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Re: Reed Help?

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2018-04-26 01:06

First, are you studying with a clarinet teacher?

If you can tongue fast enough on a new reed but things get sluggish after two playing sessions with it, then that particular problem is caused by the reed.

Reeds change in the way they respond over the first several times you play on them. There is lots of discussion available if you <Search> the archive here about "breaking in" a new reed. Everyone has a favorite way and there are about a gazillion ways to choose from, but the basic feature most of them include is the notion of playing a new reed for a very short period of time the first time out of the box, then slowly increasing playing time on the reed over several sessions. Along with the break-in process it helps if you know a little about reed balance so you can minimize the changes as they occur.

Players who don't use any kind of break-in process tend to take a reed out of its packaging, play on it until it won't play anymore, then throw it away and get another one out. Apparently, your reeds are generally lasting through two sessions before they no longer play easily for you. The solution is either to learn to break in and adjust reeds as this happens or go through a lot of reeds.

You can read a lot here about all of this, but working with an experienced clarinet teacher is the best way to get in-person, hands-on help. For the near-term, which includes your audition, you probably need to pick several reeds that play well out of the box, don't use them until just before the audition, then pick the best of them to play during the audition.

Karl

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