Author: paul
Date: 1999-08-10 14:50
Another opinion of the awful hissing...
There's a snake in your horn.
Okay, all kidding aside, it's usually due to not having enough air support for the reed/mp setup that you are playing at that time. If you cannot vary the mp, lighten up on the reed by buying a few reeds of softer strength. If you don't have the skills to doctor up your own reeds, or if you don't want to waste valuable time tailoring reeds, then the Legere reed is a good option. Fetch one reed of the strength you desire as the end goal, then fetch a reed of 1/2 a strength less, and then finally one full strength less. As I recall, Legere uses the Vandoren numbering system to gauge the relative stiffness of their reeds. Then, start with the really soft reed, learn how to produce no hiss with it, and gradually build up your embouchure and breath support to match the target reed. This may take some time, but it's worth it in the end. You will benefit by delivering a more pleasant tone, your practice sessions may last longer, you will probably be better in tune, and you will have a decent back-up reed in your case when your main reed breaks. It always happens when you need it the most, which is almost always in a dire situation before a key performance. Therefore, having a reed albeit softer than you would like but still quite playable is often a better option than trying to break in a new natural cane reed or learn how to play a strange plastic reed on short notice.
I personally opted for the lazy man's approach for my hissing/reed problem. I purchased a fleet of Legere 2.75 reeds for my Vandoren B45 mp. I also have a Legere 2.5 and a Legere 3.0 reed. I seem to like the Vandoren natural cane 3.0 reed that's been tailored down to 2.75, but I have neither the time nor the expertise to customize my own reeds at this time. So, the fleet of Legere reeds will serve me very well until I learn these advanced skills.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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