 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-10-28 02:30
I can't tell very well when a given reed has gotten past its prime. So I have this method, which I'd like to replace. Each month, I prepare four reeds that I think are excellent, and I number them mm-1,mm-2,mm-3, mm-4, where mm is the month.
Whenever I start to play, I use a different reed from the last time, going through 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1 etc. At then end of a month, I throw away all four reeds and start over. Unless a reed is really bad sometime in midmonth, it is common for me to be happy with each of the four throughout the month.
How best to tell if a reed is caput? I use the ATG system from Tom Ridenour, and I do verify that each reed is still balanced and can go through the middle C, G, E and high A both loudly and softly.
How do you players do this??
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-10-28 04:07
Why throw away a reed based on time in use ? I have many reeds in rotation for months, sometimes years at a time.
When a reed stops sounding good, become inflexible, fails to articulate, plays out of tune won't respond evenly in all registers etc..
That's the time to discard it.
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-10-28 04:26
In my experience, what happens to reeds as they get 'used up' is a loss of something I think of as freshness or instant response. For me, a new reed, once I've got it ready, is 'eager' to sound, quick to respond, produces a full sound with little effort.
When that characteristic fades, I am somewhat likely to mistake it for 'my fault' or something about my playing that needs change. I end up working harder, which is never very good for my results, which I want to be flowing and finely gradated. So, for me, it seems better to get rid of a reed on a schedule rather than depend upon myself to recognize that it has lost its freshness.
This is similar to your pointing out that a reed becomes inflexible and stops sounding good. It's just that for me, I'd rather go through more reeds and expense than to continue playing on a reed that has lost its sparkle.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-10-28 04:39
Compare your older reeds to fresher ones. When the difference is too obvious to ignore, ditch the old one.
I would be a little nervous discarding all my old reeds and then starting new ones. I would start at least one or two new ones before I discarded all of the old ones at once.
Karl
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-10-28 04:46
I'm a lucky SOB, in that when I buy good reeds, like AW from Germany, or D'addario or Steuer, and use the ATG system from Ridenour, just about all my new reeds turn out to be great.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-10-28 09:08
We all find what works for us individually.
If you keep more reeds in rotation, like perhaps the eight that would fit in a D'Adarrio case you might gain a better sense of when is a reed is dying by comparison to the others. For instance, if you are having an articulation issue that you think might be reed related and it happens on three reeds in a row out of your rotation, it's probably you - not the reed. If the issue is the reed, this becomes obvious as you try the others and you discard it based on cause rather than an arbitrary time standard. You can gain further assurance by staggering when you start reeds so that they are unlikely to all be dying at once. Learning to know reeds this way is advantageous to developing your sensitivity and flexibility as a player.
Also, the more reeds you have in rotation, the longer they will each last individually. I keep an average of eight going at once for my soprano clarinets, mostly Steuer, and they usually last for months, rather than weeks. I'd be wasting a lot of good playing reeds using your system.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-10-28 12:06
The above post said it best. The Steuer reeds do last a long time. Don't throw reeds away every month. The cane fibers are very strong, because of the winds off of the ocean. It's like a human going to the gym or working out everyday. Sometimes in a month they are just starting to break in and feel good.
A common test of course is sound. Another great test is playing in the upper register. If a reed starts to squeak it's also a sign of breaking down and if there is a delay when pushing air through the reed, it simply doesn't respond, chances are it is dead, but you can try working on them to bring them back to life.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2016-10-28 13:45
"When a reed stops sounding good, become inflexible, fails to articulate, plays out of tune won't respond evenly in all registers etc..
That's the time to discard it."
Or give it a 2nd life on a mouthpiece with slightly bigger opening or wider tip rail.
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2016-10-28 16:47
> Compare your older reeds to fresher ones.
> When the difference is too obvious to ignore, ditch the old one.
Well, the difference is obvious most of the time - but for me it's usually in favour of the older reed. I very rarely find a reed I could perform on until it's had a month of infrequent playing to let it settle down. Once it stops looking new and takes on a faint patina of dirt and grease off the lips, only then does the sound seem to be right.
Once this happy state is obtained, I can rotate a number of such reeds for 12 months or even more. Towards the upper end of this, they seem to lose clarity and start sounding fuzzy, especially in the quiet lower register. But even then, I don't throw them away immediately: sometimes a longer rest revives them for a while; plus they seem to vary whether they want to work depending on the weather. Finally, sometimes the fuzziness can be cured by sanding; even when they are balanced L-to-R initially, imbalances sometimes develop and need re-curing.
I'm aware that some players are much more strongly in favour of youth. I keep hoping to pair myself up with one, since they'll be throwing reeds away just when I consider they're ready to start playing....
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Author: chamberguy
Date: 2016-10-28 17:25
This is my reply to the last 4 very helpful messages. I am going to change my routine. You all made a lot of sense to me. I think I will continue to keep four reeds in rotation for now, but keep using them until I can perceive some decline, at least two or three months. I will try to learn to trust my judgment on that. Then, I will probably see how it goes with 6 or 8 reeds in rotation.
Here's my thing: I get a real thrill out of getting a brand new reed balanced and ready to go, and I love playing on it. So I have the perception that it's better than all the reeds in my stable, but that's probably not true.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2016-10-28 18:22
I'm getting better at giving worn-out reeds the "wall test," but one of the curses of owning vintage clarinets is that the perfect reed for the best mouthpiece on the 1921 Buffet may sound like a rat in a bad mood on a modern clarinet, while
Hey! Whaddya! Just gimme a minute to borrow Lelia's brain fer a minute here. This is Dick Vigorous. I'm a rat. Yeah, that's right, a dirty rat. What's it to ya? I can't get inna attic no more since they replaced the ventilation grates on the roof, blast em, but lemme just say I can still hear from outside an I don't wanna hear none of this garbage about squeaks an rats, okay? Us rats is clarinet players best friends. Yeah. An what you think is a good reed, phooey! We wanna hear them squeeeeeeks! A reed that don't squeak is good fer nothin. My opinion. Okay she was gonna tell ya to go vote on November 8 but there ain't no pro-rat candidates on the ballot so I says us rats don't care if ya vote or not.
--Dick Vigorous, boss rodent, an I don't give a hiss about Jane Feline, neither.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2016-10-28 18:40)
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2016-10-28 20:08
This is a contrarian perspective; I've posted it before. It's understandably pretty much a non-starter with others on the site, and that's ok.
I started practicing on my current reed in February 2016. It is now almost November. I play it 2-4 hours a day, no rotation. It's still playing very well. This length of service is not abnormal for me.
After each play, I wash reeds according my own system. I believe this extends their playing life.
No sense in reposting details about this. If anyone is curious, my email is vladimir@vermontel.net.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2016-10-28 22:18
In evaluating my #3 V12 reeds, I check how they play above altissimo G. New ones generally play to C above that while well used ones may not respond on high Bb, B, or C.
If the general pitch overall of the clarinet with a well used reed is below A440, I would probably throw it away (the reed, not the clarinet).
After each session, I scrape the reed with a single edge razor blade, but do not remove any cane. This closes the tubes or pores and removes any debris from playing.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-10-29 03:53
I forgot to mention earlier that in my view it is important to have a range of reed ages in your rotation schedule. This makes the comparisons more obvious when one starts declining.
And when a reed eventually fails the "performance" test it is probably still good for some practice sessions.
Or am I just too miserly ?
Comes from living through WW II !
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