 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2011-02-11 18:32
On the Vandoren site http://www.vandoren.fr/en/home.html the principal bass for the Paris Opera demonstrates the V12 reed (upper right part of page). On hearing the demo, I could hear more 'air' with the notes than I thought was considered good.
I know this is [bass] clarinet 101, but to be sure, how do you decide what reed strength to use? I use a mpc apparently designed for a 3-1/2 reed, but when I use a 3-1/2, I seem to get a lot of 'air' in my sound and have to bite the reed (I know, not a good idea) or use a softer reed to get less air in the sound. Yet in view of the V12 demo, I may be using too soft a reed or be somehow playing incorrectly.
Thoughts?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-02-11 19:19
There is a right reed strength? My little world consists of mainly wrong reed strengths. :-)
Joking aside - in my eye the Right Reed Strength is the result of a function that involves the instrument, the mouthpiece, the embouchure and maybe the ligature as well. Then, the airy part of a sound usually can't be heard in the audience, unless there's a microphone or somesuch, just like the hiss and clatter of keys usually drowns in the orchestral noise.
A good reed is the one you can play (and cleanly staccato) all notes from bottom to top, from ppp to fff. At least, I'd be happy at that point and wouldn't bother a bit of airiness.
--
Ben
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-02-11 19:31
Geez, I don't mean to be critical, but to my ears that is a really solid bass clarinet sound. The key is to find a balance to the sound so that it is clear and what you want it to be, and yet have enough overtones and (dare I say) brightness to project properly.
I don't know if this answers your question about the strength. That answer (tied in to the above) is that the reed/mouthpiece combination must be comfortable for you to play and achieve the desired sound. I have NEVER matched the Vandoren reed chart (God only knows what their suggested strengths vs. mouthpieces even mean). This is for YOU to decide (with the caveat that it must produce a sound that is beautiful to the audience as well).
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-02-12 12:19
As an amateur with too many clarinets, I've found that the only way for me to choose the best reed is to devote a bit of the budget to experimenting with different reeds. The reed that gives a famous musician a great result with that person's mouth structure, lungs, clarinet, ligature and mouthpiece may or may not work well for someone else. There's only one way to tell: play on the thing. Come to think of it, play on more than one of the thing -- because, along with all those other variables, reeds from the same manufacturer, marked with the same number, still vary.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-02-12 13:38
Ditto Lelia's comment. And I don't think the variability is limited to differences in "mouth structure, lungs, clarinet, ligature and mouthpiece." There are often great differences among individual players in what they want to hear and even what they want to feel when they blow into their instruments. Many of us, given a reason to play on someone else's equipment, might find that we need to make considerable adjustments even to get a sound, while the owner seems completely at ease with it. An individual's expectation is, I think, a large part of the choice of reed (and every other part of the system).
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-02-12 14:28
You use the reed that gives you the best sound and control you can get. Doesn't matter if they say you should use a 3, or 4 or 5 or whatever, everyone is different. Use your ears not your eyes. I don't even like his tone, harsh and unfocused especially in his low register. To me it sounds like his reed is too soft for him and his mouthpiece. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2011-02-12 14:34)
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2011-02-12 14:47
For me the right strength is the lightest possible which has still enough resistance for high notes and good staccato.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2011-02-12 16:29
I love the translator. Sounds like a narrator from a nature documentary.
If you're getting too much "air" sound, it could be that your reed is too hard or that your embouchre is leaking air.
I was at a symposium last week where a reed expert in the audience was grilling a Rico representative during a panel discussion. The man in the audience was insisting that a single number does not describe a reed adequately, and that there are about 9 measurable attributes to a reed, at least 4 of which are needed to give enough information to know how well a particular reed will work for you. The man from Rico argued that it's unmarketable in such a format. (situation grossly simplified and paraphrased by me, don't take that as Rico official policy)
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-02-12 16:51
EEBaum wrote:
> I was at a symposium last week where a reed expert in the
> audience was grilling a Rico representative during a panel
> discussion. The man in the audience was insisting that a
> single number does not describe a reed adequately, and that
> there are about 9 measurable attributes to a reed, at least 4
> of which are needed to give enough information to know how well
> a particular reed will work for you. The man from Rico argued
> that it's unmarketable in such a format.
It might indeed be a marketing nightmare to produce enough different models to account for all those parameters. And then, they might not sell enough of any one model to make the whole operation profitable.
Besides, there's still not a really reliable way to account for density and grain differences between individual pieces of cane, regardless of their measurements.
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-02-12 16:58
I agree with kdk's last post.
And there you have it, the hunt for the perfect reed. Let's throw in the hunt for the perfect clarinetist too. Then the next principal clarinet of Chicago can endorse them.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: ErnieK
Date: 2011-02-12 19:13
First of all, I am an amateur,and have been playing the bass clarinet for only 7 years. I also found the sound in the video had too much of an "air" sound. I have tried standard Vandoren reeds from 2 1/2 to 4. and encountered the same "air" sound in the 3 to 4 strength reeds. I also use the Fibercell reeds and am very satisfied with those and get the best sound with a 4. Recently have been playing #3 Rico Reserve reeds without getting the "air" sound, but I am not quite satisfied with these, and think the reed is a little too soft, so I plan to try 3 1/2 next. My set up is a Buffet 1193, Fobes San Francisco MP, CF, and Spriggs ligature.
The bottom line is, use the reed that sounds best with your set up. Don't pay much attention to what is printed on the reed.
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