 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: spikey1973
Date: 2023-05-16 18:36
As most of you know by now, I am new to the clarinet.
And am diving into the wunderfull world of (necessairy and fun) knowledge about the instrument and it's usage. So ofcourse the topic of reeds comes up (frequently!)
Been listening and reeding a lot about brakeing in, maintenace, balancing etc of natural reeds. but have also found that there are synthetic reeds (thinking about legere etc). So i was wondering. What is the general opinion on the use of synthetic reeds by beginners.?
Certain qualities could be interesting (as far as I see it).
1) long livety (also more stable through out it's life?)
2) made vs grown, so balanced properly from factory (I would hope)
But ofcourse also con's
1) more expensive (could be oke, compared to long livety)
2) cut in a way that is better for more experienced users?
anything more con's beginer wise?
any thoughts?
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2023-05-16 19:55
I would outfit every beginner with a synthetic reed were it not for the fact that they are expensive, and beginners tend to be youngsters who can't be expected to exhibit proper concern over not destroying such a reed before its useful life has ended.
Based on the "1973" in your handle, I am presuming you to be an adult where such respect for the fragility of the reed would not be an issue.
You are correct that given its synthetic nature that--and of course it varies from brand to brand, but I'll focus on Legere Brand synthetics for now--that quality control and uniformity are things that by their very design are not built into the inherent variability of a once live cane reed counterpart, where environmental and genetic factors vary wood reeds, even grown, harvested and cut with identically within a human hair of accuracy among a make and model (I speak of Vandoren here.)
I remain of the belief--and it's just my experience--that the advanced player will still find the best cane superior to a Legere, although not only that opinion may differ, but even among those that agree, their switch to synthetics may be the tradeoff of 100% of the time having a reed that is 95% of good cane.
But for the beginner, any reasonable step that can remove variability, like a synthetic, is IMHO a plus.
Post Edited (2023-05-16 20:06)
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Author: lydian
Date: 2023-05-16 19:57
There are two camps with equally valid reasons. I'm personally against synthetics for beginners. I think all players should learn how to deal with real reeds and know how the ideal setup feels and sounds. Cane is really not a big deal. Most of the time you just take it out of the box, pop it in your mouth for a minute and play. Beginners almost never work on reeds simply because they don't know how and don't yet know how to play.
While some pros manage ok on synthetics, they're not ideal in terms of tone, response and intonation. However, many teachers prefer synthetics for their students for the reasons you stated.
As a doubler, I often use synthetics out of necessity, but that doesn't mean I like it. I much prefer a good cane reed whenever possible. Most of my peers feel the same.
Having said that, if you're an adult beginner who doesn't have high aspirations and simply wants to make clarinet-ish noises without the hassle of cane reeds, go for it. Use whatever you wish. For me, tone is everything, and synthetic just isn't there yet. However, from what I've heard of the new Vandoren synthetics, they're pretty darn close, much closer than Legere.
The other thing to consider is that the beginner will quickly change reed strength as their embouchure and air support develops. You'll start very soft, but within a year or so end up relatively hard. So that $40 you spent on a soft synthetic will go down the drain in a couple months.
FYI, I've played various woodwinds since the 70s and tried my first synthetic in 1978. I play clarinet in 3 bands at the moment and sax in 5.
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Author: senexclarinetta
Date: 2023-05-16 21:14
Soft cane reeds that will be outgrown in a couple of months are cheaper than a soft synthetic reed. Beginners progress pretty quickly.
That said, I recently started on bass clarinet and after messing around with cane reeds for a week bought a Legere Signature in 2.75 and haven't looked back. Sometimes eliminating some of the initial variables helps with efficiency.
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Author: spikey1973
Date: 2023-05-16 21:17
@ Lydian & SecondTry
I agree that is is valuable and necessairy to learn how to deal with genuine reed, Even If I would consider getting a synthetic, I would go both ways. But I do believe that the stady factor for a beginner like me would be beneficial.. That way I can really never blame " that bad quality reed" for my own failures. so I would know where to look. aka the mirror.
About the quality sound I am currently producing.. that would definitely fall in the "clarinet-ish" sound (not as bad as noise) area. But that doe not mean I have no aspirations. so learning how to deal with both. understanding the pro and cons of both seems to me benefitial, once I am getting around 3# 3,5# reeds. as indeed I would not wish to trow away an expensive reed like that.
anyway.. it still remains a thing to consider..
thankjs for
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