 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jang
Date: 2002-04-24 01:25
hi there,
Im a begginer and have a question. I bought vandoren reeds (size 3) and all of them seem to be really bad. The sound isn't clear and I actually did put the ligature and reed on correctly. Is this just a bad set and get a refund at kennely keys were i got it from? Or does it sound better as time progresses and the reed gets broken into. My first set of reeds (vandoren size 2) 75% did not work while the remainder ones sounded perfect.
Also, when you purchase reeds in a box do any of you get bad reeds? Im asking because reeds are expensive.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2002-04-24 04:19
Jang, I hate to have to tell you this, but this BB get's this question about six times a month. The general concensus is that there is a little man who puts ONE good reed in each box of Vandoren's and if you are lucky he is not on vacation the month you buy your box. Actually, if you were to do a "search" on "Vandoren Reeds" you would find that a great many people are off in the hills looking for something much better and swearing (1) never to buy Vandoren's again, and (2) just swearing.
Bob A
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Author: Alyson
Date: 2002-04-24 10:28
Wouldn't it be cool if we could get a refund?
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Author: mark m
Date: 2002-04-24 10:29
Jang,
Sounds like you're local to me since you mention kennelly keys. They will not let you return reeds. If you need some help, feel free to e-mail me. I live in Burlington and work in Everett. I'm currently in China on a business trip for about another week then I'll be home. I do check in here and my e-mail every few days as the hotels have pretty good inet connections.
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Author: graham
Date: 2002-04-24 12:48
I gave up swearing years ago. Instead, try Zonda, Glotin, or Marca
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Author: Ed
Date: 2002-04-24 16:21
I still find Vandorens work the best for me. But on to the question here, you may not have the right strength for you. I am wondering, since you mentioned having used #2 and then #3. If you were going harder, did you use 2 1/2 at all? Look in the archives for techniques on breaking in reeds. That may help.
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Author: Gayl
Date: 2002-04-24 18:30
Jang,
Reeds are a royal pain in the booty. There are many factor to why a reed sounds bad. #1.. it just could be a bad reed #2... weather can play part in how reeds behave. ...#3 different mouth piece work with different kinds of reeds... #4.. you could be using a strength that isn't right for you. The list goes on. Try another brand...or even the V12s are better (I think) then the blue box vandorens. Oh, and I suggest rotating reeds that you play, it's a good habit to have.
Good Luck
Gayl
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Author: Kyle
Date: 2002-04-24 20:27
"The general concensus is that there is a little man who puts ONE good reed in each box of Vandoren's and if you are lucky he is not on vacation the month you buy your box."
hahaha.. I had a teacher who had studied in France for a while... he swore that when he visited the Van Doren factory, they had a huge tub of "rejects" that were packaged to send to the US. Sounds like an urban legend, OTOH, who can have trouble believing it??
Anyway, Jang, my 2 cents worth... I play Van Dorens, though I admit I haven't tried anything else in years and years. They can be good reeds, but 1) they are inconsistent and 2) you need to work on them. Different people prefer different combinations of knives, sandpaper, reed rush, bending, etc. to accomplish this. I've gotten to the point where I consider what comes in the Van Doren box to be not reeds, but reed blanks. I expect that out of a 10 pack, there will be a "bell curve"--1 or 2 will play well out of the box, 1 or 2 will be completely worthless no matter what you do to them, and the rest may become playable reeds after some time & effort.
I honestly don't know which of the "student" brands are worth recommending, if any.
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Author: Joe
Date: 2002-04-25 14:24
I find these discussions about reeds both interesting and amusing. When I started playing clarinet in 1937, (yes, they had clarinets back then), reeds seemed to be of considerably less concern back then. Dont know the brand name, but I remember they had parallel grooves cut in the thick part that was held by the lig. I also recall the sweet taste of a new reed ...... similiar to a green corn stalk. Anyway ........ I bought one at a time, ( they were EXPENSIVE at twenty-five cents each); strength = 2 1/2. When that one was "consumed" after being played for weeks on end, then trimmed with kitchen shears and sanded to again resemble a 2 1/2 strength ....... it was replaced with another ONE. Don't really recall having a new reed that I couldn't play. This seemed to be the operating mode of the 9 piece clarinet section in our HS band.
