 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2021-08-11 22:36
This is an inexpensive tool. I use the edge on the side of another reed and go back and forth on the bottom
of the reed at perpendicular and 45 degrees. Mostly this is the middle of the reed not touching the tip or extreme butt. I do this after a playing session when the reed has lots of moisture. It cleans the surface and perhaps keeps things a bit flatter.
No big claims here just a procedure I employ like swabbing out the clarinet. It’s a very gentle Reed Geek.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2021-08-13 00:08
Talking about A.L.E.? I have one, It's pretty good for flattening the back of the reed. It actually makes It better!!
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2021-08-13 00:50
I was referring to the Reed Geek. I’m sure A.L.E. does a good job also. I think anything with a straight edge works. I use the edge of a reed to flatten the bottom and also to adjust the vamp of the reed. It takes very little off and requires more pressure.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2021-08-13 17:51
I have found that older, broken in, nice reeds may rock back and forth on a flat surface from 'swelling'. And I have also found that making them flat will change and maybe ruin them.
For these 'best' reeds I just soak them more, and they will eventually flatten themselves. I also mark them so I don't wait to the last minute to use them - one mark for 2 hours and two marks for 4 hours.
Cane with improper aging may warp back to it's natural shape and then may be flattened, but properly aged cane will not change much after wetting. And part of breaking in a reed, is sealing the pores a bit so they don't swell during a performance.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2021-08-13 22:04
Jimis4klar wrote:
> Talking about A.L.E.? I have one, It's pretty good for
> flattening the back of the reed. It actually makes It better!!
Although a ReedGeek owner, I was unfamiliar with ALE Reed Balancer until this post.
I watched a video on its use and wish to know if--aside from personal preference as it regards the motor skills involved in each product's use and size differences--if one product provides features the other doesn't.
Thanks.
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Author: Jbosacki
Date: 2021-08-13 22:34
I'd still recommend the reed geek overall!
I had the guy at the booth use it on a couple of my reeds at Midwest a few years back and I bought one from them almost immediately.
Just be careful It's kinda small I lost mine within a month. was super bummed about it.
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Author: ChanelleConn
Date: 2021-08-28 13:05
I honestly have no idea how to break reeds or I don’t even know if I’m doing it right.
I play couple of throat notes and put it away for a bit and then using it but i don’t seem to feel anything like a “ wow this reed is good” vibe.
I heard people just play a note then store the reed away or how people leave their reeds completely soaked in a container.
Any tips you can spare?
www.mymilestonecard.com
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Author: Nelson
Date: 2021-08-29 04:55
Hi,
Talking about A.L.E and the Reed Geek reed balancing tool , neither of which I own, I wondered if anyone out there still uses the flattening method written about by Roger Salander sometime around the mid 70s in 'The Clarinet' journal entitled 'How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Reed" and 'The Continuing Saga of Roger's Reeds' . I wonder if the much newer methods have any greater effective advantage than the/his simple method of fine wet/dry paper on plate glass *plus light pencil lines on the back of the reed* to clearly indicate ongoing correction of warped areas through the super-light adjustment the method offers. I find my reed adjustment takes place at home so the hinderance of a glass plate and portability doesn't really matter at all to me and I still rely on his approach after decades of playing.
Thanks DJ
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2021-08-29 06:24
Nelson wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
> I find my reed adjustment takes
> place at home so the hinderance of a glass plate and
> portability doesn't really matter at all to me and I still rely
> on his approach after decades of playing.
>
I think that's the point of the alternative tools that have come out. They're more portable and can be carried in your clarinet case. I don't do much reed work outside my practice studio, either. I still use reed rush on a piece of black marble block for a lot of my reed balancing. I rarely flatten the backs of reeds, but I also prefer the fine wet-or-dry on a piece of plate glass, or a fine rasp that I've mounted on a piece of two-by-four.
If you want to do reed work on the job, though, the more compact devices are more convenient. Of course an old fashioned reed knife also fits in the case and can do everything the other tools do. It's just a question of preference.
Karl
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2021-08-29 21:44
I guess I should add that the modern problem with carrying a reed knife in your case, at least for school students, is that knives of any kind are prohibited in most school buildings, so some of the other alternatives are safer.
Karl
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Author: hanalana
Date: 2022-01-07 18:42
I assume you mean "break in" reeds. Breaking them is frustratingly easy.
All I do is soak mine in water for about 15 minutes, then lay them on a flat piece of glass and run my thumb along the vamp to squeeze out the excess water. Then I let them dry for awhile, write a number on the backside with a Sharpie, then put them away.
I know next to nothing about trimming with a reed knife or using reed rush. So the above is all I do for break-in. And that's only when I'm not busy or lazy. I'm super guilty of just taking a new reed out of a box, playing it for 10 seconds and saying "that's good enough" right before curtain time.
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Author: hanalana
Date: 2022-01-07 18:45
I assume you mean "break in" reeds. Breaking them is frustratingly easy.
All I do is soak mine in water for about 15 minutes, then lay them on a flat piece of glass and run my thumb along the vamp to squeeze out the excess water. Then I let them dry for awhile, write a number on the backside with a Sharpie, then put them away.
I know next to nothing about trimming with a reed knife or using reed rush. So the above is all I do for break-in. And that's only when I'm not busy or lazy. I'm super guilty of just taking a new reed out of a box, playing it for 10 seconds and saying "that's good enough" right before curtain time.
Post Edited (2022-01-07 18:46)
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Author: mariadwyer
Date: 2022-01-27 23:02
I assume you mean "break in" reeds. Breaking them is frustratingly easy.
All I do is soak mine in water for about 15 minutes, then lay them on a flat piece of glass and run my thumb along the vamp to squeeze out the excess water. Then I let them dry for a while, write a number on the backside with a Sharpie, then put them away.
I know next to nothing about trimming with a reed knife or using reed rush. So the above is all I do for break-in. And that's only when I'm not busy or lazy. I'm super guilty of just taking a new reed out of a box, playing it for 10 seconds and saying "that's good enough" right before curtain time.
Post Edited (2022-01-27 23:05)
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The Clarinet Pages
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