Reed Adjustment - A Survival Guide for the Single Reed Player

Reed Adjustment – a Survival Guide for the Single Reed Player

The single reed that clarinet and saxophone players rely upon is a piece of cane (from bamboo, Arundo Donax, therefore wood) which, when in use, is continually changing state between moist and dry conditions. The reed fibres swell and contract with moisture absorption and evaporation. In addition, the fibres of the cane are tubes that will collect skin cells from lip tissue and handling as well as saliva residue, food particles and dirt. The fibres will also, over time, lose their resilience after being subjected to the many hundreds of thousands of vibrations required in order to produce the tones we all love to make.

 No wonder reeds need care and attention!

To make your reeds last longer and player better try the following: 
Have a planned ‘break-in’ routine with your reeds - 

• Soak your reed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, in warm water if possible, tap / cold water if warm is not possible, or soak in your mouth if no water source is available.

• Place on a flat surface and press with your thumb along the vamp of the reed before playing for a maximum of 5 minutes when new. 

• Place that reed safely in a reed storage case and repeat with another new reed.

One should ideally try to have 3-4 reeds on the go at any time so as to avoid getting ‘caught out’ with nothing ready to play. Once a reed has settled the period of use can be extended to an hour or more over several sessions. If a reed is working particularly well you may wish to set it aside and mark it for performance use in the future.

If on the other hand a reed does not seem to be performing as well as you wish then it is time to see if it can be improved …

Sounding dull / playing with a stuffy, resistant feel -

Place the wetted reed on a flat surface and use reedrush (natural sandpaper), a ReedGeek tool or a very sharp, straight knife and gently work at the tip area to remove some of the some cane (always stroke away from the reed tip, never back towards it). If the tip area is evened up and made more flexible this may be all that is required. If the reed is still ‘not right’ check that the underside of the reed is truly flat by sighting along the underside of the reed with a flat ruler or straight edge of the knife looking in the direction of a strong light. If you see daylight leaking through either at the edges or in the middle then the underside of the reed has warped and must be flattened. You can use the tool edge or the straight edge of the knife to accomplish this. Finally, if this is not enough you can experiment with removal of some cane in the ‘heart’ region to reduce resistance. Be careful – you cannot put anything back once it has been removed.

If a reed is almost right but just feels a bit like ‘to much hard work’ try placing reed on the mouthpiece as usual and then press it in towards the facing with your thumb, holding it in a closed position for 10 seconds or so. I refer to this practice as ‘pre-ageing’ a reed and it can often be all a new reed needs to quickly settle in ready for successful use. 

Sounding thin / playing without enough resistance -

 First, test to see if it seems to play better when positioned ‘too high’ on the mouthpiece (i.e. deliberately extending the reed over the end of the mouthpiece tip by 1mm or so). If this seems promising then try to return strength to the reed by clipping it with a reed cutter (Cordier is my  favourite clipper, Vandoren do a fine precision clipper for their own reed range). Work in small stages and try blowing again following each clip. When the resistance feels right the reed may need re-balancing at the tip (see above) as you have effectively returned thicker wood to the tip through the clipping process.

The changing nature of reeds -

Once good reed begins to decline try rejuvenating it by gently placing it on the mouthpiece and with the ligature in place, insert a thin/stiff playing card between reed and mouthpiece facing and gently bend the reed away from the mouthpiece using the card. Re-test. This often does just enough to get through a concert or rehearsal session.

If you are returning to a reed which was once good and now seems to perform differently it is useful to bear in mind that changes of humidity and moisture content will affect cane reeds and what the reed may require is breaking in again or a review given a change of season. Do not throw it away as in a month or two it may be 'just right' once again.

In summary - 

The ability to analyse reed behaviour and to be resourceful with various adjustment options in the face of the inevitable challenges posed by the use of cane reeds is of great benefit to all players. This knowledge increases your confidence, reduces pre-performance stress, and leads to more playing enjoyment and helps to save money!

--------------

The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.
 

Thomas Dryer-Beers