 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Francesca
Date: 2001-09-26 00:55
Hola all!
I'm playing the beast for symphonic band. Actually, I like it it's just the reeds are warping because I don't have a reed case for them. Is there any cheap alternative I can use to keep them from looking like lasagna? Keep in mind I'm a college student who just dropped my soprano clarinet on the street. (Long, sad, story)
Thanks!
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-09-26 04:41
A makeup mirror with folding lid can be made into a reed case for those contra reeds. Swiped mine from my wife. I just glued a thin strip of foam tape to the lid to press the reeds onto the glass when the lid is closed. The tape I use is about an inch wide and 1/4 inch thick. Used between camper shells and pickup beds. Don't buy a whole roll, just go to a camper shell place and you can get all the scraps you want. If the lid is more cavernous, there is thicker foam tape out there too.
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2001-09-26 16:07
Contra reeeds/tounge depressers are certainly on the hate side of the love-hate relationship I have with the contrabass clarinet. Honestly, I haven't had a chance to play contra since I got the Larry Guy book (which I would recommend), but all of the anti-warpage recommendations he has I think would help.
To start with - at $3 a pop, a bari-sax reed case is cheap from one of the mail order houses. Just get it.
Beyond that, I'd follow his advice to let the reeds dry in open air, upside-down the first 5 or 6 times you use them, and after each of the wettings (once they're fully dry), shave the table of the reed <i>very</i> lightly with your reed kinfe. Finally, after the 6th day, seal the heel of the reed by sanding it down a bit - hard. (Put the sandpaper on a flat hard surface and move the reed, not vice versa.) Beyond that, I'd recommend buying the book.
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-09-28 05:28
It depends on what mouthpiece you have. Mine, a Leblanc EEb, uses the full sized contra reed and they won't fit a bari sax holder. The old Selmer C* I used to use DID use bari sax reeds and a lot less air.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-09-29 16:11
Francesca -
I use Vandoren bass sax reeds on my Eb contra. I keep them in the box they came in, in the plastic holders. Vandoren BBb bass reeds, I think, don't come in the holders, but they pack OK in the box. I also use bubble wrap to keep things from rattling around in the case.
The "lasagna" look on the reed tip doesn't mean you have bad storage. It just means you haven't soaked the reed long enough. For a contra reed, you need immersion for at least 5 minutes. It will then flatten out just fine.
Contra reeds all warp with a ridge down the middle of the bottom. I think the bark on the top forces all swelling downward. You need to put the reed on 400 or 600 grit sandpaper over plate glass and take sand the area under the bark until it's shiny all over. This will work miracles.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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