2016-05-27 00:19
Plasticovers are a hybrid — a plastic coating on a cane reed. Some of them perform quite well but they don't have the consistency of true synthetic reeds, nor can you work on them as you can with cane.
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2016-05-27 06:59
I can't use synthetic reeds, because of the mouthpiece reed combination problem. I've had the Hawkins B, Vandoren CL6, Rico Reserve X0, D'Addario Reserve X0, and now using the Clark Fobes 10K. I've tried the classic legere and the signature legeres. None of them worked. Even though I tried out 5 of each strength and type.
So in other words make sure that your mouthpiece works with Legere. I know that the Hawkins R, Backun MOBA mouthpiece, Vandoren M13, and M15 work with them.
However when I tried the Legere with the M15 and MOBA I thought they were pretty good, but I still prefer the sound of caned reeds. The Legere reeds would be amazing for a back up OR if you play in a pit.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-05-27 11:04
Well my friend Ricardo with the Philly Orchestra has been using Legere reeds now for 8 or 9 years, sounds fine as we all know. He uses 2 different styles. One for orchestra playing and one for his studio and teaching.
I can't get used to them, because of the vibrations are all over the place. With cane reeds the fibers go in one direction so the vibration of the reeds don't spread all over the place. Also it takes time to adjust to plastic reeds. They don't give as cane reeds give when wet, so with a double lip embouchure my lips get pretty sore after about 45 minutes compared to about 4 hours of playing on cane reeds. I think Legere might have the best reputation for great plastic reeds.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-05-27 15:27
I have started a new chapter of playing in the last six months. I have found great success with the German cut Legere on German mouthpieces. The difference MAY be that with the German set-up one needs to use a very weak reed and not force ANYTHING with the lips or jaw at all.
So those who have success here with Legere and what we consider a typical mouthpiece (French style of course), probably are using softer strength reeds to begin with. And that is just a guess.
It does make sense that a reed designed to vibrate properly based on all the factors of dimensions would NOT take kindly to being squeezed tightly down toward the mouthpiece. I spent most of my years as a "squeezer" and could not find good performance with Legere that way at all.
Now that I do not 'squeeze,' they work great. I am using a non-standard set-up for the States and have not reverse engineered this success on French mouthpieces......yet.
Of course as Bob points out there are some top professionals here who have great success with Legere on standard equipment to include John Moses, top Broadway woodwind player who helped design the Legere Signature Series.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: mddds
Date: 2016-05-28 19:54
i'm a long time cane user, using legere classics for the past month.
i use a Kuckmeier N1 Solist mpc and Playeasy D3 mpc.
so far, the legere classics seem to be working well and are consistent.
however i still note a big difference when i put on a cane reed.
might need more time.
this is based on the Oehler system set up.
-CK
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-05-28 20:12
There is another German-made synthetic alternative that has apparently been around for a number of years, although I've only become aware of it in the past few weeks, the Harry Hartmann Fiberreed. There are several models for French Boehm-style mouthpieces. I'm still experimenting and am not yet at the point where I would recommend them enthusiastically, but my first experiences with their Carbon Fiber Classic Boehm model seems positive.
I am becoming more convinced that the quality of a player's result with Legere and Forestone depends very heavily on a match between the reed and the mouthpiece, and that isn't all a matter of the facing. I recently heard from someone that Ricardo Morales went through a process with a well known mouthpiece maker to develop a mouthpiece on which he felt comfortable using Legeres. Maybe more mouthpiece makers will need to concentrate their expertise on developing more specifically Legere- or Forestone- friendly mouthpieces that may be significantly different inside and outside from the ones that they make for use with cane reeds.
Karl
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-05-28 20:59
Been playing Legere almost exclusively for a couple of years ... I use them mainly because of the sound and response, not necessarily the consistency and life.
I get many compliments on my tone with a Vandoren 5RV-lyre/88 and Signature 2.75.
The Classic cut works on most MPs ... the Signature is a bit more fussy and you have to find a MP that likes them. Generally, closer facing MPs favor the Legere reeds ... so a Vandoren M13 or M15 or Reserve X0 might be more favorable than a M30 or B45 or X15.
