 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kristin
Date: 2001-11-26 22:15
I was keeping reeds in a case inside a bag with a wet sponge after being told that this would prevent warping after playing. I found however that my reeds still occasionally warped just like they would normally and they grew some mildew, which made me question how sound this practice is. Do other people do this and is it really necessary for reeds that will play better/ last longer? I thought that uneven water absorbtion by the reed was what caused warping, not humidity.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-11-26 22:29
Here is a recent quote from "the Doctor" (L Omar Henderson) which may help you:
"The trick to storing reeds is to keep the relative humidity less than 50% (mold and mildew spores and most bacteria will not grow). An easy way to do this is to get an airtight "TupperWare" container, put the dryed reeds in there with some of those silica gel packets which will generally keep the RH less than 50%. For short term storage - another smaller one with the same packets. The RH is difficult to control at less than 50% and the reeds may get down to 20-30% moisture content - but no mold or bacteria and simple, cheap, and easy. The cigar humidor with RH Meter is the best, and most expensive."
The Doctor
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Author: Jonathan Farquhar (Aus)
Date: 2001-11-26 23:27
There are a number of factors that will affect the reed making it warp. (ie. the table not being perfectly flat - (not the tip of the reed going "wavy"))
As a finished product, whilst the reed is in use, it will become moist, absorbing saliva, as well as the condensation that forms inside the mouthpiece, due to its porous nature. If used for a longer period of time, it will eventually become waterlogged, causing it to lose its ability to vibrate, resulting in a deterioration of the clarinet's tone. Once the reed has adjusted itself to this waterlogging process, it will have become warped (this will not be visible to the naked eye until it has been polished slightly), making the reed seem as if it has suddenly lost the colour of its tone or even "died". If a reed is properly conditioned or "broken in" then this will help to alleviate this problem. To properly condition a reed, it is necessary to soak the reed blank/s in water for approximately 3 - 5 minutes once or twice a day for around five days in order that it is familiarised with the wetting and drying process, and does not ever become waterlogged (and then warped).
Some clarinettists store their reeds and reed cases in the open air, stating that this helps in the breaking-in process of wetting and drying the reed, and will help avoid waterlogging by removing moisture from the reed whilst not in use (theoretically, if properly broken-in, then the reed shouldn't warp).
Alternatively, reeds and reed cases with reeds in them may be kept in a stable environment within an airtight container with the view to theoretically further stop any warping that may occur by keeping them constantly moistened. This airtight container should have a sponge kept inside that is slightly damp (wet it with water and then wring as much water out as is possible) to keep the reeds at a constant humidity level.
Neither of these approaches to storing reeds are necessarily wrong, but each produces a different result that can affect both the quality and life of a reed.
Another aspect that affects reed warpage is the storage of the individual reeds themselves. The usual storage that most clarinettists use is a reed case, although some reed cases that are available make a dent in the vamp of the reed to hold it in place. A different way to store reeds which alleviates this particular problem, is to keep the reeds on a glass microscope slide with a rubber band holding a reed in place on either side of the slide. These previous two stands are based on the premise that if the table of the reed is kept flat while it is not in use, then it will not warp.
The final view is that if the table of the reed is sealed against the reed holder/slide, then it will dry out slower than the vamp of the reed thus causing the reed to warp. Thus, the edges/rails of the reed can be attached inside a container with blue tack to keep them from moving around, thus allowing the reed to dry out evenly. Again it is advisable to experiment to find what works best for yourself.
Hope this is of some help (and have fun trying out all these different things),
Jonathan Farquhar (Aus)
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Author: William
Date: 2001-11-27 00:23
I have never used "moist storage" for my reeds, one of my friends who does, puts a small amount of salt in the water used to establish the humidity level and claims that it prevents the mildew and mold from growing on the reeds between uses. He stores the reeds on a piece of glass inside a flat Tupperware air-tight container on a salted moist sponge. Just a "pinch" I think. My friend plays jazz gigs on a world wide basis and claims no warpage or mildew--and, that all of his reeds are always "ready to sing" regardless of climate or temperature. Let us know how this works if you give it a try.
FYI--I do not travel the world in search of playing engagements (mainly, because nobody asks me too) so I use a Harrison reed storage case and use only saliva to moisten my reeds before use. The only time I soak them in water is when I am trying them straight out of the box. After the first trial, I rub the front and back of the reed to begin the "waterproofing" process and place it for storage in the Harrison case. Using saliva only to moisten and diligently rubbing each reed down after use or knife adjustment, I never experiance any warpage between uses. The reeds dry flat and are ready for use after a minute or so of saliva and some pre-play rubbing. We all seem to have different reed prep routines, but this one works for me. Good Luck with yours!!!
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-11-27 00:30
one comment- storage seems to matter more or less depending on the climate. For example, virtually none of the good clarinet players here in NZ (and i'm counting several US and Aus imports here) use sealed reed storing cases etc (to my knowledge at any rate). Here where we are mostly pretty close to sea level with a "marinetime climate" reeds still warp, but it doesn't seem to be as dramatic as on the continental US where you have huge changes in humidity and AIR CONDITIONING.
when i lived in the US this latter factor seemed to me to make a really big difference- i remember once a reed warped nearly half a milimetre [like " ) " if it was lying flat] in the time it took me to cross the road and back (coffee break). A couple of years after Marina Sturm had moved here from the US (she is now back in NY) i asked her if she agreed with me on this, which she cautiously did. Cautiously i guess because, well, they still warp and it's not really easy to measure how much by.
donald
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Author: Suzanne
Date: 2001-11-27 03:55
I keep my reeds in a ziploc bag with a cigar humidifier (distilled H20 keeps away mold) and I find that they are much more stable and friendly, though, sometimes they still warp. I don't think it is completely unavoidable. I do let them air dry, first, before I put them in the bag.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2001-11-27 13:37
Suzanne, I'm not sure why distilled water would keep away mold. Chlorinated tap water is more likely to kill organisms, whereas distilled water has nothing in it to discourage mold growth. The mold and mildew spores come from the air, so maybe your Ziploc bag is the main preventative against organism growth.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2001-11-27 21:07
Other than my use of a Vandoren case, I have little to contribute on this thread. However, Donald, I believe you'll find that your reed warpage thusly " ) " is restricted to places such as NZ, Oz, ZA, and the like. In the US and other venues up north, it's much more commonly " ( " due to the Coriolis effect -- perhaps you observed that when you lived here.
Regards,
John
unable to play with tongue stuck in cheek
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-11-29 19:12
hah- how could you tell whether i meant " ( " or " ) " ????? down here in the southern hemisphere the reed falls to the left or the right? i really just meant withways instead of lengthways as there is sometimes confusion (mainly among high school students) as to exactly what is meant by "warping"... (maybe even i am confused?)
donald
ps sometimes when i hear clarinet players say things like "reeds don't warp" or "i don't even know what warping is" (they do say things like that down here) i want to cry out "i've seen it, i've seen it with my own eyes" .... remembering that crazy reed i described above. i feel a bit like a character from the x files or some old UFO movie!
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