How do I know when a clarinet reed is too soft? And when to break in a new one?

Answer 1

A soft reed cab be caused by either a purchase of a low number of the reed's rating. Many times new students want to play the horn with little or no resistance so they use a #1 1/2 or a # 2. This will make the horn play with very little resistance but the tone will suffer. The high notes will be flat or may not play. Move up to a 21/2 for minimum strength. Train yourself to deal with the resistance and don't just use the first reed out of the box. Even though all the reeds may be the same brand and the same strength on the box, they are not the same if they are the true bamboo wood reeds. They all differ somewhat. The number on the reed does not means thickness of its cut but rather the density of the reed itself. That come for the natural growth of the reed . How, when, where it was grown makes all the difference. You could try synthetic reeds as they are manufactured and are more consistent but I do not feel that they will ever match the true bamboo wood reeds in their sound.

1. The other reason a reed goes soft is as you play it, it will tend to wear down. When this happens , you change reeds. A reeds durability can be a few days or a few weeks in most cases but they do have a limited life span as they do wear down form the constant blowing and vibration. The answer is, of course, just change reeds. However, always have more than just one reed to choose from. As you gain experience in your playing you will become vey sensitive to the resistance. One reed may not fit the bill. Have at least four or five reeds to choose from before you make the final choice.The reed may also change its feel overnight so keep the other reeds available. What feels like the right one at first may not feel that way a day or two later. The ones that didn't feel right may feel just fine after a few days of break in period.
2. Welcome to the world of woodwind players. We all face the same problem. You will get use to it if you stay with it.

Answer 2

My first thought when it comes to this question is that you should always be rotating through multiple reeds so that if a reed is uncomfortable, you can just let it go! You can generally feel when a reed is becoming to soft by your tone becoming more nasally, softer dynamics becoming harder to control, excessive squeaking/chirping sounds, etc. Often soft reeds can actually be great tools for practicing playing softly because you can't bite if you want to avoid squeaking, so you really have to work the embouchure properly to get the desired sound. I would consistently have a few reeds you're in the process of breaking in since you can only play on them a little each day, and always have multiple broken in reeds you can play on for longer periods.

Most importantly, trust yourself! You know which reeds feel good and make it possible for you to get the sounds you want. If it feels too soft, let it go. Life is too short to play on bad reeds.

I have systems in place for breaking in, storing, and working on reeds that help my reeds last a long time and give me my desired sound quality. If this is something you'd be interested in learning, set up a lesson with me!

Answer 3

A side note to this question: sometimes you find that changing a reed out for a brand new reed just doesn't play quite right. Organic reeds can differ in strength and cut out of the same box. It is not uncommon to get a box full of reeds that don't play well. I have found reeds to be too stiff or too thin within the same box. Many times you can salvage the reed by using reed tools to shave it for a better tone. This is a technique in itself and best done with tools designed for this purpose. Tools can also help extend the life of reeds if you know what you are doing.

That said, there are a few things you could do without tools. For instance, if I have a stiff reed I will take the reed and place it on a flat surface (cell phones are great for this). Then using my fingers I rub the reed in places I think is causing the 'stuffiness'. Many times this has worked for me to get a more life from my reed. You can try this with older reeds, too, and it may help; do it to figure out where the 'sweet spot' of the reed is; it's a great way to develop a better understanding of how sound is made in a woodwind. -r

Answer 4

I often get this question from a lot of new students. As teachers we hear that a reed may be too soft, and we tell the student to change it out, but what happens when we are not meeting with the student regularly and how do we guide them on when is the appropriate time to change out a reed. Below I have complied a list of a few hints that you as a student can pay attention to to know that it may be time to change out your old reed:

1. I feel like I cant blow the same amount of air through the instrument. Using the analogy of blowing through a garden hose to simulate the clarinet, this may feel like someone has kinked the hose and the air will not go through.
2. I can't get high notes on the instrument to play. If the above feeling of not being able to blow lots of air through the instrument is happening, combined with high notes not coming out, it is probably a good time to change out your reed.
3. If low notes or B, C, C#, or D above the break are squeaking, this may also be a sign that it is time to change your reed.
4. A sure tell sign that it is time to change your reed is if you notice that there are chips, or cracks on or around the fragile tip of the reed. To protect against this happening, always store your reeds in a protective reed holder. These can be bought on Amazon for very low costs. DO NOT store your reeds in the plastic holder they come in.
5. So now you have some helpful hints to guide you in your decision of when to change out your clarinet reed. REMEMBER, when playing on a brand new reed, DO NOT play on it for more than 2 minutes initially, or you risk permanently damaging the reed.
6. If this is a topic that you would like to learn more about, head on over to my profile page and set up a private lesson with me. Remember that if you are not satisfied with your first lesson, there is no cost to you!