They last much longer, but do have a "break-in" period. I suspect that a more open MP fatigues the reed material faster than a more closed MP (heavier vibrations). Some players get over 1 year of service on just a few reeds.
The Legere do not like to be distorted or warped by a biting embouchure ... so light lip pressure is all that is required. Just relax and enjoy playing ... spend your time practicing rather than seeking out and adjusting cane reeds.
Legere reeds are now widely used by many professionals.
Tom
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2016-05-30 00:40
The Legere are the best synthetic reed on the market.
I think the Euro works very nice on asymetrical mothpieces..ie. the Pyne and Grabner mouthpiece sound really nicely with them. As for other facings the B40 and the Vandoren M15 sound wonderful with the Euro legere reeds. I think that for people in high elavations or in very bad climatic areas they will save alot of torture. As for me in Eastern Canada the weather has been shocking unual..dry and variable at times. ..... as for me I think the Euro has some nice ambient sounds...but regular can does produce a fine focus provided you have a stable environment! Remeber to play what works best for you!
David Dow
Post Edited (2016-05-30 00:41)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-05-30 21:15
See that's just it. I think that Legeres can sound terrific. The post a few up from here mentions that cane still sounds better. Well, that is true. But the point is getting a great sound. If the sound it still a little "greater" on cane, you can make the argument that the down sides more than compensate for the difference.
But knowing how to get a great sound on Legere is key.
I wholeheartedly agree that you need a much less aggressive approach to the embouchure to get them to work well.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2016-05-30 21:53
Hi All
As many of you know, I've been into synthetic reeds from the beginning.
I've tried synthetics for 40 years, from Bari's to Fibercell's to Forestone's, and now the best LEGERE!
I helped Guy Legere & his amazing craftsmen at Legere in Canada, perfect the now legendary Signature Series LEGERE!
LEGERE is the only reed manufacturer in the world that has an exchange reed policy. That is, if the Legere reed you buy is not the right strength for you, send it back to them & they'll exchange it for the proper strength at no cost to you! Their great exchange policy makes it possible to get a great reed for you!
I use their Signature Series on all my doubles at Wicked on Broadway & all my recording work in NYC, in addition to my Orchestral performances at Carnegie Hall. That goes to say, these new Synthetic reed from Legere, work in every musical venue.
Be unique & try the new Legere Signature Series.
It's the reed of the future!
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2016-05-31 00:34
JJM...
Have you found Legere reeds to be more conducive for certain mouthpieces, or, in your experience, they work well across the spectrum? Primarily interested in bass. I use cane as well as Legere Signature, but have found they can be "stuffy" on one mouthpiece and not another. MP recommendations for use with Legere Signature reeds? Thanks!
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Author: gwie
Date: 2016-05-31 01:27
I tried out all the different kinds of Legere over several years, and from blind tests with colleagues I've found that for the most part, people can't tell if I'm playing a synthetic or a cane reed. It's mostly the feel and response on my end that is different.
However, I personally have never liked the feel or response of the synthetics on most of the mouthpieces I have played...except for Walter Grabner's K11. They worked great on it!
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2016-05-31 04:22
Hi Tucker:
Thanks for your interest in the great LEGERE reeds.
On Bass Clarinet I have found the Tenor Sax Signature Series works better for me than their Bass reeds, but I have found many Bass Clarinet players here in NYC like to stick with the Signature Series Bass Clarinet reeds.
Try them side by side in a blindfold test with your friends to see which sounds better at a distance. Then just stick with one or the other, try not to get too confused with too many samples.
Good luck!
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-05-31 04:28
I'll concede the idea that, while I may prefer the sound of cane, the sound and clarity of articulation I get from a Legere are more than acceptable. But the one problem I have with every synthetic I've tried so far is an annoying instability in the third register, particularly from E6 and higher. It's both flatness and a certain wildness of quality. This is a problem I don't have with cane if the reed is the right strength. It feels like a cane reed with a too thin tip. Using a harder synthetic isn't a solution, because harder strengths feel stuffy over the rest of the clarinet and are still not comfortable in the altissimo.
Since the players (e.g. John Moses, Ricardo Morales and Sam Caveziel for three whose playing I have heard) who use Legere successfully don't seem to have this problem, I assume I need to make an adjustment in my approach somewhere to solve it for myself. Have those of you who have made the conversion to plastic happily had to deal with this, and, if so, what have you done to solve it?
