Are reeds your best friend or worst enemy?

Reeds: Nice or evil?

Total Votes:

[ 0 ]

This poll closed on November 13, 2004.
No longer accepting new votes.

[Mr.Renfield]

warewolfandloner100

Mr.Renfield

misery666

GAHHHH does anyone else get spliters on your tonge?!?!

...what brand do you use?

the splinter fall out after like 2 seconds for me

The only reed I've used that ever splintered was a Rico Classic. Once I split a Vandoren down the middle when my tooth hit it in the upper altissimo register... but reeds for me usually only break if I subject them to several weeks of abuse... which is why I ask what brand..

K-chan_13

mallets are much worse... trust me... but i used to play clarinet... don't get the flavored ones, they work butter as a tooth pick... and that says alot..

Flavored? ....I can't think of anything to say to that. If one's first priority in selecting a reed is taste... they need to find a different instrument. Pronto.

Quick reed selection FAQ, just to cure some of these....
Buying good reeds often goes past namebrands, (allthough I'm a sucker for VanDorens)
Make sure you hand pick your reeds from the pack when buying,
here's what to look for:
1) Examine the top of the reed, check the cut arch: It should be centered, and stretch evenly up the sides.
2) Examine the underside of the reed, run a finger from back to front, It should be smooth, and not feel splintered, or like the woodgrain.
3) Finally examine the edge of the side and tip of the reed for deformations. If it seems warped, tilted at the tip, or inappropriate thickness for the reed size, get a different one... If several in the box have wavy tips, it may be a side effect of bad shipping (fluctuating between hot and cold) which will deform them with playing.. consider a different box.

As for brand, For clarinets and saxes, I'd go with rico royal for marching season, and VanDoren for concert.

[Psycho_clarinet_girl]

only one answer to the friend, enemy question... I made a poem a while back... USE IT AND YOU WILL DIE! IT IS MINE!

Reeds, those infamous pieces of wood
I think that they would kill me if they could
When I play on them my sound is really rough
As if they haven't tortured me enough
And as I sit here typing this out
I sit and wonder what all this is about
Why do my reeds hate me so much
When I've done nothing of the such
To hurt them when they sound like crap
But try to fix them when they crack
So here's my story for you all
Although it is a little small
I wish the best of luck for you
Because every reed is out to get you!
So, beware of all the pain
When the reeds are the ones to blame
For all of your agony and sorrow
Will not come till tomorrow
When you sit to play your clarinet
And then come here to surf the net
For answers to all your inquiries
About how to repair your broken reeds
Farewell for now my dear dear friends
I'm sure that we will meet again...
MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[Dark Warp]

wow cool poem! I like!

[Snowfire159]

lol! Awesome poem!

I used to play on Rico Royals, and they're really easy to break in, but, like a lot of people said, they lose their good sound after a couple of days. Now I'm just using Van Doren, but the stupid things take actual hard practicing to break in!!! Horror of unspeakable horrors!!! xd Yeah, but they sound better for concert. What I end up doing when I buy those huge packs of reeds is going through all my good ones, then being left with the duds. xd

[GokuSS4Rx2]

I don't like reed. They always break. And i always have to buy Mitchell Lurie reeds from my band director for $1.50!!! scream

[AsaiElarien]

GokuSS4Rx2

I don't like reed. They always break. And i always have to buy Mitchell Lurie reeds from my band director for $1.50!!! scream

Van Dorens are 4.50 so I don't know what you're going on about, then again, that is in New Zealand dollars razz

But umm...do you guys play in marching band all summer and then concert band for the rest of the year or something? Just curious, we don't have marching bands here heh. Well at least not in my area.

[GhettoPhoenix]

AsaiElarien

GokuSS4Rx2

I don't like reed. They always break. And i always have to buy Mitchell Lurie reeds from my band director for $1.50!!! scream

Van Dorens are 4.50 so I don't know what you're going on about, then again, that is in New Zealand dollars razz

But umm...do you guys play in marching band all summer and then concert band for the rest of the year or something? Just curious, we don't have marching bands here heh. Well at least not in my area.

Where I live you have to be in marching band to be in concert band and vice versa. Marching band is middle of the summer (kicked off by band camp) though the middle of october. It gets too cold after that.

As to the reeds, I love them. I've become addicted to the taste and somethimes just suck on them like i am now. Just don't try to double tongue or you'll cut up your tongue.... so I've heard. Our band director makes us buy Mitchell Lurie. He says they're the only ones to get.

I've got a new question... what number do you use? I play clarinet on a 4.

[Andy1989]

I love reeds! They taste good. The new ones espically. I just don't like how bad the instrument sounds if you need a new one. And they get really expensive...Espically with the Contrabass Clarinet reeds. $45 for a box of 5 at my music store. gonk

[AsaiElarien]

I play b flat clarinet with a two and a half van doren reed razz




And what was that about double tonguing?

[MercifulMe]

crying I play tenor. No TENORS! crying

[GhettoPhoenix]

AsaiElarien

I play b flat clarinet with a two and a half van doren reed razz




And what was that about double tonguing?

Instead of using a single sylible "Da" sometimes to tongue fast notes you double tongue. (Basically if you don't have a reed you can do it) To double tongue you use two sylibles "Da" and "Ga" alternating. Like so
Da-Ga-Da-Ga etc. That allows you to go faster. Apparently one clarinet tried it and cut up her tongue so the rest of us don't even try.

[spiitze]

i have atempted to play a rred and abosolutly totaly hatsd it

[Formido]

Reads have always been pretty nice to me.

[Formido]

AsaiElarien

GokuSS4Rx2

I don't like reed. They always break. And i always have to buy Mitchell Lurie reeds from my band director for $1.50!!! scream

Van Dorens are 4.50 so I don't know what you're going on about, then again, that is in New Zealand dollars razz

But umm...do you guys play in marching band all summer and then concert band for the rest of the year or something? Just curious, we don't have marching bands here heh. Well at least not in my area.

My friend just moved to New Zealand. She plays the flute though. At my school we play in concert band and during the school year, and then in the fall, we have marching band for football games, and during the spring we have marching band for parades. We have the summer off, and winter is for Pep band.

[Inwee]

I tend to become to attatched to my oboe reeds, because I depend on them for making a sound, a good one, too. I work with it all the time and when I hear and feel it dying, I die a little inside because my playing then doesn't sound so beautiful. (I've come along way ^^) Why do I see an oboe reed as my dying friend? Who knows! I use it alot, I am protective alot, I just hate to see it die in the end.