 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: HBO
Date: 2009-09-10 03:18
So, I was going through the Reed Symdrome again and was experimenting with different brands of reeds... and found two good brands. One has better intonation and articulation with better than average (but not great) sound, and the other has great sound and tone but slightly lesser in what the other brand thrives at.
So... if you were in my position, which reed would you choose: sound&tone, or intonation&articulation?
I was throwing this question around to my friends, and they all seemed baffled so far... to quote one of them, "IF you only had both of those in a package!!!!!"
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-09-10 03:49
Take the brand with the better tone and learn to adjust it for better response.
...GBK
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-09-10 04:13
You need to learn to adjust your reads so you can achieve both. There's no reason to settle for one without the other. Read my website on the reed page to get some hints on read adjusting. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2009-09-10 04:14
Pitch should never be sacrificed for sound. Audience members will not hear slight tone differences between reeds, but they, and your colleagues, will notice pitch problems right away. Lack of response will also cause problems- you will appear to have no rhythm if your notes don't start when you want them to. As GBK said, try to adjust the better tone reeds for articulation, but also try to adjust the responsive and in-tune reeds for sound. If you still have the same dilemma, go with the responsive, in-tune ones. You will adjust to them, and you will probably get them to sound about the same eventually.
Chris Hill
Post Edited (2009-09-10 04:15)
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Author: Ryan25
Date: 2009-09-10 15:16
I agree with Chris. The most important is response and intonation. A good sound is an in tune one. Many of my non clarinet playing musician friends think all clarinet players pretty much sound the same. I think we are much more sensitive to clarinet tone than non clarinet players. But they all know if you don't play in tune or have a sluggish technique.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-09-10 16:09
If we are differentiating between "sound" and "tone," I would venture to guess sound is volume and tone is depth of sound (more of the desirable overtones).
I would always pick pitch and responsiveness hands down. As Chris and Ryan25 have stated, you MUST match on these terms in any ensemble but even on your own a late response IS BAD RHYTHM.
And yes, your tone will catch up because you will naturally be sensitive to this.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: stacyc
Date: 2009-09-10 16:53
Sound and tone are most important. To increase the variable do you have other mouthpieces you can also experiment with using the reed that gives you the best response but bad intonation. When I switch brands of reeds I always try them with my different mouthpieces and sometimes I find the perfect match. Just a thought.
~~Been playing clarinet 17yrs and counting, now playing with the local community orchestra and now my son has taken on the tradition and I couldn't be more proud!~~
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2009-09-10 19:20
Play them both 'in anger', i.e. at a concert dress rehearsal or something similar. You'll soon know which you trust!
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-09-11 04:25
Bassie is right , try them in performance. Sometimes trying something in the practice room is quite different than in performance. It will become clear in time to you. I assume you are aware of the miracle of the 21st Century....the ATG system. If not look into it. It will help with that response issue.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-09-11 10:56
I'll repeat what I said above, you should not have to settle for one or the other. The truly fine players have it all, learn to adjust your reeds to your liking. ESP
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2009-09-12 03:42
I'll second the use of the ATG system. It's been great at getting all my reeds working the way I like!
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Author: HBO
Date: 2009-09-14 09:32
Ah... thank all of you for posting your thoughful responses. I actually have a reed that satisfies both, but I just came across those two brands while I was fooling around with new reeds. I DO use ATG by the way.
Thank you, Mr. Palanker, by the way... I found the file with the reed diagram in it. I don't think I never had as much fun fiddling around and trying to improve reeds.
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