 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: srattle
Date: 2009-07-29 14:08
Hi everyone.
I play at the moment Vandoren Blue Box #4 reeds, which I have been buying from a local store in Berlin.
I have been noticing that many of the reeds have brown spots, or short brown stripes, which as far as I can tell are quite a lot softer than the areas around them. They also usually sound pretty dead and don't vibrate properly.
I have found this in 7-9 reeds per pack, for the last 4 or 5 packs.
Does anyone know what this could be from? Has anyone else experienced this with Vandorens recently? Could it be how the store is keeping them?
(I inquired about it there, and they told me that 1) nothing could happen to the reeds since they are individually sealed. . .which I really don't believe and 2) that they shouldn't have any problem how they are stored)
Could someone shed some light on this for me? I am having a REALLY hard time finding reeds that play, and these ones I can't work on at all, since it's jut the cane that is bad . . .
Thanks a lot, I'm really starting to get desperate!!
Sacha
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-07-29 15:48
It sounds to me that it is either a problem with the cane before they were "wrapped" and sealed or moister got in them at that point and is causing the problem. Could also simply be a bad batch of cane that should not have been shipped in the first place or it could be caused by how they are stored. I'm not really sure how the sealing process really keeps them air tight so they can't be effected by where the're stored. I would suggest you try some from a different store or mail order. If all else fails, try a different brand or cut. I'm a Rico Reed performing artist and use The Rico Grand Concert Think Blank and Reserve reeds but many players are very successful with Vandorens. They do make several different cuts too. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2009-07-29 16:36
I had problems with Vandoren up untill recently when I changed. I had been a vandoren reed player since the beginning.
I got feed up with the inconsistancy of them even though I was still on the old non-sealed boxes. I made the choice and moved on recomendation to hand made/finished reeds by Peter Leuthner. He is based in Vienna. A box of 10 reeds where more expensive than the Vadorens but I have found in the 2 or so months of using these that the quality is wonderful and consistent with each reed. They are French cut in the Viennise tradition so there is more wood on the heart of the reed. I play the professional and the reed strength is designated strong. I've found these to really help my tonal and sound concepts.
Here is the website:
http://www.plclass.com/english/index.html
As your based in Germany it might be worth a try.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-07-30 12:25
Whoa, wait -- *Where* on the reed are the brown speckles and streaks? If they're on the shaved tip of the cane, where your lip goes, then that's bad news. But, if they're on the curved, shiny bark of the cane, down where the ligature goes, then you've got speckled cane, widely regarded as superior cane. Vandoren reeds tend to be inconsistent, which is why I don't buy them, because I double on so many instruments that I'm contending with a lot of variables already. I want my reeds consistent. My preference for Bb and clarinet in A is the Mitchell Lurie Premium -- and that brand guarantees all the reeds are speckled cane.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2009-07-30 12:26)
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Author: srattle
Date: 2009-07-30 13:44
Thanks for your comments.
Ed:
I would actually love to to switch to a different reed, but my wonderful mouthpiece from Brad Behn is most friendly towards the cut of Vandoren blue box reeds. . .Is there a Rico reed that more closely resembles the VD traditionals? I find that Reserve and Evolution both don't really vibrate properly on my mouthpiece, and therefore have a slightly sluggish response.
Peter:
I will look into those reeds. Maybe they're even readily available where I live (my teacher is apparently one of their artists)
I'm always interested in trying new reeds!! Thanks for the link!
Lelia:
Yes, the brown spots are on the rough part of the reed, where it really needs to be vibrating evenly. . .yes it's very bad. . .
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2009-07-30 13:47
Brown spots on the cut portion of the reed is indeed bad news but on the bark it means nothing. The brown spots on the bark come from a fungus that grows under the leaf sheath in damp conditions after the cane is cut but in no way penetrates or harms the cane underneath. Cane bark without spots just indicates that the leaf sheaths were removed before the fungus had a chance to get started. Speckled bark has nothing to do with cane quality from my own experience growing cane, harvesting and drying cane, and making reeds.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2009-07-30 14:07
srattle said :
"I have been noticing that many of the reeds have brown spots, ... which... .are quite a lot softer than the areas around them. They also usually sound pretty dead and don't vibrate properly."
Clearly srattle indicated that this is not the "speckling" seen on bark, but rather some sort of defect or infestation within the fiber substance.
Sounds like the Irish Potato famine got into the cane.
Can you send a sample back to Vandoren?? (include the package if still available) and see what they think.
Re: speckling on the bark..... It seems that many players feel that this indicates good cane. Frankly, I believe it is a myth. JMHO
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2009-07-30 14:32
I don't really know anything about it, but:
"Re: speckling on the bark..... It seems that many players feel that this indicates good cane. Frankly, I believe it is a myth."
The doctor said that the speckles on the bark are caused by a fungus, and the reeds without speckles were removed before the fungus had a chance to get started. Wouldn't that indicate that the cane with speckles was aged longer, making it better cane?
I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, I'm just genuinely curious.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2009-07-30 15:36
When cane is cut in the fall and winter there is the least moisture within the cane structure but the leafs, or actually modified sheaths of the cane bark, still are somewhat green and filled with moisture. In some cane harvesting operations the cut cane is put through a rasping machine which removes the leaf sheaths immediately after cutting and before sun drying which further removes moisture and turns the cane from greenish brown to more yellow or golden brown color (another complicated chemical process). In other cane harvesting operations the cane is cut, loaded onto carts and taken to a central location with racks for drying and may hang around for several days or a week before the leaf sheaths are removed either by hand or by machine, and the cane lengths are put on drying racks or in teepee style stands.
The removal of the leaf sheaths is not always complete and a natural fungus will grow under partially removed leafs or under leafs left a few days before removal of the leaf sheath. The fungus is actually growing on the leaf sheath and the brown splotches are byproducts of the fungus metabolism in growing on the leaf sheath and not actual breakdown of the bark portion of the cane.
After some period of sun drying the cane is cut at the internodes, bagged in moisture permeable sacks, and aged in a dry cool environment for up to two years before being made into reeds. So, the brown blotches are formed within days or a week after cutting and before further aging.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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