 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2002-01-29 23:49
As a hobby player, doing all of the reed maintainence ends up taking me longer than actual practice time. Therefore, I'm eyeing the synthetic alternatives. Thoughts?
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-01-30 00:48
I guess it could be a chore but, I'm wondering what kind of maintenance takes up so much time? Synthetics might be okay. You'd have to try 'em yourself to find out whether you like the result.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2002-01-30 01:55
I just started using a fibracell on bass. The sound is not as rich and vibrant as on a good cane reed but it's not bad. It seems to be much less prone to chirping or squeaking than a cane reed especially in the fussy mid-clarion range. Of all the horns I play (bari sax, alto sax, soprano sax, soprano clarinet, and bass clarinet) bass is the most finicky about reeds. So it's nice to put one on that plays acceptably and not have to hassle with finding another one for two or three months (or however long a synthetic reed lasts). I have a Legere on order and will give a report after I try it. And don't let anyone give you any crap about using a synthetic. If it works it's okay.
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Author: Dan Borlawsky
Date: 2002-01-30 12:54
In the '60s, Selmer marketed a synthetic reed called the "Fibercane." The tone quality on small calrinets and saxes was really terrible, but on bass and contra clarinets it was great! I had all my students (jr. high and high school) using them at the time. Now that they're no longer available, there must be a modern-day synthetic that's comparable.
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2002-01-30 13:19
I have a section mate that plays on the fibracell. I'm not at all pleased with his tone. It lacks a solid core, and sounds like a reed beginning to collapse.
Personally, I found one of those clear nylon reeds that was great for marching while in high school (say about 1992), but I went through a few first, and it wasn't suitable for concert work.
As for the chore, I do work my reeds some. See Larry Guy's book.
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Author: Herb K
Date: 2002-01-30 13:22
I've been using a Legere on bass in community concert band for about a year, with acceptable results. As a big band bari player, I find the Legeres are best when doubling on bass or sop cl. I'm anxious to try the Legere bari.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-01-30 13:55
My feeling about Legeres (in general, as well as regarding bass clarinets) is that they're great for doubling in, say, a show pit where you're playing a bunch of instruments and cane reeds dry out; they're also good as an emergency backup. But I still don't feel that they sound as good or respond as well (especially in the altissimo register) as good cane reeds, so I never use synthetics as my primary reeds. Your mileage may vary. Offer void where prohibited.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-01-30 15:49
Yes. I adjusted the Legeres I was trying out on soprano and bass clarinets and tenor sax. It helped some, but I never got them to sound or feel as good as real cane.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2002-01-30 16:34
All of us seem to agree that cane produces a better tone than synthetic. But synthetic has some advantages over cane besides durability and not warping. As I mentioned above synthetics seem less prone to chirping or squeaking. Also the synthetics seem to lend themselves to hard blowing. I can push a synthetic reed much harder than I can a cane reed. For these reasons I believe the synthetic reeds are better for jazz and show work while cane reeds are better for classical and orchestral work where a dark rich tone is essential. Also, this post refers strictly to bass clarinet. When it comes to the rest of my horns (see above) I wouldn't touch a synthetic reed with a ten foot stick. But synthetics can be a reasonable choice for bass.
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2002-01-30 18:44
Andrew Uren found the Tenor Sax Legere reed worked on his (quite open) mouthpiece. he wasn't that taken with the Bass Clarinet ones.
nzdonald
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2002-01-30 19:40
I also have heard that the tenor sax synthetics work better than the bass cl. synthetics on bass. I have a couple of tenor sax Legeres and Fibracells on order from WW/BW. If one of them plays better than the bass cl. fibracell I'm using now I'll be happy because the b.c. fibracell is not bad.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2002-01-30 22:32
I love the Legere, even using them on Bb; they are great when you have to play somewhere that is cold and dry. Or if you know you are going to be late for rehearsal; you can have them ready on the mouthpiece beforehand.
I know Peter Stoll (a member of the clarinet faculty at U Toronto) always uses them on bass...
Best place to get them: Peter Spriggs, in BC. With the US-CDN exchange rate at $1 US= about $1.60 CDN, Spriggs is a real bargain for US customers.
Meri
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Author: Mark M
Date: 2002-02-03 05:08
I've thinking of trying synthetic for bass. I play both bass and Bb/A. Problem is that the reed on the bass dries up when not being played and during fast switches, it can be bothersome. Synthetics do not need to be wet.
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