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Re: Sanding a Reed

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-08-02 02:24

When you twist the clarinet "clockwise," you are damping the right side of the reed and allowing the left side to vibrate freely. In comparing both sides, if one is more RESISTANT than the other, you would (ideally) use a reed knife or perhaps a rounded Xacto blade to scrape the more resistant side.

[Here is where an image is worth a thousand words] The best area to do minor "scraping" is the little "patch" midway between the heart (V shaped dense area you see as you look through the reed....toward a bright light) and the tip. It is probably a good idea to scrape at the angle of the heart as well.

Sometimes, it is beneficial to do a longer scrape along the outside edge from about the lower edge of the heart up to the level of the area described above. This sort of scrape allows a bit more depth to the sound if the reed (or just that side) sounds a bit "brittle."

All such adjustments should be done a little at a time (one or two quick movements with the knife; then check; then again......if necessary}.

.............Paul Aviles

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