Without the reed we are nothing. With the reed we are something. With a perfectly
balanced and adjusted reed anything is possible.
The reed is critical to your sound, the better the reed, the better the tone,
the better the player, the better the music. So it’s important to do 5 things
to help us get the most out of our reeds
- Buy the best brand of reeds
- Choose the right strength
- Adjust the reed to balance it’s dynamic and pitch responsiveness
- Always have 4 – 8 reeds on the go
- Reed care
1. Buy the best brand of reeds
This is the easy part. If you buy the best brand of reeds you are half way there
already.There are a number of quality brands of reeds but the one I favour is
Vandoren for both clarinet and saxophone. Other reputable brands are Mitchell
Lurie for clarinet and Rico Royal for sax.
2. Choose the right strength
Reeds come in different strengths - 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 & 5. Each strength
is a bit like gears on a bicycle, starting from the easiest to the strongest,
creating more and more resistance as they get higher in number. The strength
that you choose is dependant on 3 factors –
a. The stage you are at as a player - The beginner starts on soft
reeds (the lowest no.s) to make playing easier - I recommend starting a student
on a no. 2, and very quickly moving to no. 2.5’s. After a period of time (maybe
a 1, 2, 3 or months – depending on the student) I move students up to a no.
3, although some beginners suit staying on a 2.5 reed for a longer time. The
intermediate and advanced player should use the more resistant reeds such as
no.3’s. Some intermediate and advanced players will prefer to play on 2.5’s
or 3.5’s.
b. Your mouthpiece - The mouthpiece’s tip opening (the distance
between the reed and the tip of the mouthpiece) effects the response of the
reed. The wider the tip opening – the more resistance there will be from the
reed. The smaller the tip opening – the less resistance there will be from the
reed. So a mouthpiece with a wider tip opening will suit a softer reed than
a mouthpiece with a smaller tip opening, which will suit a harder reed.
c. The type of sound that you want - The combination of reed strength
and mouthpiece create a particular type of sound. For example, the jazz clarinet
sound is achieved by using a mouthpiece with a wide tip opening combined with
a very soft reed. This allows the player to get an “earthy” tone and easily
produced pitch bends. Where as the classical clarinet sound uses a mouthpiece
with a smaller tip opening combined with a harder reed, which achieves a clear,
focused tone with stable pitch.
The difference in strength between reeds is determined by their thickness.
As the reeds increase in number, so does their thickness. This variation of
thickness is not really noticeable to the naked eye, but becomes apparent when
the reed is played. The thicker the reed, the more resistance there is to the
blowing. An extremely soft reed will sound more like a Kazoo or a sick duck,
lacking a focused tone and having unstable pitch. At the other end of the scale,
an excessively hard reed takes too much energy to produce a good sound and generally
is too “breathy”. Our aim is to find a reed that is not too soft and not too
hard – a reed that is responsive and easy to play, but still with the resistance
to produce a good tone with stable pitch.
3. Adjust the reed to balance it’s dynamic and pitch responsiveness
New reeds are essentially blanks - the raw material that you adjust to create
the best reed possible. When you pull a new reed out of the box, very rarely
will it be in perfect playing order. Most reeds require playing in and adjustments
to make them playable. Many reeds are still unsatisfactory no matter what you
do to them. The perfect reed is perfectly symmetrical - flat on the bottom,
evenly balanced on both sides and both sides of the tip, has an even response
over the whole dynamic and melodic range of the instrument. This is the Holy
Grail of reeds, which all reed players are searching for.
Most new reeds are bowed on the bottom and have a different response on each
side of the reed. Although some new reeds produce a satisfactory sound, if adjustments
are made, they can be greatly enhanced.
Reeds also vary in strength within one box. Not all No. 3’s are created equal;
some are softer than 3 and some are harder than 3. The number on a reed is only
an indication of strength, not a precise measurement.But like many things in
life, we don’t have to be stuck with what we’ve got. We can adjust reeds and
improve them.
Reed Testing and Adjusting
Choosing the best reeds
Choose reeds with -
The best reeds are normally
a golden creamy colour on the cut section of the reed; avoid reeds with a green
or brown shade.
They should have a fine grain
with straight fibres running right to the end of the reed.
No dark patches on the cut
part (dark patches are ok on the uncut section of the reed).
Evenly cut shoulder.
The arc of the reed should
not be too high or low.
The following is the process of reed selection and the key adjustments to
make to the new reed.
a. Test and play the reed - Go through a new box of reeds testing
them and sorting them into 3 categories: good, tolerable but not exceptional and bad. Mark the reeds accordingly so you know which are which – G1, G2 etc. for the good ones, T1, T2 etc for the tolerable ones, B1, B2 etc for the bad ones
Before any adjustments are made, play the reed for a few days, for about
5 –10 minutes each time. This allows the reed to be broken in and stablise (the
reeds shape and structure is affected by moisture and will change during the
first few days of playing). Never, ever leave the reed on the mouthpiece
after use . Always place the reed in a reedguard for protection. Reedguards
also keep the reed flat while it dries. It’s best to have at lest 2 reedguards.
Very rarely you might come across a reed that needs no adjusting! Enjoy it!
b. Check if the bottom is flat - This can be done by placing the
bottom of the reed on the edge of a small, thin metal ruler (get one from a
hardware store). With the fingers on top of the reed, balancing the reed on
the sharp edge of the ruler, like a seesaw, hold the reed and ruler in front
of a bright light source (a normal 100watt light or daylight is sufficient).
By looking between the bottom of the reed and the edge of the ruler you can
determine if the reed is flat. If the light shines through between the bottom
of the reed and the ruler, creating an arc shape – the reed is not flat. Most
reeds bow into this shape after manufacture. The reed can bow the other way
but this is less common. If the reed is flat you will see speckles of light
evenly distributed along the bottom of the reed.
