 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Filettofish
Date: 2014-04-10 00:40
Hello clarinet players, I want to ask you all about your opinions on carving clarinet reeds; is carving clarinet reeds actually worth it? Will it ruin the sound if I alter the reed? I understand that since their reeds are more temperamental and are often handcrafted by the player, oboe and bassoon players often slice and dice their reeds. Would trimming a clarinet reed be at all beneficial? Basically, do I invest in a knife and learn to trim my own reeds? Thanks for the help in advance!
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2014-04-10 00:58
Many players adjust (a little more refined than "carve") their commercially manufactured reeds. There are volumes and books and tomes on the subject. No two mouthpieces are exactly alike and the reed and mouthpiece need to work efficiently together, so you either need to learn to adjust the reeds, learn to adjust the mouthpiece (potentially a more expensive alternative) or pick through a gazillion reeds until you find one that works wonderfully with your mouthpiece out of the box.
Karl
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-04-10 05:18
Bryan--- I apologize for my expression of frustration here- I've been beating my head against the wall for several years now and your post hit a nerve. Sometimes I think we've been sold a bill of goods, if you're familiar with that expression. But I still encourage you to press on- the music is worth it! ... Stan
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And even then the process is painful and painstaking and VERY time and effort and frequently $ consuming, and the results are anything but dependable. Yes some situations work better than others- I suppose there are some out there in clarinet land who have this all licked. Come on, any of you want to claim that?
And before you all jump in- here's what I would mean by having it "licked"...
1) time to perform? no reed anxiety- you've always got 3 or more ready for a "no sweat" performance- at least no sweat about your reed or which one might sound best for the given situation
2) time to practice?- sure, use your best playing reed(s) as much as you'd like- there's always another
3) no angst over "am I using the best brand or model or strength of reed?" or adjustment system... or breakin regimen... you've got it down pat
4) you know when and where to resupply and it's no big deal
5) reed operations do not negatively impact your music- either by consuming excessive practice time (for fiddling, adjusting, testing, breaking in etc etc etc), or making you practice with anything but the best reed behavior
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-04-11 16:44)
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2014-04-10 02:32
Bryan:
First off let's rule something in or out. I will assume when you say carving reeds that you don't mean the creation of your own reeds from cane stock.
Rather, I assume you mean the process of making modifications to reeds produced by a commercial manufacturer by removing wood in select places and in select ways via use of sharps and/or abrasives.
"is carving clarinet reeds actually worth it? Will it ruin the sound if I alter the reed?"
My goodness yes it is worth it when done right---although I’m going to substitute the word “carving” for the words “making adjustments in.” Carving to me connotes the idea of making gouges in the reed in specific places, or worse carving a reed that a reed manufacturer has made, like a wood whittler.
The notion that you can optimize performance by playing a piece of cane that's not only inconsistent from one reed to next, but even inconsistent within 1 reed itself, despite two different sections of the reed being practically the same thickness means, that if you wait for that reed to come out of the box that’s requires no adjustments, you’ll spend you’ll life savings in reeds. Variety is the nature of all living things, including cane.
I know that Vandoren (I can’t speak for other manufacturers although I suspect this is the case) cuts all the reeds of a particular model (V12, Blue Box, 56 Rue Lepic) the exact same way irrespective of the strength. Once this is done, the reeds are sorted into strengths based upon the overall density of the cane: the denser wood being part of the reed boxes with the higher strengths. They check the accuracy of their carving machines with acceptance of only unbelieveably small tolerancs.
As an introductory player, these differences in a reed aren’t much to speak of at a basic level of play. But once tone and pitch, and ability to articulate with any reasonable speed come into the picture, having a reed of strength consistent with your needs and the mouthpiece you play, as well as symmetrical with respect to strength (not necessarily thickness) down the imaginary line that splits the reed the long way is, I think, essential.
