 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2018-03-21 06:28
I notice when I lay reed flat side up on glass to dry the tip is wavy. Anything I should do or just continue and ignore?
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Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2018-03-21 07:21
I find that a reed with a wavy tip won't respond with clarity, finesse and ease, and its sound will lack cleanliness, and it will become more resistant to play.
All MAJOR issues. So I find it crucially important to eliminate wavy tips by doing all of the following:
1. A wavy tip can be the result of the reed drying out too quickly and sitting idle at an ambient humidity level which is too low. So I make sure to store my reeds immediately following a playing session.
2. The storage method I use is humidity controlled in such a way as to allow the reed to slowly dry down to an ambient humidity level of about 70%.
3. When the reed is in use, I always cover the setup with a mouthpiece cape during long rests or quick breaks.
Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-03-21 16:20
A wavy tip is because the tip is 'wider' than the rest of the reed and curls up.
How?
*The tip is wet and the rest of the cane is dry?
It can happen to well broken-in reeds because the cane has been sealed well.
Soaking them will flatten them (eventually).
Wetting, then pressing the tip on a flat surface, helps speed up the process.
*The cane was cut at a bad time in the cane's life?
If it came out of the box that way, you might as well throw it into the fireplace and enjoy the result.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2018-03-21 17:14
Although I agree with both statements from the two above if the reed is playing well it's basically meaningless as long as you wet and flatten the tip before playing it. Just press the tip on a flat surface with a little thumb pressure after wetting it a bit. Once it flattens out it's playable again. The tip is so much thinner then the rest of the reed it will dry first no matter what you do. It's how it plays flatten not how it looks wavy. Check my website for some reed tips on my reed pages.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2018-03-21 22:59
I'd like to point out there are different climates. Achieving 70% humidity here in the desert is nearly impossible except during monsoon season. Typical is less than 10% ambient, both inside and outside. Reeds get drier here when not in use than they will in a climate with humidity, and have to be soaked longer before they are wet enough to work.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2018-03-22 17:07
I always kept my reeds in a air tight plastic bag with some type of commerical humidifier in it. Rico makes some good ones. Before those were available I'd keep somelthing that kept humidity in it but not so much to make the reeds moldy. I would NEVER let my reeds sit out in the dry air. I had a humidifier in my studio and home and when on the job I would choose my reed and immediately put the others back into my sealed bag. The worst thing for a reed in my opinion is allowing a reed to go from extreme wet to dry or to sit out in the dry air. That's one of the reasons I explain in my website reed pages never to actually soak a reed, just to wet the vamp portion for a few seconds and then flatten the tip if it's wavy. I'd just press the tip on the flat surface of my mouthpiece with my thump for a few seconds.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-03-22 17:23
This is how you cure a wavy reed.
Soak it well, just as you'd do to get it ready for playing.
Fit it to your mouthpiece in the usual manner.
Place your thumb over the mouthpiece tenon to seal it off.
Suck the air out from the mouthpiece.
Allow it to hold a vacuum and then 'pop' open.
The vacuum formed within the mouthpiece to hold the reed against the facing should straighten out a reed that's gone wavy. If it is still a bit wavy after the first attempt, do the suction thing again. This will also be a good indication that your mouthpiece and reed are sealing well if a vacuum can be created and holds for several seconds.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-03-22 18:55
Ed Palanker wrote:
> That's one of the reasons I explain in my website
> reed pages never to actually soak a reed, just to wet the vamp
> portion for a few seconds and then flatten the tip if it's
> wavy.
Chris P wrote:
> Soak it well, just as you'd do to get it ready for playing.
Soak or wet briefly? It seems to me this depends in part on whether or not you humidify your reeds in storage and, if you do, how much humidity. If you start with a dry reed, more specifically a used dry reed, it will take more soaking to get it ready to play than if you keep your reeds at 63% or 70% humidity. Reeds stored with humidity packs don't get wavy nearly as often as reeds that are allowed to dry.
Ed humidifies his reeds (he says so often, even in this thread, and on his web pages). I don't honestly remember whether Chris does or not.
Karl
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2018-03-22 23:12
I keep my reeds humidified at 72% in D'addario cases with the Boveda pack (these can be recharged in a high humidity container so you really only need 2 of them per case). I live in an area of Southern California which has a generally mild but variable climate and humidity. Since I started using this system a number of years ago I've had zero issues with the tips of reeds crinkling.
Anders
Post Edited (2018-03-22 23:13)
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Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2018-03-23 00:04
I used to use the Boveda packs but found longevity of my reeds was in question. I am not certain about it, I could be imagining it, however my reeds do seem to last longer with a simple sponge alongside in storage.
Issue with the sponge (a thin 1" square piece I cut to size) is that you have to watch the humidity level carefully. In my climate I don't seem to need any extra humidity in summer, however it is a must in winter.
I used to live in CO and before that UT, and Boveda packs were a life saver! At this point however I would still rather use a small sponge and monitor carefully.
I never have issues with wavy tips.
Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com
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Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2018-03-23 00:04
I used to use the Boveda packs but found longevity of my reeds was in question. I am not certain about it, I could be imagining it, however my reeds do seem to last longer with a simple sponge alongside in storage.
Issue with the sponge (a thin 1" square piece I cut to size) is that you have to watch the humidity level carefully. In my climate I don't seem to need any extra humidity in summer, however it is a must in winter.
I used to live in CO and before that UT, and Boveda packs were a life saver! At this point however I would still rather use a small sponge and monitor carefully.
I never have issues with wavy tips.
Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2018-03-23 00:23
Brad Behn wrote:
> I used to use the Boveda packs but found longevity of my reeds
> was in question. I am not certain about it, I could be
> imagining it, however my reeds do seem to last longer with a
> simple sponge alongside in storage.
Interesting. I've never used a sponge. My current system is my first serious foray into keeping reeds humidified. My reeds definitely last longer than they used to. I'm also using reeds with more consistent quality cane (Steuer instead of Vandoren) and a rotation of 8 or more reeds that I switch every 30 to 60 minutes of playing. I play 4 or more hours most days and get several months from most reeds. I also like to keep things simple as much as I can!
Anders
Post Edited (2018-03-23 00:25)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2018-03-24 17:24
My one last statement on the subject. The worse thing for reed life is allowing it to go from extreme dry to extreme wet as I explain on my web page. ALL wood will warp when that happens.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-03-24 19:33
I have a small glass waterproof bottle, just long enough for reeds, that fits in my case. With my good reeds and a few drops of water they stay humidified.
Here is an interesting fact about lumber;
"Sealing the ends of wood can also help prevent warping caused by uneven drying. Moisture leaves wood ten to twelve times faster from its ends than through its other surfaces. And without sealing the ends of boards of wood, the ends tend to shrink faster than the rest, leading to undue stress that can cause warping."
Hmmm... Guess I will start doing some experiments on sealing the butt end with??
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