 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Irwin
Date: 2001-07-06 23:50
At the risk of totally humiliating myself, I'm going to reveal something in hopes that it will help some of the beginners.
Background: Vandoren V12's, 3.5, right out of the box used to play stuffy until I ran them through my Reed Wizard. The instructions for the Reed Wizard require that the reed be soaked, base down, for 2 minutes before using the Reed Wizard. After using it, the reeds come out playing like they were 2's. Problem was that the next day, the reeds that played so easily the day before were stuffy again and hard to blow.
Okay. Here's the embarrasing part in light of the fact that I didn't just start playing clarinet yesterday. I recently discovered that I've never properly wetted a reed. In the past, I've always stuck the tip in my mouth with at least half of the reed outside my mouth. Anyway, I remembered the Reed Wizard instructions and also recalled that my teacher when wetting his reed sticks almost the entire reed in his mouth, so I decided to do the same thing. And guess what, the reed played beautifully. I repeated the experiment with other previously unplayable reeds, and again they all played so easily. All I could do afterwards was sit there dumstruck and say "duh".
If any beginners are having problems with reeds, try wetting the whole reed in your mouth for about 2 minutes. Hope this helps.
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Author: Azzacca
Date: 2001-07-07 00:17
Actually, it's been said that wetting the reed in your mouth is not terribly good for them. The bacteria in your mouth can break down the reed rapidly. Instead, try soaking them in water for the two minutes. I've discovered this works better than anything else I used to do so many years ago.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-07-07 00:24
Azzacca wrote:
>
> The bacteria in your mouth
> can break down the reed rapidly
That is untrue. The enzymes in your saliva do not digest cellulose.
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Author: spf
Date: 2001-07-07 03:28
Uh, Mark. Enzymes in your saliva is NOT the same as bacteria. While human saliva might not digest cellulose, I have little doubts about bacteria. The human mouth is not a pretty place...
spf
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-07-07 04:26
Hi. Fernando Silveira's doctoral dissertation investigated these claims (both bacterial and enzymatic - remember, it's enzymes secreted by bacteria which would allow bacterial digestion - enzymes do the chemical work) and found no such action. Diane Karius (a poster here) has also addressed this question (search the Klarinet archives). Examination of reeds by Fernando has shown no degradation of the cellulose. Fernando's research did show pore clogging because of dissolved minerals in human saliva, but in any case the blasted reed is sitting in your mouth - the saliva's going to get in there no matter what.
There isn't any digestive action found because of saliva and bacteria. That's the truth, no question about it.
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Author: Corey
Date: 2001-07-07 04:27
i have found that wetting reeds with water is better than with my saliva for me.
Corey
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Author: whp
Date: 2001-07-07 04:43
In fact, we all been told and we follow the majority ways of what people are doing. Whether enzymes in your saliva digests cellulose, still there're many controversy, and we all don't know. Personally point of view, reed wetting works individually(in fact, everything in our lives works individually). I've seen (litereally see and told) by many wrold class clarinetists do not soak reeds into water, instead, they give a very quick lick to it before they play. Our legendary reed maker Kalman Opperman suggests that always soak reeds with saliva. Conversely, many players do the other way around - always soak with water. For some reason, whenever my reed touches water, it simply does not work good. Reason? I don't know why, but I just know it works better this way for me.
I'm not trying to stand any of my personal pont of this issue here, but I always let all my students try all different way.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-07-07 05:10
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with wetting via water or saliva. Just setting the record straight - there's no digestion of cellulose if you wet it with saliva. It's a pretty straightforward and easy to do experiment and it already has been done a few times.
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Author: kny
Date: 2001-07-07 05:52
I used to do what Irwin did. But this web page helped me alot
http://members.tripod.com/~Jean_Johnson/reeds.html
I played and sound much better after following the advice.
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-07 19:08
Overnight Hydrogen Peroxide Soaks. Works like a charm.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-07-09 01:46
See the D'Addario Link above for their FAQ and advice on reedwetting. mw
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-07-09 03:31
Hydrogen peroxide is known as one of cancer inducing material.
If it is still used, as suggested by a professional medical practitioner once in this BBS, it may be better to dilute with water from 5% to less than say 3%.
I use Volvic bottle to soak entire reeds for some 20 minutes.
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-09 15:20
Don't worry, hiroshi, I dilute the peroxide thoroughly.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-07-09 18:01
Most of the "drug store" peroxide in the U.S. is 3% - you can usually only get the stronger 5-20% solutions from chemical distributors or by doctor's prescription. Some of the tooth whitening products are stronger - but a different form of peroxide that is generated upon demand and is not the stated strength in real time. The quantity of peroxide left in the reed is very small and if you allow the reed to dry it all goes away. I would not reccommend using straight hydrogen perioxide on reeds - it is a moderately good sanitizing agent, but it leaves the reed very dry and also removes the cane's natural humectants.
There are products on the market - Reedlife to name one - which contain hydrogen peroxide but also humectants (and other chemicals) that preserve a finite water content in the reed and also aid in their rewetting process. Many symphony professionals use these products due to the necessary wetting process inbetween pieces or parts. Many also have told me that it extends the usable life of their good reeds (but this is a subjective observation).
We have had discussions in the past about what and why reeds "go down the tubes" and Mark is correct that human oral cavity bacteria do not digest cellulose. I am hesitant to say that some of the digestive enzymes in siliva do not affect the complex cellulose matrix - but this is just a "gut feeling". There are however a whole host of bacteria and mold - fungus in our everyday environment that do digest cellulose (Nature's good plan) and other starches and sugars that may get into the reed from our mouth as food particles, which are excellent culture for these other "bugs". Oral hygiene and/or reed sanitizing are important factors.
The Doctor
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Author: Nick Stabler
Date: 2001-07-13 20:58
Just wanted to throw my two cents in... (sorry if I am repeating anyone, I just read the first few posts) If you wet the reed in your mouth instead of water, it (in theory) will not change and warp as much when you do wet it in your mouth. However, this said, it is usually a good idea to wet your reeds a number of times before you sand much of the reed away. I like to wet the reed for a few minutes (the whole reed) and then let it dry overnight, repeat a few times, and then sand and even it out. I have also found that making the two sides exactly the same thickness (as with the reed wizard) is not always the most useful thing to do, as there are varying densities in the cane. Instead, I simply rotate the clarinet a few degrees to either side (causing only one half of the reed to vibrate, and then pare down the cane ever so slightly.) This has always worked really well, and it produces a better end product than a reed that is exactly the same thickness all around.
P.S. even if the bacteria in your mouth did break down the cane, would not this happen when you are playing anyways ?? just something to think about
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