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-05-31 05:06
I am guessing that perhaps you use a slightly more open mouthpiece (medium open). With closed mouthpieces I have not had that problem. I still admittedly do bite a bit and that causes limitations to the very top altissimo notes (above "A"......the ones we don't really use anyway), but not what you describe. The plastic reeds work best when it is solely the manipulation of air speed that makes them work. Any undue force makes them bend and work in ways that are not within their specified parameters.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Burt
Date: 2016-05-31 19:56
I share Paul's opinion that the Legere reeds don't work well above altissimo "A". The Signature 3.75 worked better than the Classic 3.5 above "A" for me, but still not very well. Since there are so few occasions to play that high, I have ignored this problem.
I wonder if thinning the tip will reduce this problem, but I have not tried it.
Burt Marks
Lyrique Libertas
VD M30 (which is medium open)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-05-31 20:36
Burt wrote:
> I wonder if thinning the tip will reduce this problem, but I
> have not tried it.
>
My suspicion is that thinning the tip may worsen the problem - it's similar to the effect I find with a too soft tip on a cane reed. I haven't tried it either - partly because I really don't know what kind of tool or abrasive to use. The material doesn't seem to scrape cleanly.
But, my problem begins a fourth lower, and I can play in tune only by raising my tongue in what feels like a really exaggerated way and applying extra embouchure pressure by tightening my lips around the mouthpiece. By the time I've done all of this, the sound I'm producing isn't free or steady, I assume because I'm introducing a lot of extra tension to hold the pitch up. These notes are too much called for to write off. And Morales and others I know are using Legeres don't *sound* like they're having a problem with this.
I've never thought of my mouthpieces as medium-close - most of them are in the range of 1.01 to 1.04 mm. I wonder, for those who feel the close tip works better for Legere, what effect if any the curve length has? The difference with cane between two mouthpieces of the same model and tip opening, one 16 mm to the closing point and the other 19 mm, is noticeable. Maybe the effect with a Legere is even more significant?
I plan to spend my practice session today experimenting with this, but I wonder what others' experiences are.
One other question to those who are successfully playing on Legeres: is there a difference in the amount of controlled volume you can produce between cane and Legere?
And two others, to broaden the discussion a little:
No one in this thread has mentioned Forestones except perhaps in passing (we used to have an avid proponent of Forestone named William, I think, who posted almost exclusively about Forestone's virtues, but he doesn't seem to be here). My impression of them generally has been that they're too soft for the close-tipped mouthpieces we're talking about for Legeres. Does anyone use any of the Forestones successfully on a close-tipped, medium to medium-long facing?
I mentioned Fiberreed near the beginning of this thread. Does anyone have any experience with them? They're unique-looking and at least one of their models seems to me promising, but I had never heard of them until I saw them advertised in an email from WW&BW.
Karl
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2016-05-31 21:04
JJM...
I'll try a tenor sax to see what I think. Is the strength chart pretty accurate on the Legere website? I normally use V12's for cane reeds..... it appears the same strength for Bass Legeres? What about if I use a tenor sax reed? 2.5 bass and 2.5 tenor?
Also have you found that bass synthetics play uniformly on most MP's? What about tip opening?
If any other bass players have any input, would love to hear it. Thanks!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-06-01 05:19
Interesting. As several here have suggested, of the several mouthpieces I tried tonight, the closer the tip opening the easier it was to focus E6-G6 and play them in tune. I found, too that, the easiest mouthpiece to play in the altissimo register that I own is my Gigliotti P facing bought in the 1970s and not refaced. So the tip opening is about .96 mm and the curve (with a .0015" feeler) is 38 (19 mm).
It *is* a kind of eye-opener for me how much better the Legeres I tried worked with the very close tip opening. When I start E6 on AG P, it speaks almost without pressure and, once the note focuses, it's in tune without my having to do much of anything. I've been playing on only slightly more open but shorter-curved mouthpieces lately, but when I play E6 with any of those, E6 speaks flat and I have to use extra pressure to bring it up to pitch. On the more open of the mouthpieces I've payed on recently (none more than 1.05 mm), the scooping potential at D6 and E6 is even wider and even more effort is needed from lips and tongue to get a good pitch (as I've already described) with a lot of tension as a consequence.
