Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-24 01:41
Well Ice, what ever works for you. I didn't know there were even 20 brands of reeds. I agree that with clarinet reeds I feel they need time to break in, that's why my method takes 4-5 days too.
DougR, I knew I shouldn't have mentioned my bass clarinet reeds but now I will explain. First off, I don't rotate bass reeds, once I decide on the reed I like I play it at all rehearsals and concerts until it dies but I always have several, at least 4-8 others, that I do rotate in my practice sessions or just play for a few seconds every week or so.
I open 2-3 boxes of reeds at a time, only 5 to a box. I play through them day one for about a minute each. I discard the ones that suck, usually only a few. Day two I play them again and choose the ones I like and put them in my reed case in order of quality and simply practice on each of them now and then so when I need to replace my "good" reed I just choose the one I like best. I basically break them in by playing them now and then making any minor adjustments as I go along. I will balance them if needed and usually taper and clip them when they get a little soft but that depends on each reed. Most usually they get a bit softer after playing on them over a period of time. If the reed is good but starts soft I will taper and clip it after the 2nd day. I just don't go through a procedure like I do on clarinet. I use a bass reed on the job anywhere from one to three months, sometimes longer if it holds up, playing it for everything but practicing. I keep my reed case and mouthpiece, with the reed on, in a freezer bag with a Vitalizer in the reed case. When I warm up I leave the reed on the MP and wet it with tap water, re tighten the ligature, I loosen it when I put it in the bag, put the cap back on and play it once I put my bass together. With my bass reeds I don't do anything to the pores like I do with my clarinet reeds. If I haven't played it for several days or longer, I will wet the good reed on the mouthpiece the night before and put it back in the bag so it retains it's full sound. It works for me. ESP
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The Clarinet BBoard
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