 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ellebrosseau
Date: 2014-07-02 23:38
Hi there.
I've been playing clarinet for... a little over nine years now, I think. For as long as I can really remember, I've been first-clarinet, so I play a lot in the higher octaves but need to be solid in lower octaves, as well. Like most new players, I started on Rico 2.5s. My elementary school band teacher moved me up to Rico 3.0s on my third day, and my sixth grade band teacher had me use Mitchell Lurie 3.5s.
I'm a college sophomore now and I'm STILL using Mitchell Lurie 3.5s. My playing style, my embouchure, my music--it's all changed quite a bit, and sometimes I feel as though my reeds aren't quite "right" for me. Am I just feeling this way because I've become so used to them? Would you recommend another brand, or another strength? And does anyone know anything about the synthetic reeds on the market? I don't believe I'd use them.. but I really would like to know more about them!
Thank you.
ADD NOTE: When I say they don't feel quite "right" for me, lower octaves are excessively easy to play through, while some of the higher notes are lacking tone consistency. They're easy enough to reach, although some way, way up there are a stretch--correct me if I'm wrong: I'm just thinking a different reed might give me a more quality sound.
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Author: TJTG
Date: 2014-07-03 00:05
I recommend to my own students Vandoren Blue Box; they're used by professionals everywhere, and the price is right. I think ML's are nice for students through high school, especially because they cost less and we tend to not know what you're doing to correct problems. ML's also play easily enough without fuss, but as you go through college you'll be playing more and need a reed with good staying power. I personally avoid Rico because they blow out on me a little too early and often.
Don't listen to people that give you exact life expectancy on reeds. My one teacher tries hundreds a year to select ten or twenty great ones for each different opera she plays. She used to sell me her discards for cheap until I decided I needed a harder strength. The other plays on about 20 reeds a year, and about half of them come from last season or seasons 4 or 5 years ago. He never throws them away unless they have an unfortunate accident. "They always bounce back".... I probably go through 5 to 7 boxes a year.
The good news is you hear a problem and want to fix it. Don't just change your setup because you have the money or somebody said to (unless your teacher is guiding you). But because you have noticed it is a great time to look for a solution. Also, for a higher quality sound you should look into balancing reeds and making them more consistent for your own playing. Here is Tom Ridenour's ATG system, a great start for anybody looking to improve their sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5d77k6FENQ
Post Edited (2014-07-03 00:11)
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Author: 47tim
Date: 2014-07-03 00:53
I use 3.5 Vandoren 56's and they work great for me. Especially in altissimo
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2014-07-03 01:32
What kind of mouthpiece are you using? This will have a lot to do with your reed strength.
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: ellebrosseau
Date: 2014-07-03 02:31
My Vandoren was sounding funky, so I recently switched to my backup Hite Premier. I'm in the market for a better mouthpiece--just haven't done the research quite yet.
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2014-07-03 04:32
What Vandoren were you using?
Also, the strength reed you use will often change with the mouthpiece. Usually, a more closed mouthpiece will warrant a harder reed, while more open will require something softer.
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-07-03 08:33
FWIW, I use a VD blue box #5 on a M15.
What does your college clarinet professor suggest?
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2014-07-03 09:28
3.5 is on the bottom end of the Vandoren chart for a M15. And a 3.5 Mitchell Lurie measures up to about a 2.25 on the comparison chart. If you really like the Mitchell Luries as a brand, I'd say go up to about a 4.5 or 5 to come into the range that Vandoren suggests for the mouthpiece.
Now...these aren't hard set in stone rules, but I think they're a good place to start for comparison.
Vandoren Chart
Mitchell Lurie (Rico) reed comparison chart
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2014-07-03 19:07
Sounds like the reed's too soft but, truth be told, it's not really a good idea for us to speculate on what's causing your problem.
Try a bunch of reeds - we can recommend the best reeds but it's relatively easy to go to the store, grab a bunch of options, and try them out, deciding which sounds best. And the other option is to do this with your private instructor. If you don't have one, get one. This is one of those basic problems all clarinetists must deal with.
I'm a big fan of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" just because you think it may not be what you should be playing, but if there's really a deficiency, diagnose it, identify some potential solutions, and go do some testing to try to solve it.
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Author: nbclarinet
Date: 2014-07-03 20:30
I used Mitchell Luries for a while in high school on an M13. In hindsight it was a poor match. I would say start with a 3.5 in any of the vandoren lines. It should feel more secure then the Mitchell Luries and experiment from there
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Author: ww.player
Date: 2014-07-03 23:29
Ellebrosseau, ideally your teacher should walk you through this because there are things to watch and listen for as you change reeds.
That being said, the Mitchel Luries are OK for a reed that plays right out of the box. They are a little thin towards the tip, which means they play a little bright and don't get as full or rich a sound as most other reeds. They also play out faster.
I use ML 4 1/2's for my jazz reeds and am very satisfied with the results. For orchestral playing, I use Vandoren V12 3 1/2's, which are pretty comparable strength and response-wise. The V12's get a fuller, darker sound. However, I do find that most of them need to be balanced (worked on) while about half of the ML's play fine out of the box.
When changing reed strengths, I really recommend you go up gradually to be sure you don't get into any bad habits like biting or chin bunching. I would recommend you try some ML 4's and some V12 3's. Pick the ones you like and play them. If they eventually feel too easy to play, you can move up another strength easily.
The strength you have been using is very soft for an advanced player. I start my average beginner on ML 3 1/2's so there is some material to work with for me to balance their reeds, though some do need 3's at first to play comfortably.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2014-07-04 02:17
if you are looking for different reeds to try try Grand Concerts Traditional and for darker sound Evolutions. They are very consistent; not like Vandorens. Out of the box at least half of Vandorens were either unbalanced, warped or just differed in strength too much. Also Grand concerts last at least 2-3 times as long as Mitchel Lurie.
And as Ron Ford says the Lurie 3.5 is too soft for M15.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-07-04 06:12
By now, you've predictably gotten several recommendations and you don't know much more for certain than you did when you posted your original question.
You don't say if you are a music major or not. If you aren't a clarinet major, are you studying with a private teacher? If so, this really is a topic you should be discussing with him or her.
The thing about choosing reeds is that it's hard to do it in a vacuum. You have a physical approach to embouchure that may point to one type and strength as a matter of comfort. But you may need also to accommodate the kind of playing you do. Are you playing in a concert band clarinet section? Mostly playing by yourself in a practice room? Playing in a "big band" with swing charts and a lot of loud brass to play over? Do you play much chamber music with other woodwinds, with piano. The kind of musical context you find yourself in most often may influence your reed choice at least a little.
As with all the rest of the equipment that makes up the clarinet system, you can get perfectly good results with any of the major reed brands once you find the strength that best suits you and your mouthpiece. As the lyric of a song I learned as a toddler says, "Close your eyes and point your finger..." Maybe one will stand out as *your* favorite, but all anyone here can tell you is what 'their' favorite is (and maybe why).
You certainly don't need anyone's permission to try different reeds. Just do it. At worst, you'll find out the problem hasn't much to do with your reeds at all and you'll have to look elsewhere for the reason why your reeds sometimes don't feel quite "right." At best, you'll find a reed that does feel "right" more often than not (no brand is 100% consistent - not even synthetics and certainly not cane). There is no substitute for experimenting.
Karl
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