I haven't tried *every* mouthpiece I own, but I may try using the Legere on a 1.01 mm x 19 mm Chris Hill mouthpiece I dug out of my drawer in a rehearsal. I'm certainly not immune to the attraction of escaping the variability of cane, even though I like the cane reeds I've been using recently very much. I'm still not at the point of no return, but I'm closer than I've ever been.
Karl
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-06-01 08:01
Ditto on the stability and tuning in the highest altissimo register with Legere.
I also mostly use a Lyrique Libertas and the tuning tends to be very slightly on the low side above altissimo D, if you are not careful. Not too soft reeds and high tongue helps. Most cane reeds tend to bring the pitch up a bit, as well.
Tom
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Author: Burt
Date: 2016-06-02 17:44
I play a Libertas and see the same behavior that TomS does. When possible, I use the RH bis key to sharpen notes E,F,F# and TR1 fingering for G.
Burt Marks
Libertas
VD M30
Legere Classic 3.5 or Signature 3.75
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2016-06-09 09:08
I don't use them all the time, I've been using D'Addario reserve for performance and recording. But I find the Legere Euro Signatures on my mouthpiece at least once a day, especially for teaching and practice. Great, consistent product, which is important in my climate.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-09 13:06
Just tried Legere Euro and I have to say I don't understand why they have to look like soprano sax reeds. Firstly they don't seem any different (and I mean ANY different) in playing character from the "regular" Signature and they DO NOT work with the M/O ligature (of which I have three).
Fatter than any Bb clarinet table ever made..........stupid.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2016-06-10 07:53
I really like them. They fit great on my BD5 and X25E mouthpieces with all ligatures. I also found them to be noticeably better than the standard signature series for me. To each his own I guess.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-10 19:12
YOUR ligatures are NOT the Vandoren M/O. These ligatures have a pre-determined "pocket" into which any STANDARD sized Bb reed will fit.
NOT the new Legere European cut !!!!!
STUPID
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Justin Willsey ★2017
Date: 2016-06-10 21:24
I have, on many occasions, been able to secure my European Cut reeds with my m/o ligature.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-11 02:57
Justin,
Did you have to modify the M/O? I want to be able to use the ligatures I have again with other reeds as well.
..........Paul Aviles
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Author: Justin Willsey ★2017
Date: 2016-06-11 03:24
Paul,
No modifications that I know of, although I'm not the first owner of the ligature. It doesn't seem modified to me and works with all my clarinet reeds, including cane.
Cheers,
JW
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Author: jthole
Date: 2016-06-11 14:01
I've used a Legere Euro cut with a standard Selmer C* mouthpiece for a couple of weeks now. I didn't like them on my regular mouthpiece, a Vandoren B45 dot. However, with the Selmer, it's flawless from the (lower) altissimo to the lower chalumeau register.
I might want to try them again on my Vandoren piece ... puzzled as to why that combination did not work well for me.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-06-11 18:08
I finally broke down and bought a Legere. The moment I put it on and tried to play it, I loved it. It was very easy to play, it didn't require adding water to make it play, it didn't need to be broken in... I thought I'd try to pull one over on my university-professor-teacher and play it during my lesson last week. She knew immediately that I was using a plastic reed and said she didn't like the tone at all because it was "all over the place." It was not "centered" and was not pleasant to listen to. Just something to consider.
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-06-11 18:34
Are synthetic reeds more environmentally better? Wouldn't it conserve more Arundo donax?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-06-11 22:04
A. donax is the principal source material of reed makers. The cane is rendered into reeds for clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons, bagpipes, and other woodwind instruments
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-11 22:44
Well I don't see how the production of more oil based products is more "environmentally friendly" but I do applaud trying to think outside the box.
I guess though (if you get them to work for you) you only use ONE reed per year (if I can throw out an average based on testimonials I've heard), then you really are not wasting that much material. I suppose one plastic reed in exchange for 120 cane reeds per year sounds more "environmentally friendly" on the pure numbers.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2016-06-12 01:22
Each type has a different sound. And your ligature must grip it so that it can't move sideways whatsoever.
