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 Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: mtom 
Date:   2017-08-01 04:07

Hi,

I am interested if anybody has a guide, or knows of a guide, to making reeds by hand, without any expensive machine; like only using some blades and sandpaper, if that sounds even possible. I would buy blanks online, of course

Thanks



Post Edited (2017-08-01 04:14)

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: Neil 
Date:   2017-08-01 04:59

David Pino describes the process in his book, The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing.

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: Ed 
Date:   2017-08-01 05:43

http://www.vcisinc.com/reeds.htm

Lots of good books here. The bible on the topic is the Opperman book.

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: WhitePlainsDave 
Date:   2017-08-01 05:49

Consider than many players who made they own back in the day don't anymore because the time it takes to get a manufactured one up to playable, and the cost (both dollar and time) are considered the better choice.

If you consider the marginal gains you may get (or not, or lose) versus the time, it's often not considered worth it.

If your simply interested, Kal's book is the "go to" I think.

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: Ed 
Date:   2017-08-01 07:09

On the other hand, some I have known who make their own reeds say that they have better results, more control and reeds that play better and last much longer.

I think the answer is that you have to figure out what is best for you. One added benefit from learning the process is that you will have a much better understanding of reeds and greater skill in working on them. That will be a big plus, whether you end up hand making your own reeds or using commercial reeds.

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: mtom 
Date:   2017-08-01 07:25

I am mainly just curious and I think it'll be a fun project to play with on my free time. I will look at the materials you guys said.

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: maxopf 
Date:   2017-08-01 09:10

I followed the steps in this video —
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268zi0fENMs
— except starting from pre-made blanks I got at RDG. Used razor blades for the big cuts, then a reed knife for the finer details.

It was extremely tedious and time-consuming, but I did make some pretty okay-sounding reeds. It made me really appreciate Vandoren/other reed manufacturers though (as much as I tend to get frustrated with their sometimes inconsistent reeds.)

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: Grabnerwg 
Date:   2017-08-02 16:59

I made my own reeds for many years. If you can get good cane, it is worth the time and minimal expense. If you get poor or mediocre cane it is a waste of time.

One of the nicest aspects about hand made reeds is that since you can "season" the cane as you prepare to make the reeds, your reeds will play a lot longer and generally be more reliable.

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
"ClarinetFiesta" on my website - 10% off everything through August

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 Re: Making reeds by hand, without any fancy machines
Author: Bob Bernardo 
Date:   2017-08-06 22:39

I can say to buy great cane. Try to buy from the Var region of France. I totally agree with Walter.


Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces


Yamaha Artist 2015




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