Reed Anatomy The tip of the reed is the thinnest, most delicate, part of the reed. It is the first part to vibrate and send soundwaves down the instrument. Generally, the thinner the tip, the more responsive the reed can be, whereas a thicker tipped reed would be less so. The vamp can directly affect the tone of the reed: A shorter vamp often offers more focus to the sound and is favoured in classical genres.
Whereas, a longer vamp can be more flexible and responsive, and is often preferred by jazz or contemporary players. The edges of the vamp affect the response of the reed the most, whereby if one was to file them down, it would make more of the reed vibrate.
The heart of the reed is very important and gives the reed its sense of focus and structure. The thickness of the heart can vary on different reeds and can also affect how a reed responds. You can see the heart of the reed when you hold a reed up to the light. The less light that is let through shows how thick the heart of the reed is and you can also see the shape of the cut too. The more even and symmetrical reeds are going to give you the best response and cleanest sound.
The way the shoulders of the reed are treated can also have a massive affect on how the reed plays. An Unfiled reed will leave the bark on the shoulders intact helping to keep the natural resistance of the reed. A Filed reed has this bark removed and results in much more vibrant and responsive reed. The thickest blanks uncut reeds , make a darker and warmer sound. A thinner reed would produce a softer sound more easily, and can be slightly brighter in tonal quality.
Reeds can also control how focussed your sound can be, for instance, if a reed is a lot thinner at the edges compared to the heart it can produce a more focused, pure sound. The reed would also tend to have a higher longevity if the latter is the case.
Tips You generally want to be playing as hard a reed as you can manage. This will allow for the best sound, intonation and control. However, if you go too hard then you will find the instrument stuffy and hard to play with a muffled and fuzzy tone quality. The strength of the reed works in harmony with the shape of the mouthpiece, specifically the distance between the tip of the reed and the tip of the mouthpiece, determined by the facing curve.
A mouthpiece with an open facing will require a softer reed; a closed facing calls for a harder reed. Clarinet players experiment with mouthpieces and reeds to find the sound they want for a given occasion.
Certain folk traditions prefer open mouthpieces and soft reeds to allow pitch bending and ornamentation. Classical players gravitate towards harder reeds, and a clearer tone. Beginners may not have control over their mouthpiece selection, so finding a compatible reed is an excellent first step toward developing a good clarinet sound.
As with anything else, branding and quality matter tremendously with clarinet reeds. These are ubiquitous and can be replaced inexpensively when broken by inexperienced players. Generations of clarinet players have started with Rico. Vandoren Paris has long been the industry standard for advancing students and professionals.
The company offers a wide variety of products, and a vast selection of reeds. They have a clearer tone and more consistent intonation than other, less expensive options. Regardless of the make and model, the frustrating reality is that not every reed in a box will be perfectly playable. Reeds are made of natural cane, and therefore, no two are exactly alike. In a box of ten reeds, maybe three or four will play in a desirable way.
Lost password? Recover password. Remembered your password? Back to login. Already have an account? Login here. Reeds vary in strength in half measures — a bit like shoe sizes! The number refers to how thick the reed is. This is not a standardized scale, however, and reed thicknesses and construction vary by manufacturer - Rico reeds are generally thinner than Vandoren, for example. The thickness of the tip and heel and the profile in between affect the sound and playability.
A thicker reed is more difficult to play but thicker reeds do offer a much better tone production and thus improve the sound of an instrument. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. After evaluating each reed, mark the case with a maximum of two pluses if it's really good, or a maximum or two minuses if it's really bad. If you're allergic to cane, coated reeds are available just for people with your allergy like the Rico Plasticover.
If you don't like the taste of cane, even though it might be tempting a student of mine did this get flavored reeds or ex. Don't do this without a good idea of what you're doing so beginners, don't try this , though, and keep in mind that some reeds will be impossible to fix, no matter what you try.
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. This is a mistake MANY beginners make. I recommend starting with size 2 of the Rico orange box to start with. The misconception is, the harder reed you use, the better you are. It has to do with, the style of music a jazz player NEVER uses reeds really harder than about a 3 , the tip opening of the mouthpiece ex. Helpful 12 Not Helpful 6. Don't complain about a "bad" box of reeds.
The reeds have been through a lot of shipping to get to you, and the cane varies. You'll get a box of all duds every once in a while If you are experienced enough, in many cases bad reeds can be adjusted to play far better than their original states. Helpful 6 Not Helpful 2. When adjusting reeds, be very careful, as it's easy to remove too much.
Helpful 14 Not Helpful Related wikiHows How to. How to. Co-authors: Updated: October 22, Categories: Clarinet. Italiano: Scegliere un'Ancia per il Clarinetto. Bahasa Indonesia: Memilih Buluh untuk Klarinet. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. I remember I used to use a Vandoren medium hard when playing regularly in my youth. I needed to know the equivalent strength number.
Having read through the posts, I have a good idea of what strength to start with. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. About This Article Co-authors: Carolyn Cook Jan
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