That can be hard to do. Some ligatures work much better than others with them.
You would need to ask a player of them
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-06-12 02:33
David...I have other ligatures and will give them a try. AND...I'll make sure I crank them down, which I probably didn't do when I played for my teacher, as it's not something I ordinarily do. Thanks for the information.
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Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-06-12 11:57
Most of my favorite players use Legere reeds. I also use Legere reeds. Coincidence? Yup. I don't think it's good to try to force something to work. But if you try a Legere reed and find it horrible or "all over the place" when it is something many of the top pros sound amazing on, it's worth investigating some other variables involved.
Fernando
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-12 19:13
Ok I want to respectfully disagree with David on the point of cranking down on the Legere. Yes, you can (with some ligature) get a good sound out of Legere this way, but it is not necessary. In fact I find that just like a good cane reed, if you allow the ligature to be as loose as possible, you will find that you get greater resonance. Of course if you need to remove the mouthpiece (rather than at the barrel) to swab, then tightening the Legere IS an issue since they are particularly slippery reeds.
I also want to add a note on something that I have stumbled on (again late in the game). The Legere German cut reeds work spectacularly on Boehm mouthpieces (unlike the their Boehm cut reeds!!).
I am currently (and I mean RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT) playing a slightly more closed facing mouthpiece (Vandoren Masters CL4) with a Legere German cut 2 3/4 strength reed and it is working just as wonderfully as the 3 strength German cut reeds work on my best German mouthpieces.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-06-12 21:00
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> Each type has a different sound. And your ligature must grip it
> so that it can't move sideways whatsoever.
>
Paul Aviles wrote:
> Ok I want to respectfully disagree with David on the point of
> cranking down on the Legere. Yes, you can (with some
> ligature) get a good sound out of Legere this way, but it is
> not necessary.
There's some distance, of course, between a ligature's being so loose that the reed can wobble and cranking it down, which to me is a great deal tighter than just enough to hold the reed still. I suspect the disagreement here isn't so great.
I've been experimenting with a number of different styles and strengths of Legere recently and I've found that my ligatures (including several different Rovners, a Vandoren Optimum, a Gigliotti and a couple of others) are for the most part too large, using any of my favorite mouthpieces, for the Legeres, which are thinner than even traditional blank cane reeds. I found that I had to stick a mouthpiece patch to the back of most of the mouthpieces to give the ligatures enough breadth to hold onto. Then, tightening as I normally do to the point of holding the reed still but not torquing beyond that seems to work better than going further.
But this is one of those choices that probably is co-dependent with the specific reed and maybe the mouthpiece you use.
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-13 04:12
My favorite example of this (and what brought "loose" to my attention) is my saxophone playing friend in the middle of a solo moved the mouthpiece a bit briskly from his face at a tacet, and the reed spun about 90 degrees off axis!
I asked how this happened and he said that he just brushed it carelessly with his mouth. He sets his ligature on there just to keep the reed from falling on the floor.
I (strongly suggest) just trying this out for yourselves. It is easy, immediate and free. Put your reed on the way you normally do, play for a few minutes, then loosen it up to the point where the tightening mechanism is just barely engaged (just about what it would be if you just slipped the ligature in place and did nothing further). You should hear a significant difference in sound. Of course if you don't then don't do it anymore.
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-06-13 04:51
The ligature's grip is more than a sound issue if you play orchestrally and need to change instruments often. I know, you can change from the barrel (if you have one that works equally well on both A and Bb clarinets), but if you move just the mouthpiece, the ligature has to be tight enough to hold still.
Legeres tend to be more slippery, anyway, so this may be a greater issue than it is with cane.
Karl
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-06-13 05:53
It seems as some of us are joining the cane mutiny and going over to the dark side.
fsbsde@yahoo.com
Post Edited (2016-06-13 05:55)
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2016-06-13 07:00
Maybe Oboe Juan Q'knowbees more than it appears.......
Speaking of synthetic reeds (there's a segue in here somewhere).... have you seen the price of Legere bassoon reeds? Mercy!
