 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2016-06-04 06:44
Trying to get a reed routine. After break in is it advised to play the reed until it doesnt sound right, like too hard, soft, or other, then try to analyze it and modify in some way? I gather you dont go shaving , clipping, and sanding until something is wrong. I have reeds around two years old to present, 39 in all, and try to rotate them by playing one only 10-15 minutes at a time. The 8 oldest ones are getting to sound shrill and soft so may need some adjusting. But I soak for a few minutes while a assembling instrument, rub down the vamp and polish the flat side and the end, play, then rinse, polish and rub again, dry for a while and store in reed holder. The oldest ones start to turn dark or blackish and I soak in peroxide for awhile, once in half bleach half water in hopes of killing any mold. Anyone have any comments or corrections?
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2016-06-04 07:25
As I try to comment with the single best generic answers to your questions I'm left with unanswered questions of my own, regarding your play, that if known might help me better tailor a response.
An initial primary question would be how often, and for how long do you play? I would think that rotating broken in reeds every 15 minutes would be too much for me, but I do agree that reed rotation has helped me preserve the playing life of a reed compared to a paradigm of play-play-play until one can play no longer.
And I don't know your budget for reeds, your ability to purchase good products like the ATG method of adjusting reeds, or reed adjustment gear, your tolerance for imperfection, and other variables. I'll try to talk about what I do with emphasis on the parts other players do as well.
I'm careful to introduce new reeds to water and play them slowly at first. I use methods of adjusting reeds like ATG to gradually make changes to soften and balance reeds. Water is like medicine to reeds in that it has to be balanced, and reeds are like babies skin to it: more sensitive at first.
Some reeds don't change--some don't change for the better. After a couple of tries I toss those. Other people save them and try them weeks later. Some are great out of the box. Surely, to answer your question, if it ain't broke, I don't fix it. Some of those don't stay that way and I can't fix them.
Firewood they too become. I'll be the first to admit that when they cross that threshold into garbage for me might be directly linked to whether a local sports team won last night.
Decent but by no means perfect reeds enter a humidity controlled box and into my rotation; stored in reed protectors. They may get some slight adjustment by me through their life, but at this point, most of that adjustment is repositioning the reed on the mouthpiece for strength and balance. In time, those reeds become just too hard to play even after adjustment. They get tossed.
This is an ever ongoing process for me. Reeds enter the system like water through the spigot into the bath. Reeds get tossed like water down the drain, while the water height in the tub (the # of good reeds I have at any one point in time) varies. I don't keep 39 in rotation. And I just dip them in water before and after play. I try to play different higher end brands.
I'm a bit concerned over why your reeds might be changing color.
Other posters will have variations on my approach likely no less worthy. Do everything in moderation.
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2016-06-04 07:41
I only play around half hour a day and use around 2-3 reeds. Maybe 5-15 minutes. Play a few scales, a few songs, and some fingering practice. Have enough reed, can afford reeds, but hate to throw things away. Started clarinet May 2014 and have most all the reeds except maybe 4-5 that got sanded, trimmed, played until couldnt make them work. Have 2, 2.5 and 3 strengths. Some called beginner reeds, others classified as intermediate. Just a hobbyist..no real demands. But like to do things like most would consider correct or close to it. I keep reading and posting in hopes of understanding and improving within the scope of what I choose to learn and play.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-06-04 12:14
I think most of us would agree that you should throw out the older reeds that are soft and shrill. They are worn out and nothing you can do is going to change that more than very temporarily, if at all. Reeds are a consumable product. Unless you are beyond the reach of modern civilizaiton or on a very severely limited budget it's counterproductive to keep them in play past their usable life.
I sometimes wonder what percentage of clarinet time the average player spends fiddling with reeds. Personally, I like to keep it to a minimum as practice time is golden. It's interesting to notice how much less of an issue reeds are with a flexible well-conditioned embouchure and a strong air support system. This only happens with sustained and regular face time ie, clarinet in the face. Yes, good quality well balanced reeds are crucial, but the skill and condition of the player is paramount.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-06-04 17:43
I think you're overthinking this.
Keeping reeds around *and in use* (if I'm reading your post correctly) for 2 years seems unreasonable.
15 minutes every 13-20 days for an individual reed (again, if I'm reading your post correctly) seems counterproductive - the reed may never acclimate to water, which is the whole point of any "break in" process.
The older reeds that "are getting to sound shrill and soft" are probably beyond adjustment. You should just throw them out. Especially if they are turning "dark or blackish." Something unhealthy is probably growing on them. Peroxide may not kill the organism but over time will probably start to break down the reed itself (it doesn't care what it's oxidizing).
IMO, you're too focused on keeping reeds that shouldn't be kept. You sound like someone whose hobby is reeds, not playing the clarinet. There's too much unnecessary process going on related to reeds in the pursuit of "correct" reed treatment. There is no such thing. If everyone here were to write out a description of how they work with reeds, you'd have a truly impossible time distilling anything "correct" from the mess. (There have been many, many previous threads about this very topic, and I think you've been part of several of the recent ones).
Simplify your clarinet life. Go through one box of reeds, find four that play well, and play on them until they don't respond well. Break them in by increasing the playing time each gets over a course of 3 or 4 sessions, starting with five minutes each and ending up with an entire 30-45 minute session on a singe reed. If a reed begins to feel unresponsive, try adjusting it. If you can't make it play better, throw it out and replace it.
Decide on what strength reed works best for you and stick with it. There are no such things as "beginner" or "intermediate" reeds. There are reeds that are (for you and your mouthpiece) too soft, too hard and, perhaps just right, although you may still need to balance the tips.
The fact that you are "a hobbyist..no real demands" suggests that you are someone who should be least concerned with all the witchcraft that players who are under performance pressure and stress sometimes feel they need to develop to give themselves the best performing edge. If a professional player thinks he needs to do a 15 step - three week process to get the absolute best from his reeds, it doesn't mean that a person who is only trying to enjoy playing for its personal musical value needs to emulate that kind of approach. In all probability the pro doesn't really need to do all 15 of those steps, either, but they make him feel better and more in control.
Obsessive behavior over reeds is for many hobbyists a way to postpone actually playing. Don't fall into that trap. Just pick out a few (3-5) reeds that are comfortable to play on and play.
Karl
Post Edited (2016-06-04 18:20)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2016-06-04 18:48
Check my articles on reeds on my website, I have some good suggestions.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-06-05 10:47
Follow Eddie's site. You are doing a lot of things wrong here regarding care for reeds. Mold is something you don't want to mess with on reeds; you could actually get very ill, lung and throat infections, and surely you need to air dry reeds completely and never store them in plastic bags. Same with mouthpieces. Wash them often, with care. It's pretty much a bacteria breeding ground and it's pretty gross!
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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