 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2015-06-30 16:13
Hi All,
I have pretty much switched over the Legere' reeds on bass and Bb soprano clarinet. However, over several months of use for both I've noticed subtle changes in responsiveness and tone quality among the reeds. Of course, each reed never played exactly like the others so I do have "practice" as well as "performance" favorites.
Although nothing lasts forever, how many synthetic reeds do you normally have in rotation and have you found any life expectancy tendencies/issues?
HRL
PS Kilo gave me some really great feedback already on http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=321967&t=321967
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-06-30 18:04
In this bboard thread, http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=321967&t=321967
bumped up recently, John Moses, NY Clarinet legend, talks of how he quite successfully is able to spend a lot of time playing a particular Legere synthetic, but how he rotates them nonetheless.
I'm a cane user. I believe in rotation because while I believe that close correlation exists with reed usage and demise, that cane can also play better after having been rested. This belief lies in the fact that water chemically breaks down the fibers in reeds http://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/tlplib/wood/water_effect.php given these fiber's Hydrogen's greater affinity for water than themselves, and that their drying somewhat (reduction in water content) finds the fiber's Hydrogen rebonding with itself. "Drying somewhat," comes from my keeping reeds in a humidity controlled and enhanced environment when at rest.
(Witness how the craftsman steams wood to bend it, but that when allowed to dry, this wood may be less rigid than wood never steamed, but in need of re-steaming to bend once again.)
Do similar principles apply to sythetics? I don't know, and suspect it depends upon what they're made of. Nevertheless, many synthetic users report similar need to rest their synthetics, suggesting similar damage and restorative processes (even if cause differs), and have boiled them in water to reduce their resistance (even though some have reported this to have only temporary affect.) And synthetic or not, all objects that move (i.e. vibrate) are subject to wear and tear.
Still more, I rinse off reeds (synthetic or cane) in tap water after use. This may seem counterproductive given the aforementioned effects of water, but has foundation in the idea that not all "waters are the same." Restated, tap water is absent of digestive enzymes found in saliva, an IMHO, the "lessor of two evils."
(I don't mean to imply that water is anything but necessary for cane reeds. In makes them more playable (plyable) but (as of result of making them) weaker.)
Finally, I mouthwash before playing when possible. A practive born originally from hygiene and desire to limit reed and mouthpiece exposure to food particules, seems to also help, perhaps from a bacterial standpoint.
Post Edited (2015-06-30 18:13)
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