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Author: William
Date: 2016-06-14 20:12
I have been using Forestone clarinet and sax reeds for nearly 7 years now, exclusively. For me, they play better than any Legere reed I've tried, including the newest Signitures, especially in the upper register. Recently, I've been using a vintage set up, Frank L. Kaspar mouthpiece and ligature, and the Forestones have never been better. However, on bass clarinet, with my Grabner mouthpiece, I use some old Legeres. My bass is a Buffet Prestige low C.
I like Forestone clarinet reeds and haven't bought a cane reed for at least 9 yrs. My Forestones let me play the music without having to worry about playing the reed.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2016-09-20 19:11
I just posted my Bravo experience (not good) to a Bravo thread. This seems like a reasonable place to post my Forestone results.
I see that Forestone offers at least 2 types of reeds- I tried the less expensive (brown?) variety, $19.99 with free shipping from Musician's Friend, in strength 2.5.
It has been reported that Forestones run soft, but I thought I saw they had fixed that in more recent product, which is why I ordered 2.5. Perhaps I got old stock?- or they are still making soft?- but in any case the 2.5 was unplayably soft for me. I immediately got in touch with MF to see if they could exchange- expecting to be out my $20- but was pleasantly surprised they authorized a replacement (one time only of course) and I chose strength 3.0. And they didn't want the first one back, so I was able to trim and ATG adjust it. I got it playing kind of OK up through D6 ![[D6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/d6.gif) or so, but was not impressed by feel or sound- nothing like as good as a Legere or Marca. Not even as nice as the Bravo I returned.
When the 3.0 arrived it was pretty much the same story as my adjusted 2.5. Now I have 2 reeds that are sort of playable in a severe emergency (hope I never get that desperate), and I'm saving them to revisit later, perhaps with future different mouthpieces or phases of the moon.
With Legeres I was happy with the cheapest Classics and never found the Signatures to play any better (certainly not worth extra $$ to me)- any reason to think the pricier Forestones would be any different?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2016-09-20 19:46)
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Author: Shostakovich
Date: 2016-09-22 10:57
Paul Aviles wrote:
> I also want to add a note on something that I have stumbled on (again late in >the game). The Legere German cut reeds work spectacularly on Boehm >mouthpieces (unlike the their Boehm cut reeds!!).
What is the world coming to?
That's a good find though - I'm also slightly put off by the Euro spilling over the edge of my mouthpiece. Something to try at some stage (but I've given legere enough money for now).
I don't suppose you'd consider making a recording, comparing a couple of these set ups?
My 2c on Forestone? Their dynamic range is awful - I can hardly get above mf...
They're also often not sufficiently responsive to articulation...
Can't wait for reviews of the Playnick's new "white cut" reed to roll in, too...
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-09-22 15:55
In the early 1980s, one of my old (now deceased) teachers, returning to the US after a decade in the UK, arrived here using Vandoren German cut reeds on a Vandoren A2 crystal. He made principal clarinet with the Arkansas Symphony using this setup. His instruments were Yamaha YCL-82 and YCL-65 and achieved a really clear, centered sound, not really of like the warm/dark paradigm in America at the time, but he still got the gig.
I tried German cuts for a long time on some sort of MP (don't remember what) ...
Eventually he was pressured into a darker sound, and moved back to Buffet and with the advent of V-12s, started using those with a 5RV-lyre or B45.
So, German cut on a French MP is something that has been used successfully by others ... you just have to keep the reed centered ... not a lot of lateral adjustment range.
I wonder if the shorter vamp on the German Legere bring up the pitch?
Tom
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-09-22 17:09
TomS wrote:
> So, German cut on a French MP is something that has been used
> successfully by others ... you just have to keep the reed
> centered ... not a lot of lateral adjustment range.
>
> I wonder if the shorter vamp on the German Legere bring up the
> pitch?
>
I read on the Legere website that the German cut wouldn't work on French-type mouthpieces because the vamp is shorter on these reeds. When I compared a German cut Legere to a Signature European Legere, it seemed to me (eyeballing only), that the vamps are the same length. With Legeres, you can actually hold them back to back and sight through one toward the other. If the vamps are different on the two I compared, the difference would have to be measured with a caliper - I couldn't see it.
I found that the two styles worked almost equally well on my French-style mouthpiece, although I decided the Euro had a very slight edge in responsiveness. The German reeds to my ears as the player sounded the same as the Euro.
Karl
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