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Re: Elementary Practice Question

Author: sfalexi
Date: 2017-03-23 20:55

kdk wrote:

> Philip Caron wrote:
>
> > Alexi makes an interesting point. Some reeds seem to vary
> > between good and bad on different days.
>
> Within limits. If it's really awful today, it's not going to be
> a gem tomorrow or any other time.
>
> And, I've generally found, a reed that squeaks usually does it
> because of a flaw in the grain. It may squeak less some days
> than others, but those reeds seem to be always unstable. Best
> to ditch them.
>
> Karl

Yes, within limits. An awful reed that is awful most of the time, literally throw it out. If a reed just seems stuffy, or hard or soft, keep it for another day.

An easy thing to do that sometimes helps squeaky reeds is to "sleal" the back and top of the reed. Put a piece of paper on a flat surface, put the reed on that paper, and just rub it back and forth and circular on that paper. It'll make the back of the reed very shiny and after about ten to fifteen seconds, should be very smooth and easy to rub on the paper. You can also seal the top of the reed by wrapping a strip of paper around a finger and rubbing the top part.

It might help.

Try it on a garbage reed first so you get the hang of sealing a reed without damaging it before testing it on a decent reed and accidentally damaging the reed.

Alexi

US Army Japan Band

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