Adjusting the bottom - To flatten the reed, sand the bottom of reed using the
finest sandpaper on a piece of glass. Only sand the base of the reed by leaving
the tip of the reed (about 10 mm or 3/8”) off the sandpaper to prevent it from
being sanded. Check for flatness with the ruler as you do this.
Dynamic Response Test - This tests for the response of both sides
of the reed, checking for evenness of tone, strength and playability of both
sides of the reed.
1. First, tilt the instrument to the right, so the mouthpiece is on a 45-degree
angle in your mouth with the left side of the reed raised and free to vibrate
and the right side cushioned on your bottom lip, preventing it from vibrating.
2. Now blow a sudden sforzando down to piano on an “open” G – no fingers
- (i.e. starting strong and loud and immediately getting softer, dying away
to nothing).
3. Now swap sides so the right side of the reed is raised and free
to vibrate and the left side is cushioned on your bottom lip, preventing it
from vibrating.
4. Now blow another sudden sforzando to piano on an “open” G
5. Now compare the sound and responce of both sides – (don’t hesitate
to try each side out a few times)
Were they the same? Did one side blow more freely? Did one side have
a better sound? Was one side muffled? How did they respond over the whole dynamic
range?
Notice each side’s resistance, response, tone color and resonance
decay (i.e. is the resonance of the reed consistence from the change from loud
to soft?).
Adjustments to be made:
Using either Dutch Rush, very fine sandpaper or a very sharp knife thin the
reed on the hard or resistant corner then retest the reed.
Repeat this process until both
sides are identical in responses, tone, and resonance decays – i.e. they sound
the same.
The Pitch Range Response Test
For clarinet:
Play low "C"
Add the register key – “G”
Take the left hand 1st
finger off, adding right little finger to Ab/Eb key – “High E
Finally swap the to Ab/Eb key
for the right hand F#/C# key – “High A”
Make sure that the embouchure
and blowing pressure remains the same for each note.
For Sax:
Play low "C"
Play “C” and octave higher
Add the octave key – High “C”
With the left hand 1st
finger add the high “F” key (the top pearl key above the “B” pearl)
Make sure that the blowing
pressure remains the same for each note.
Assessing the Pitch Range Response Test
Do all the notes respond in the same way?
Do they have the same tone colour? (i.e. sound they
are coming from the same instrument)
Do the high notes take a bit more time and effort to
“speak”
Do the high notes have a “thin” sound unless you change
the embouchure and/or blowing pressure?
Adjustments to be made:
If the tone color or response
is unsatisfactory for the high notes the reed is unbalanced near the very tip.
Make adjustments to the side or sides with the worst sound.
Determine if both sides of
the reed are the same strength by gently flexing the corners of the reed against
a hard surface – Do they feel the same on both sides?
Make more adjustments as necessary.
Re-do Tests:
Re-do the Dynamic Response
Test and the Pitch Range Response Test again and make more adjustments as necessary.
Keep doing this until you are
satisfied with the reed – i.e. when it responds fluently over the entire range
of the instrument, with a clear tone and effortless articulation.
Be conservative in your adjustments
- Remember that you can always take more off the reed, but you can never add
it back on!
This process is all trial and
error, error being quite common. Like all things, you have to practise to get
better at it. In the beginning you may destroy more reeds than you improve,
but don’t be discouraged – keep working at it and you will improve along with
your reeds.
Reed Trimmers
It is possible to trim soft reeds with a Reed Trimmer, but I have found them
to be less than satisfactory. Trimming the end off a reed, tends to reduce it’s
resonance. Consequently I personally don’t recommend them. Never the less some
players use them.
Maintenance of reed after adjustment
Sealing the cane ends – Seal the cane ends by rubbing the cut top section
of the reed with the back of a teaspoon. This seals the reed from grot and grime,
helping extend the life of the reed. Regularly polish the bottom of the reed
by rubbing it on paper offer a flat surface. During use, the reed forms a raised
impression of the mouthpiece window half way down the reed (you can feel it
with your fingers). The paper acts as an ultra- fine sand paper, polishing the
reed flat again, improving the tone.
4. Always have 4 – 8 reeds on the go
Always have 4 –8 reeds that
have been broken in and adjusted.
Buy reeds by the box so you
have a number of reeds to choose from.
Not all reeds are usable -
by having a box of reeds you won’t be stuck with just one unplayable reed.
Always be in the process of
breaking in and adjusting new reeds.
By following this process you
will always have a good selection of reeds to use.
5. Reed care
Always store reeds in a Reedguard, not the containers that the reeds come
in (these are only designed to keep the reed intact in the box). A Reedgrard
will keep the reed flat and allows easy storage (important for young players
who tend to destroy reeds with unfailing regularity!)
Never leave the reed on the mouthpiece when not in use. If the reed stays
on the mouthpiece it won’t remain flat and starts to form the shape of the mouthpiece,
bending to the shape of the mouthpiece, resulting in the softening of the reed.
The reed also gets “glued” onto the mouthpiece and doesn’t function well, producing
a hard and shrill tone.
The reed can be cleaned, restoring and extending it’s life. Clean regularly
either with:
- Warm water and detergent – rub the detergent into the reed
and rinse with water.
- Hydrogen Peroxide diluted in water (approx. half a teaspoon per cup of water)
– soak the reed in the diluted solution for 30 minutes or until clean. Rinse
with water. Hydrogen Peroxide will get the best results as it is a powerful
oxidizer, both cleaning and disinfecting the reed.
The life of a reed goes through 3 stages. When it gets to the third stage
throw it away.
a. New reed - Raw state: rough and unresponsive
b. Reaches full potential
c. Too soft, low resistance, poor tone
Good Luck! |
