 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Filipe T.
Date: 2001-10-08 17:04
This is so weird! OK, I read some where that if you soak your whole reed you you'll sound better. A few days later I got a really spitty and stuffy tone, I didn't know why, then a few days later i thought, "maybe it's because I'm soaking the whole reed"(DUH!!!) So this time I only soaked the thin part of the reed and voala!! I sound "normal"again. Why is it when i soaked my whole reed I got a really stuffy sound????
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sarah
Date: 2001-10-08 17:17
soaking the whole reed really does help. maybe you are leaving too much water (or saliva) on your reed. whenever i play the reed needs to be wet, but there isn't any visible water on the reed.
sarah
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jessica
Date: 2001-10-08 19:07
What seems to work well for me is soaking the vamp (that's the thin part) for about 30 secs & then the butt for only 15 secs, because I was having the same problem.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jeff
Date: 2001-10-09 02:41
hello
I like to soak the butt of teh reed for a short time, dip the front in and let it sit on the cup for a short time. Then i lick the butt of teh reed, below were the window will be, then put it on and play. The extra suliva helps to form a great bond with the mouthpiece and i have had reeds that could be played w/o a ligature.
best
jeff
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jmcaulay
Date: 2001-10-09 14:35
When I sound stuffy, sometimes I will just go soak my head. Tends to clear things up right away.
Hope this helps.
Seriously, it's my opinion that when you begin a session, you should have the reed prepared in a way that will allow it to stay the same through the entire performance. Each person "slobbers" differently, and if your saliva production while playing is rather enormous, you'll need a well-soaked reed to begin with so that its condition won't change radically while you are playing. On the other hand, if your saliva production is quite low, you shouldn't need the reed to be as moist when you commence playing. I used to change the strength of my reed depending on my saliva production at the time. When it was especially heavy, a stiffer reed was in order. Unfortunately, it's been quite a while since I played for an extended time, so this practice hasn't been tested recently. Of course, with reeds and such, YMMV.
Regards,
John
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Rausch
Date: 2001-10-09 20:15
I don't know if this will help but I found its best to soak the thin part of the reed in ordinary tap water. Your saliva will break down the reed more quickly then water. I keep a small film case of water in my clarinet case.
just my 2 cents
Bob
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-10-10 07:24
I read someone(a pro) mailed in klarinet mailing list to paint the bottom of the read with transparent nail color to avoid the water from being soaked too much from the fiber lengthwise.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-10-10 07:27
Sorry, but end not bottom.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Curtis
Date: 2001-10-11 01:12
Re. Soak Reeds --
Yes, soak them, but don't DROWN them!! As for the saliva, it is going to get on the reed any way because you put them in your mouth. You can't avoid it. But, you can be sure that when you have finished playing/practicing that you allow the reeds to dry out under conditions which permit the air to circulate rather than have the reed all closed up in a container where there is no circulation. This will help preserve the reed for a longer life span. Remember, they are made of a vegetable like material and are going to degenerate sooner or later. You can just pospone the inevitable by good care and common sense.
Bob Curtis
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
