 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-12 01:30
Just how humid does a reed need to be? Was keeping in canning jar with water on beads so humid but not wet, then in jar with a half inch of 25% Listerine with thick part sitting in water. Occasionally dip in hydrogen peroxide.
Read on this forum about plastic bag so put some in zip-lock bag and breathed in it and sealed. Humidity measures 99% on an Acurite humidity/temperature meter.
Does anyone find their reeds turn black or dark color and if so what do you do if anything? I thought it might be mold or fungus or bacteria which is reason for Listerine or peroxide.
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Author: ClaireAnnette
Date: 2015-06-12 03:19
I think it probably is...sight unseen. Be careful some of those can make one I'll.
It is good idea to at least disinfect the mouthpiece. Use a one that is not dangerous for human contact. Depending on disinfectant used you can spray a bit on both mouthpiece and Reed for that matter. Look at directions see how long it must stay on surface to be effective. One that time is past wipe it off...and people should be disinfecting their toothbrushes and let them dry after use too! Dental caries:decay and germs causing gum problems are transmissible.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-06-12 03:49
BGBG wrote:
> Just how humid does a reed need to be? Was keeping in canning
> jar with water on beads so humid but not wet, then in jar with
> a half inch of 25% Listerine with thick part sitting in water.
> Occasionally dip in hydrogen peroxide.
> Read on this forum about plastic bag so put some in zip-lock
> bag and breathed in it and sealed. Humidity measures 99% on an
> Acurite humidity/temperature meter.
> Does anyone find their reeds turn black or dark color and if so
> what do you do if anything? I thought it might be mold or
> fungus or bacteria which is reason for Listerine or peroxide.
My opinion, which I think may be in the minority here, is that over a couple of minutes' playing time the reed gets wet enough without keeping it humidified between playings. It may take a little longer to reach ideal moisture content when you start from scratch, but I don't find that a particular problem.
I don't think anyone here advocates anything like 99% humidity for storage. The black stuff is certainly mold or some kind of unwanted flora. When you breathe into the bag to provide the initial moisture, who knows what oral bacteria might be getting in as well. Most of the humidity controlled systems maintain a moisture content somewhere between 50% and 75%. I'm not sure I'd put those blackened reeds back in my mouth even after dipping them in peroxide or Listerine.
Karl
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Author: ClaireAnnette
Date: 2015-06-12 04:28
You live GA, humidity fairly high. I think most tend to put reeds in a Reed case or clip. Just like most plant materials, if it is damp environment a lot of microbes will be attracted. There are few Reed cases that work similar to a humidor. It seems to me it might encourage Reed warpedge and breakage of plant fiber that make up the Reed.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-06-12 05:31
I would NOT recommend SEALING the plastic bag. I will take a "Baggies" and just fold it ....lightly.....not sealed. You want air circulation around your reeds or they will become moldy (my suggestion is to immediately get rid of the black ones!).
Reeds should be dry to the touch, and look dry when stored. A modicum of humidity is what you're looking for. If you need a number, I would not go over 70% (and at that....no discoloration due to how they are stored).
............Paul Aviles
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-13 00:22
When I began clarinet May 2014 I just kept reed in plastic holder in case. When played would dip in water. When finished would dip in water, dry off, and put back in holder. Then began reading clarinet forums. Now so confused about all the different things everyone seems to find suitable, I am not sure what to do.
Have 6 reeds I am alternating. Believe I will go back to some simple method for awhile. So not spending more time on procedures than playing. Maybe different people somehow have different conditions and that is why so many ways to do things. My reeds are 2, 2.5 and 3 strengths. I use a silk swab to clean clarinet after each use and put it back into case. Soaked all reeds in peroxide 24 hours, let them dry on glass plate, and put back into holders. I will begin from there.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-06-13 03:24
Correct - KISS - Keep it simple Son
Forget about all the nerdish stuff on this forum at least for a few years.
1. Moisten the vamp part of reed before playing (small jar of water is fine)
2. Play your clarinet
3, Dry off reed after playing (e.g. pull through flesh between 1st finger and thumb)
4. Put reed back in reed holder
I have been playing 50+ years and have never put a reed in peroxide in my life and have survived to make this post!
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2015-06-13 16:21
Hi everyone,
If you use the Boveda humidipack products, you can humidify the reeds without concern for the formation of mold or other problems. They have different levels of humidity that can be maintained -- I use the 8 gram 72% packs for my reeds, which I keep in an open case sealed in a ziplock bag. One pack lasts for several months where I live.
A pack of ten 8-gram Humidipacks goes for around $10, so there are cheap IMO.
BGBG -- there are many different approaches to reeds. If you find that reed preparation is getting in the way of music, simplify your process until you NEED a complicated reed process. Having only played clarinet for one year, it is unlikely that you need a professional's reed preparation.
Why are you soaking the reeds in peroxide? I soak reeds in water for 10 minutes to reintroduce moisture to the cane. Again -- everyone has a different process, but I would think soaking in peroxide would have a detrimental effect?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-14 02:10
Thought peroxide would remove the black whatever it is. After 24 hour soak in peroxide 3% (drugstore type) the black went away and they look not like new but close. All 3 have been in use 6-9 months. Now starting over. Dried them out on a glass plate. Just dip tip in tap water when play. Tried 2 today, one I labeled Poor and has 2 end chips; one I labeled Fair with no damage. They were good except on B4 & C5 in upper register, and squealed and closed up. Went to the one I labeled Good and played through 3 songs including the B & C and all was well. Dipped in water, wiped off, dried on glass, and put back into holders. These 3 are newest and least used reeds. I now keep better track of when started, when played. I may try to clip the end on the one with two chips. I extended chips beyond mouthpiece and it seemed to play just as well if not better.
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-14 07:02
Tobin - do you soak the whole reed length or just the bottom or top part?
I think I like Normans method. Eager to learn, I read many many things from here and there, until they became so bizarre I wondered if they were joking.
Listerine? Vodka? 24/7 submerged except when playing. Peroxode dips and soaks?
Too much information and too little experience and knowledge. Going back to KISS for awhile. My clarinet doesnt go anywhere but in my room and stays in case when not being played.
Have a number of unused reeds in 2, 2.5, 3 strength which are Rico basic.
On suggestion to try intermediate grade reeds I got package of 5 Mitchell Lurie Premium 2.5 to try. Havent tried them yet though.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2015-06-14 20:23
BGBG,
"Bizarre" is the word for this subject and many others on this BBD, including swabbing mouthpieces, how hard to tighten a ligature, and humidifying instruments.
Most of the complicated prescriptions for these things are similar to the old joke or one of its variations:
Man is standing on a table waving his arms around frantically and yelling "boop, boop."
Someone walks in and says, "Why are you doing that?"
Man says, "To keep tigers away."
Other person says, "There are no tigers around here!"
Man says, "Then obviously it works!"
Unfortunately, in a (usually unconscious) effort to seem sophisticated and "educated," we all tend to want to embrace practices that are much more complicated and picky than necessary. And because they may work for reasons unrelated to 95% of the fooling around we do, we accept the entire process as necessary whereas only a small part of it may be valid.
B.
(Who, for over 50 years, wets the vamp, plays the reed, then puts it in a reed holder. Oh, and NEVER "polishes" or tries to sand the back of the reed.)
Post Edited (2015-06-14 20:26)
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