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 Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:12 pm
Soooo...i've been playing a yamaha Bb clarinet for 2 years now.i play a 2 and a half reed.i ussually use rico reeds, but there not always best.i tried a vandoren, but it took me a week or so to break-in...n e brands u know tht r good???? question also n e tips for me??? question i hav trouble getting past a high g (the one w/ the rigister, left thumb, finger 1, 2 &3 on left) without scaling up to get 2 it.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:51 pm
hmm a couple thoughts on this one.....
the first and most obivous is practice, the only way you are going to get to hit that high note all the time is with practice I know with my sax to hit the 2nd octive E I had to scale up for the longest time, eventually I practiced enough and made it
my second thought, stick with the brand of reed you know you got it right on target, it took you a week longer to adapt to the vandoren's then usual so stick with what works
and finally this is from personnel experience, but a lower reed size does not mean your less of a player for the longest time thats what I thought and stuck with the size 3's for my bari sax, it was a night mare from the very beginning to the end, I always thought if I dropped back down to a size 2 it would mean I was less of a player but a band friend of mine told me to knock that type of thinking off, and I did, I went back down to a size 2 and it was a million times better, my playing improved and everything got alot better. so the moral of the story is, don't be afraid to regress in reed size, a 2.5 might be a bit to sturdy, give a 2 a try and see if it is better or worse, if its worse they stick with the 2.5, but don't be afraid to try less then that......
so yeah my 20yen worth.... I went through a similar thing when I was in band trying to figure out how to play the high notes for a solo and trying to figure out what would be best....
oh and ps, I went through all my highschool years using a size 2 rico and never had any problems or regrets, good luck best of luck to you and have fun with it, we are the proud... the few... the elite.... ~Woodwinds!~
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 5:34 pm
i use rico/ rico royal for my sax but i use the 3s
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:13 pm
Yeah. I have, like, almost no experience with clarinets, and I just started playing sax. for band, before I played flute, but this is slightly beside the point. Anywho, I totally agree with the first person who replied. Practice, practice, practice. I know, it is totally repetitive, and you probably hear it ALL the time, I know I do, but it's totally true. Because on the flute, I still play it occasionally, I still have some trouble hitting higher notes right away, partially because I have a very, very pronounced cupid's bow, but again, I digress sweatdrop . Anyway, I also remember that wen I first started playing the sax, I was told that the regular Ricos sucked, but a separate thing by them, Rico Royals, was, like, waaaaaaaaaaaaay better. Personally I prefer Vandoren, but that's just me, and, like the first person to reply, go with what you know. Also, I remember, I started out on 3s, but my tone was waaaaay airy. So, freshman year, of high school (I'm a junior this year), my band teacher, Mr. Rose, he left this year emo , pointed it out, then I asked my friend what might have been the problem, she said that it might have been too sturdy, so I talked to Mr. Rose, got a 2 1/2, and everything was better.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:24 pm
Well I'll just say that you should practice a bit more, and make sure that the reed is properly aligned and is wet enough so it can vibrate better.
But what I usually do is just wet is slightly, align it, and let my spit soften it up while I play...which is what everyone else does...for some odd reason...>.>
And I like to use Rico's too. They're pretty soft compared to other brands of the same strength. Trust me, a Rico 3 is much easier to use than a Vandoren 3, because each brand manufactures them differently. Plus, Rico makes better reed cases, the Vandoren one is a little annoying to pulling out and putting back in the reed. I've busted a few reeds that way...
Oh, also make sure you have enough of the mouthpiece in your mouth and you're not clamping down with your lips, teeth, etc. because that can really throw you off. What I do is get this plastic stick-on for the top of the mouthpiece so that even if I bite it a little ( With my top teeth ) it doesn't affect the sound too much. And relax your embouchure on the low notes, tighten it just a teeny tiny bit as you go towards the higher note. Sometimes I don't relax enough and I play a High D when I'm fingering a Low D...
But don't listen to me, I'm still a nub. biggrin
~Alto Sax FTW, P.S., we need more Trumpets and OMG the Clarinets outnumber the entire band 4 to 1, help us!!!~
P.P.S. Vandoren's are better, but only after you manage to break them in.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:03 pm
I have been playing the clarinet for 8 years and I use a number 5 Rico Royal. I use it because it works best for me and usually I have to sand it down a bit. Every person is different though.
As said before, the number of reed you use doesn't necessarily make you a better player, though, it does help the high notes as long as you hold your mouth correctly.
Everything that has been said is very true. Though, it also depends on the person and the reed. Not every reed in a whole box will be the same, some are better than others, some are worse. Sometimes I have to go through a whole box of reeds just to find the right one.
Yes, Vandoren is supposedly better than Rico Royal, but I've found Rico's to be better for me, personally. There are lots of different brands so trying different kinds won't hurt. Except some can be pretty expensive sweatdrop
When it comes to high notes and reeds, a higher number of reed does help. There are certain ways you have to hold your mouth too that will help a lot, which, these take practice. It takes the effort of both the mouth positioning and the reed you are using. If a reed is too thick you can always sand it down. If a reed is too thin, cut off a bit of the top (there are tools for that).
Hope that helps 3nodding Sorry if that was long sweatdrop
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:21 am
i used to use rico and vandoren, but since my mom gets all of the reeds i need, i sometimes get other brands. mitchell lurie is an ok brand too.
right now i have a rico royal on my clar. and i think it's the same one that i used when play practice started in january or feb. (i know it sounds gross but thats a lot of practicing and we still had normal band rehearsals and memorial day band to finish out june with, i'm just trying to make a point about how durable they are) all i'm saying is that reeds r more expensive, and u might as well pay for something durable, and if rico works y not rico royale?
i used to use a 3 but moved up to 3.5 because i was slightly flat and i love that so much more, it takes more time to break in but overall it helps my tone and it feels better because of the stiffness
goodluck and i hope this helps
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