Will you ruin the reeds if you do this? I almost guarantee it if you have no idea of what you’re doing (and only by luck make them better). Taking the time to learn techniques for determining what needs adjustment and how to do it is essential. But once you learn the basics, the idea that such adjustments will ruin a reed will be overwhelmingy counterbalanced by reeds you make better, that would have otherwise been destined for the trash. This doesn't mean you won't have some reeds that are garbage no matter what you do to them. It just means you'll have less.
So how do you do it?. Well it involves devices that remove wood. And the board has countless posts and opinions on what to use and how to use it. Personally, I own a single reed knife (available at any of the big woodwind shops (Weiner, Muncy, WWBW, etc.) but spend most of my time balancing reeds using the ATG method
http://ridenourclarinetproducts.com/ATG1.html.
Some like me love ATG, others have had mixed results, and others have never tried it, using knives and reed rush instead, and their own techniques.
The legendary clarinetist Stanley Drucker said he never used more than reed rush to modify reeds, but then again, I suspect that Mr. Drucker, a performing artist for Vandoren, probably didn’t have to pay for his reeds, and got to pick his reeds through more of a "disguard if not immediately good" method than can you and I who pay.
I like the ATG method's ability to follow the natural contour of the reed. Using the tips of knives to scrape away specific sections of a reed, although sweared to by some, I find can put depressions in the reed that take away from the reed''s ability to smoothly transfer the energy of its vibrating tip back into its base.
Much needs to be said about how to use these techniques that a search of the bboard, or a post along the lines of “what method of reed adjustment do you use and why,” might best solve.
Post Edited (2014-04-10 06:43)
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Author: Wes
Date: 2014-04-10 21:44
Many players just use a bit of sandpaper to soften their reeds, as needed. A single edge razor blade is also handy to remove the debris that collects on a single (or double) reed as it is used. Bonade recommended not using a knife and I agree for clarinet reeds. A knife is essential for the oboist, however. I gave up on hard-to-find reed rush many years ago as I prefer sandpaper (silicon carbide).
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2014-04-11 15:52
Once you learn the proper way to use a reed knife for making certain adjustments you can do wonders to some reeds to balance then in certain places but it takes a lot of time by trial and error as well of the knowledge of where and how to "take" off some wood. Check my reed pages on my website to some hints and recommendations. Recommendation, practise on many bad reeds before trying to adjust a decent one. I've been very successful over the years in adjusting my reeds. I even have a video on U tube showing how to use a reed knife . Remember, almost all adjustments are made by gently scraping not cutting when adjusting a reed as apposed to making a reed which uses both techniques.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2014-04-11 20:57
It is inevitable when we buy reeds.....they are 1. acceptable or 2. too soft ie too easy to play or 3. too hard or resistant . For a novice I would suggest practicing with the 2nd scenario. Buy a couple of reeds that are very, very soft compared to your usual reeds. These will need to be clipped. You can do this with a commercial reed clipper, a pair of scissors, a sharp knife on a block, with razor blade or even with sand paper.....fine grit... 400-600. The reed clipper will give the easiest and good results.
You should be clipping the reed and then testing it on the clarinet. The highest register is a good start for a test. Test how the high c starts with the adjusted reed. It might take several clips until it has enough support for the high notes. If you are satisfied with the reed you should just lightly sand the tip to smooth things out. Put the reed on a very flat surface....plate glass works.... run the sandpaper lightly over the last 10mm of the reed and off the tip. You will find as you clip the tip, it is becoming thicker so we need to alternate clipping and sanding to the tip so the tip is thin enough to do it's job well. In fact when we clip a reed, the tip is probably fine. We are clipping to make the heart of the reed thicker.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Slowoldman
Date: 2014-04-16 19:27
Any recommendations on articles or books about reed adjustment? I have seen and printed out a few diagrams and charts, but would like something a little more "comprehensive".
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Author: Pastor Rob
Date: 2014-04-16 22:58
"Clarinet for Dummies" by David Etheridge is an excellent book with a whole chapter on reed adjustment.
Pastor Rob Oetman
Leblanc LL (today)
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