 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2020-12-08 01:48
Attachment: Harold Wrights Reed Adjustment Drawings.png (444k)
I learned reed making and mouthpiece refacing from Kal Opperman, while also learning how to play the clarinet correctly. Kal and another student, Harold Wright, got much of their reed making learning from Ralph McLane.
I always made my reeds a certain way, the same way Opperman and Wright fixed their own reeds.
I recently asked Brad why he doesn't make a line of reeds like these, with the shoulders cut so the slope of the rails is cut all the way back to the bark cut just like the center is.
His answer;
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Hi Ken,
I've got the Lagace specials available on this page here:
https://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com/product-page/behn-brio-bb-clarinet-reeds
I appreciate your encouraging me to do this. It brings me closest to my idea from back in the days when I re-manufactured blue box VD reeds with my reedual. Thanks.
I welcome your sharing this link on the clarinet BB so others might find it too.
Brad________________________________________
So now he is making this different new of cut reed the Wright way and they are named ‘Brio’ reeds.
I have tried them and they are great for me. His cane has always been good, so a bit of tweaking here and there for your setup, and they might work wonderfully for you too.
See Wright’s description - attached.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-12-08 05:23
Also the Vandoren V21s are configured this way. I spent years on the 56 Rue Lepics which have more "backbone" to the sound than the standard 'blue box' and these do not feature the shaved shoulders. I think the easiest way to look at it is that the absence of the extra bark allows the reed to be less brittle. The V21 reeds definitely have more color and a more relaxed sound,
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-12-08 05:55
Paul Aviles wrote:
> Also the Vandoren V21s are configured this way.
So are V.12s.
Karl
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Author: Steve Becraft
Date: 2020-12-10 21:48
Thank you for sharing the picture of Wright's description!
I have always wished that I could play Vandoren traditional reeds, but no matter my mouthpiece and different approaches to reed work, they would never work out.
I am currently experimenting with the new Brio reeds (4.5's), and in addition to the cane being fantastic, I am finding that some of this "removing excess material in the 'C' area" is resulting in a very satisfying playing experience, approaching what I had hoped to achieve with a Vandoren traditional!
Post Edited (2020-12-10 22:00)
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2020-12-10 22:12
Thank you Steve for the response.
I too am enjoying the memories of playing reeds that acted and sounded that way so many years ago.
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Author: Slowoldman
Date: 2021-01-03 01:15
The drawings are very helpful. 2 questions:
How do we define "excess" material in area C?
What does rounding/radiusing the reed corners supposedly do?
Thanks.
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2021-01-03 08:46
Thanks, Ken! I've tried the Brios and still like the Arias better, but they're, for me, a trade-off. The Brios are easier to get around on, and I like the sound of the Arias better. They seem darker and a bit more centered. Back when I was a student, there was a sort of polarization between Marcellus and Wright, and it was based mostly on an "ideal sound" vs. being able do do incredible things musically because of the flexibility Wright had. I was on the Wright side then and probably still am, but also prefer a German-type sound. The Arias work well for that, and still have a lot of flexibility. If you compare either line with what we had available back then, we're fortunate either way.
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Author: fernie121
Date: 2021-01-03 23:30
I’ve had the brio reeds for about a week and I love them so far. Different from aria reeds. I still think aria reeds give a brighter sound, which I like a lot. Something I appreciate about the brio reeds is the side to side balance. It’s VERY goo. I still take off material from the C section of the reed, though not as much as when working on Arias. And I still take material from the tip, bringing the heart down a little. But I don’t spend much of any at all time working on individual ears of the reed do to the nice balance.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2021-01-26 04:55
Tom Ridenour made a series of Youtube videos this past year on balancing reeds tip to bark rather than just side to side. It's really made a positive difference for me to pay more attention to this. I've gone up a half strength in reed to compensate for the additional material I am removing from the lower vamp, and I am spending just a little more time adjusting reeds, but the results have more than justified the time. I have many more performance quality reeds now - the vast majority in my cases are in that category now.
Anders
Post Edited (2021-01-26 05:08)
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