Clarinet reed problems?

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Question:

I've been playing clarinet for 4 years now!. I've been using mostly rico 3s, vandoren 2 1/2s, and plasticovers!. My director announced that he wants all of his clarinets to be using vanodren 3s for a solid sound!. I've been trying to play with vandoren 3s for awhile now, but it's too hard for me and I usually end up switching back to a rico or plastic reed!. I don't know if I've just been getting bad reeds or not!.

How do I get up to the ability to play with vandoren 3s!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Ya, that was wrong of your band director to say that!. You can't just can't generalise like that about clarinet reeds!. One person may well get a "solid" sound using a Vandoran 3, while the next person (who may be equally as good) may not!. It depends on so many variables:
-mouthpiece - mouthpieces with a bigger lay (space between reed and mouthpiece) need softer reeds

-ligature

-instrument

-your embouchure - if you have a good relaxed embouchure, softer reeds will give you a better sound

-your breath support - if you are putting a lot of air through the instrument, then you will probably need harder reeds

This is how you can get up to the ability to play with Vandoran 3s!. More air!. It's exhausting for the first while, but if you keep at it you'll get there!. The worst possible thing you could do is go back to your softer reeds, because then all your hard work will be undone!. Just struggle through it for the first week or two, and then it should feel normal!.

If you still can't play Vandoran 3s comfortably after the two weeks, then your mouthpiece probably has a massive lay and 2 1/2 is the correct strength to use with it!. Don't be afraid to point this out to your director!. He's definately in the wrong here!. Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Wow, your teacher must not play a reeded instrument!. I feel your pain, mine plays trumpet!. I've had people insist that I play with vandoren 3s, too!. My friend C scrapes hers with her teeth to thin them out a bit when she first gets them!. G just practiced with them every day until she broke them in (or her lips gave out, whichever came first)!. I just went back to using vandoren 2 1/2s!. My band director came around!. Every clarinetist is different!. Some of us play BETTER with 2 1/2s!. Anyway, one of these has GOT to work for you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Your music teacher must be a trumpet player!.

The hardness of the reed must be matched to the lay of your mouthpiece and the style of your playing!. If you have a beginner mouthpiece, it's almost certainly got a more open lay, and in that case a 2 1/2 reed is the right choice!.

You could switch to Vandoren 3 but you'll want a narrower lay on the mouthpiece!. You can get great mouthpieces cheap on ebay; go to manufacturer's websites to find out what their numbers mean!. I also had at one point found a sax website that compared the different models of different makes of mouthpieces, but I don't know of one for clarinet--maybe you can search!.

You also can adjust the reed slightly out or in to adjust for hardness, but you can't do much that way or it wrecks your tone other ways!.

BTW, while we're talking, let's do some general reed usage advice:

Buy a whole box, not just three or four!. Then dump the whole box out and check every reed!. Press the tips down gently on a flat surface and see if there are any splits!. Then hold the reed up to a bright light; look for the "heart"!. Some reeds will have a heart that looks like a perfectly centered little pyramid or cone--those will be maybe 3 or 4 per box!. Those are the best reeds; break them in and then store them in a professional reed holder and use them for concerts and recitals!. The ones with hearts that are off-center or flat are your practice reeds!.

And BTW, vandoren is my favorite!. And skip those plasticover and get fibrecell if you want plastic for practicing (tho' you'll have enough Vandoren seconds to last you forever)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com