Then came the quantum leap to plastic reeds in the early '40s .............. but thats another story.
Joe.
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Author: monica
Date: 2002-04-25 15:31
Please take the time to read this. Ed is right.You should try a 2 1/2 before you jump to a 3. especially with vandoran's(spelling?).since you're a beginner you should try michelle laurie's which are softer, even though they tend to wear a little quicker, but rotating should lengthen the wear time.And don't be afraid to try different brands and types, like michelle laurie french cut.don't believe what people say about m.l. and vandoran. alot of people say m.l. is for beginners but this is not so. i've been playing for 5 yr.s and i now prefer to use m.l. over vandoran because it's softer. i to often got a lot of bad reeds and only a few good ones from vandoran boxes(every one does). m.l. has bad ones too, but fewer of them. Don't ever be discouraged though,you'll find the reeds your satisfide with. above all things, PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE!!!If you ever want to get anywhere in music you have to practise. the most important thing to practise is scales.take ur time with them till you get them so laid down you can whip right through them.check out the reed section on this site for good info on how to make use of those vandoran's you bought. if you're not sure about a reed strength then by one to test out, or ask if they have a room where you can try one in the store.hope this helps. email me if you need anything:)
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2002-04-25 15:34
The most valuable lesson I learned from Larry Guy's book was how to pick out reeds at the store. I don't mail order reeds by the box because I can inspect them at the local music stores. I usually reject half on first inspection. The other half that I buy and take home usually are 50-70% workable into a good reed.
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-04-25 15:41
Another thing: reeds can change over time. Don't necessarily throw a reed out and don't sand it to death. Keep the ones that don't play right away. A few years later, they might be great! Of course, as has been mentioned, some Vandy's will NEVER work! I play V12's on a variety of mouthpieces and also have a few of the Legere synthetic reeds to play during teaching and situations where reed dry-out can be problematic. Almost all of the Vandy's have been scraped.
Reed warpage is a problem up here in Minnesota, so don't ignore that if you're in a climatically-challenged environment. Get a good strong file or a piece of glass and some sandpaper, and you'll be set.
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Author: Emily Jayne
Date: 2002-04-25 18:09
Although I'm not an expert like some of these people, I use Rico's, I tried and used Vandy's for quite a while but found that most were duds. Rico's are slightly harder, try them and if you don't like them don't use them.
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Author: andrea
Date: 2002-04-25 19:30
Perhaps for a relative beginner, a good synthetic might take one frustration out of the equation.
I switched to Legere reeds for playing Alto clarinet and got a really respectable sound. When I recently had occasion to do a solo on Bb clarinet with the church bell choir I ended up ordering a couple for Bb also. They will exchange strength (through Orpheus, I think) for a nominal fee, which I did on one occasion.
I'm happy with the sound that I get. My horn can sit in the front pew of church for 45 minutes and be ready to play after blowing a little warm air through it.
Can't ask for much more than that!
Andrea
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2002-04-26 04:32
As a beginner, you may want to try a #2 Vandoren or even a #2 Mitchell Lurie, which will be even softer.
Chris
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Author: gemmaelizabeth
Date: 2002-04-30 16:53
As a begginner, I would say 3 is too strong for you. I study the clarinet at college and most of the players here right up to the post graduates play on a 3! Stick to 2's and if they are too soft try 2 and a 1/2s. You should also maybe think of trying V12's to see if they work for you.
I know a professional who swears by rotating their reeds and actually dating them! And another who has had a reed for 6 months as he cleans it with a toothbrush!!!!! I don't know if this works but I'll try anything to keep a good reed when I find one!!!
Most of a box of ten are bad. I usually buy a box of five. Which is expensive but if you know where to get them from then it isn't as expensive.
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Author: monica
Date: 2002-05-03 22:53
that's funny Chris:)for Emily's letter...Rico's are actually alot softer than Vandoran's but is a good choice for a beginner to use.just don't think they're the only choice out there as i had said in an earlie note.if you startsqiking alot that's not always a sign of a bad reedbut asign that you're lips are ready for a stronger reed.
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