 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mac1012
Date: 2014-08-29 08:56
well my clarinet arrives today and have first lesson
been looking at how to set reeds up and I didn't realise it was such a complex subject with so many variables
I wondering whether this clarinet playing is going to frustrate the hell out of me.
I know my teacher will give me advice on Monday
I don't want to start a war but just wondered what people on here thought of synthetic reeds
I know that people will prefer traditional reeds and will extol their virtue's but for me as a beginner I was thinking if they work pretty well it would take away some of the headache of cane reeds
I am up for anything that makes my life at bit easier , with a busy , work, home life my goals are to play contemporary songs and play in my worship group
does anyone use them ? any feed back would be good are they something teachers would frown upon or is it just personal preference ?
thanks mark
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Author: mac1012
Date: 2014-08-29 09:15
Just realised that legere reeds are a sponsor of this site and the editor gives them praise
they seem to be highly regarded in some areas
now what strength to buy ? 8-)
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2014-08-29 10:37
You've just stumbled into one of the minefields of the clarinet world! Cane reeds, as you've probably realized by now, come in just about every type and flavour known to man. Don't despair, choice of reeds is not as complex as it seems. At the novice level there is a well-worn path to getting something that will work well enough to get you playing up to the point where you've acquired sufficient knowledge to start making your own choices. Every player ever has successfully gone though this bit, and a lot of them are not as smart as you.
Stay with one of the major makers, Vandoren, Rico, Addario for example, and buy a 3-pack of Vandoren Blue Box or Rico Grand Concert. something like a 2.5 in Rico or a 2 in Vandoren. Consult your teacher, he/she can give you advice on this. Wet a reed (Just put the thin end in your mouth for a few seconds) and place it on the mouthpiece. It should be square on the table, with the tip just showing a tiny sliver of cane when viewed from the back of the mouthpiece. Tighten the ligature while holding the reed in place with your thumb. Play. Adjust the reed very slightly up or down the mouthpiece as needed. This will get you going.
Synthetic reeds are treated much the same, except that they don't need wetting. The two major suppliers are Forestone (Japan) and Legere (Canada). Both work well and both have their adherents. Personally I prefer Legere, but I've had good results from Forestone as well. I find that Legeres are about the same strength as Vandoren but a little stiffer than Rico for the same number. Forestone have a different system for designating reed strength which seems to ensure that no matter what you choose, your first choice will be wrong. Once you've got the strength right both will work well. Some mouthpieces are far more sensitive to synthetic reeds than others and are far more fussy about reed positioning. It must be absolutely central on the mouthpiece rails.
Good luck.
Tony F.
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Author: mac1012
Date: 2014-08-29 10:56
thanks for taking the time to reply and the detailed response , I was just looking at some threads and how people buy boxes of ten and five are unusable , and I was thinking how the heck am I going to pick a good one ?
when you say three pack do you mean buy three single reeds of different strength's ?
hopefully in practice its not as difficult as I sometimes read on the internet
then I read somewhere to only play a new reed for five minutes and keep rotating them and pick 6 good ones out of a few boxes otherwise they will be no good and I was thinking blimey this seems complicated
it did kind of put me off a bit but then until I try I will never know 8-)
that's what lead me to consider a synthetic reed
Post Edited (2014-08-29 11:13)
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2014-08-29 12:19
The way the makers package their reeds seems to vary from country to country. Here in Australia they are generally available in 2 or 3 packs as well as in boxes. If you can only get singles or boxes, get a couple of singles. It's just so that you don't have to buy a whole box in one lump in the hunt for the right strength. Don't stress too much about the "7 out of 10" business. For perhaps the top 10% of players this may be true, but for the majority, except when you get a really bad one, most reeds are playable, some better than others.
Tony F.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-08-29 12:36
As a beginner you cannot know what is easy or what is hard. It reminds me of when I was wanting to play the clarinet and picked up my first how to book. All the steps involved in getting the parts together and setting up an embouchure seemed almost too daunting for it to be worth it!
You will find out the answer to your question within a few short months (or less) concerning the difference between cane and synthetic. It is I feel a personal choice and no longer necessarily one of right or wrong. The Legere (and perhaps others) reeds are 'good enough' so that one can get a completely acceptable classical clarinet sound out of them. They are certainly much cheaper in the long run since as you already observe, not all real reeds out of a box will work, a box of Vandorens could set you back about $50 US dollars and then you get a month out that rotation. Whereas you can play on one $25 dollar Legere for three to six months!
But if you do find yourself playing on synthetics, I would recommend going back to cane for a 'check' on whether the tradeoffs are worth it in sound for yourself.
And just for starting off, I think a 2 1/2 strength reed is typical for a beginner.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: david_macrae
Date: 2014-08-29 22:36
I do not think the difference in price is that much. I pay 26.99 for a box of 10 VanDoren V12 and 28.99 for a Legere signature on Amazon. Playing regular I needed to buy a few legere and to rotate and of course that is after I figured out the right strength. So with what I have invested in legere I could have 5-6 boxes of cane. If the legere last more than six months it will start saving me. But I do not think it is that much different. I like the sound of cane better so I use that mostly, but I have the legere just in case. (haha - I wonder if legere players keep cane in their case just in case?)
I personally think as a beginner one should start with cane and as Paul said after a few months the person will be better equipped to make a choice.
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Author: luckyclar
Date: 2014-08-29 23:38
mac1012 wrote:
> I wondering whether this clarinet playing is going to frustrate the hell out of me.
As an adult beginner (30+) I get frustrated VERY often. One day things just work, I am happy with my playing and the next day I feel I am so bad and just wasting time.
My personal experience is that you DO waste a lot of time and money on cane reeds till you get a feeling about them and it is one of the major issues (if not the biggest) to get frustrated as a beginner. Few weeks ago I bought two Legere synthetic reeds. Best money ever spent! IMHO as a beginner you need CONSISTENCY. Period. I still like my cane reeds sound and response better but if I only have limited time that day I just slap the Legere and it does the job perfectly.
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Author: andybeals
Date: 2014-08-30 03:12
I'm mostly with Luckyclar on this issue. Given two reeds, one cane and one synthetic, that work equally well, I'll go with the synthetic, if only for the reasons that there's an easier path to cleanliness and they're tougher than natural cane.
Each player + mouthpiece + instrument set-up has its own ideal reed placement and strength and finding that when you're an adult can be frustrating, especially if you have childhood memories of it being easy as pie.
You will find a combination that works for you and your teacher will be of great help!
More than one of my scores has "Not a sax" marked on it, somewhere.
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