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Re: permanently wet reeds

Author: vjoet
Date: 2012-07-26 16:43

After 3+ weeks of testing, I've reached a verdict of the effectiveness of keeping reeds in a 50-50 bath of vokda and distilled water.

The purpose of the experiment is to find a way to keep superlative reeds superlative without deterioration over time. For me this is important, for many clarinetists report they get 20+ hours of playing time from a good reed. I don't get that. I get 6 to 8 hours from a good reed.

In Donald Casadonte's dissertation, he concluded it is the colonization of the miniscule chambers within the reed by Staphylococcus epidermitis that cause the deterioration of the reed. Such colonization changes the mass and shape of the reed, affecting its tonal characteristics. (Other maintain that use of the reed causes minute breaks in the structure of the wood, causing the deterioration.)

My tests are based on the presumption that colonization is the culprit.

I can conclude that the alcohol does change the tonal characteristics of the reed over time. This is a slow process and one not readily noticed, but I encountered one instance where I can attribute changes to a reed solely to the alcohol bath:

Two days ago, I adjusted a Vandoren 4, and never before in my life had I played on such a fine reed. It was mellow, full bodied, resonant, readily responsive. It reminded me of a fine violinist playing a fine instrument, with a fine bow and fine strings. Think of the glorious rich resonance of the violin's low tones. That is what this reed had in all registers. It wasn't good -- it was superlative. When I went to bed, I was anxious to get up to practice with that reed in the morning.

That reed had bathed 2 days in vodka-water bath before I put it onto a mouthpiece to try it in the first place. I found it needed minor adjustments. When I had made those adjustments: WOW!

The next morning, after less than a half a day longer in the bath, the reed was good, maybe excellent, but it had lost the Stratavarius quality it previously had. I tried multiple placements on the mouthpiece, and it was gone.

I probably could not have reached a conclusion on the effectiveness of the bath within this time frame from just evaluating changes in mere good or excellent reeds. It took that one special one to reveal the alcohol does have detrimental effects on the cane.

I am now starting trials on 3 other disinfectants, for the vodka is not the grail I seek.

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permanently wet reeds new

vjoet

2012-07-17 12:05