Reed Squeaks - Why this happens and what to do when it does

Reed Squeaks - Why this happens and what to do when it does

Almost all clarinet and saxophone players have at some point experienced their reed 'squeaking', often it seems in a most embarrassing situation or circumstance. Other reed players will usually offer sympathy - players of different instruments (brass, strings, percussion) just wonder what is going on - as we might well also. Here is my attempt to explain the 'reed squeak' in layman's terms and a few suggestions for what once can do to help.

The squeak of the reed is an uncontrolled harmonic or unintended sounding due to the vibration of the air column being adversely or improperly generated, usually at the mouthpiece / reed end or sometimes within the tube of the instrument.

Checklist:

• If this should happen to you the first place to check is the reed 'seat' on the mouthpiece. One can check this visually using a straight edge ruler or knife, sighting along the flat underside of the reed and looking in the direction of a strong light source. If light 'leaks' or shines through a gap under or around the reed then the cane has warped and must be flattened either by careful scraping using the straight knife blade or rubbing the reed on a sandpaper placed on a flat surface. A reed resurfacer may also be used for this purpose. Once the cane underside appears flat again retest by playing and see if the problem has disappeared. A suction test can be performed to see if the reed will do its job properly again - here is how:

Place the reed on the mouthpiece and tighten the ligature as normal. Lick or wet the palm of the hand. Place the 'back end' of the mouthpiece on your hand and placing your lips around the tip of the mouthpiece aggressively suck backwards removing as much air from inside the mouthpiece as you can. Release the mouthpiece from your lips pulling it out and hopefully the reed will hold in the closed position for 2-3 or more seconds until the vacuum is lost and the reed 'pops' open with a noise. This test takes a bit of practice but once you get the knack it is a very useful indication of a reeds state of readiness to perform.

• Less frequently wear or damage can occur to the facing of the mouthpiece itself and this can be the source of a air leak either between the reed and the 'table' of the facing or on the rails or tip where they come into contact with reed. This type of wear is often difficult to detect but if problems with squeaking or reed response are a regular occurrence then this may well be the explanation. Try some different mouthpieces and / or visit a mouthpiece craftsman with the proper tools to check and measure the mouthpiece.

• It is also possible on both clarinet and saxophone that a hairline or larger leak is affecting the accurate sounding of one or more notes. This can be due to pad seating but is often more subtle sometimes on the clarinet occurring due to an incomplete closure of the finger to the top of a tone hole on the instrument - i.e. the ring positioned to 'high' or the incomplete closure of a pad due to a ring positioned too 'low'. Check especially the left hand 1st and 2nd finger rings and the right hand rings. If your finger(s) bottom out on the tone hole before the ring fully closes the pad a leak will be present. If the pad closes before the ring allows your finger to cover an open hole air can leak out under the finger. Bend the key work in the appropriate direction to overcome the non-alignment. A butter knife or other thin, flat metal plate can be used.

• Common sources of response problems for the saxophone is found in the correspondence connections relating to the left had 2nd finger touch (which must hold down 3 key/pads in total) and also the right hand correspondences to the F# pad. Regulation screws, where present may help to return the correct function of these keys but be prepared to insert a butter knife or other thin, flat metal plate underneath a pad to be able to close a related key arm to overcome the closure problem. If you go too far you may have to reverse the process.

• Poor regulation of the G# key screw can account for poor performance of low C#, B and Bb. I recommend that this be checked each time you play.

• Whenever key work is adjusted there is a chance that the attempted correction will not go well or even be the wrong answer to a problem so having a good repairer available to visit should your best emergency efforts fail is always advisable.

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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

Dry Weather / Wet Weather Single Reed Performance

The effects of Humidity, Altitude and Seasons Upon Reed Performance

It is in the experience of many players, certainly including my own, that on occasion an excellent reed which I/they enjoyed playing on a day or two previously suddenly seems to no longer work well - for reasons unexplained by any obvious damage or misalignment on the mouthpiece. On such occasions I look to the skies, not in exasperation but to see what the weather is doing - here is why:

Cane reeds are intended to vibrate and play their best in a controlled moisture environment. This is why soaking your reed prior to playing is so important and why many players develop a specific routine to ensure that they obtain the best results.

Assuming the reed has already been well wetted if the climate conditions indoors or out are very dry the moisture (both within the reed and on its surface creating the vacuum seal with the mouthpiece) is likely to be reduced within a very short period of time - possibly even seconds - and this change can effect reed performance dramatically. A reed will often feel much harder to play and perhaps begin to squeak as a result of a warp developing on the underside of the reed.

Conversely a reed that becomes overly wet, due perhaps to very humid conditions indoors or out, will be likely to 'give out' quite quickly becoming too easy to blow and sounding thin and buzzy. It is likely to lose its resilience and effectively 'collapse' into the mouthpiece facing in a very short period of time. High note control and tone quality are both likely to be affected .

Such changes in weather conditions can account for why a reed selected as good or promising one day may feel 'rubbish' the next and why a reed dismissed as poor at one sitting should perhaps be reviewed again when the weather changes.

Altitude can be a factor as well as the conditions at higher altitudes, all other things being equal, will tend towards low humidity and near sea level conditions are usually more humid. Such factors matter a great deal to touring musicians who learn how to plan for these changes and adjust their equipment accordingly but the experience of such changes in reed performance can arise for anyone at any time. Even seasonal changes from the warmer and more humid months of Spring and Summer to the colder temperatures and drier conditions of Autumn and Winter can have some effect.

Bearing all this in mind can seem tricky but may be some consolation and assistance should you experience an unexplained reed crisis. Armed with this knowledge you have be able to increase the number of 'good' reeds you obtain from any box!

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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

Clarinet and Saxophone Reed Adjustment - a Survial Guide for the Single Reed Player

Reed Adjustment – a Survival Guide for the single reed player

 

Background

The single reed that we rely upon for our playing is a piece of cane (from bamboo, therefore wood) which, when in playing 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 from fingers during handling as well as saliva residue, food particles and dirt. Over time the fibres will also 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 attention!

To make your reeds last longer and player better try the following:

Have a planned ‘break-in’ routine for your reeds. Soak your new reed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, in warm water (if available) tap water if warm is not available and in your mouth if no other option, then place on a flat surface and press with your thumb along the vamp of the reed before playing for a maximum of 5 minutes. Place that reed safely in a reed storage case and repeat with another new reed.

One should always try to have 3-4 reeds on the go 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 …

 

Try the following:

If sounding dull / playing with a stuffy, resistant feel:

Place the wetted reed on a flat surface and use reedrush (natural sandpaper) or a ReedGeek tool or other sharp, straight edge knife to work gently 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 looking in the direction of a string 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 very sharp straight knife or fine sandpaper on a flat surface to accomplish this. Finally, if this has not made enough difference, 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 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 more). If this seems promising then try to return strength to the reed by clipping it with a reed cutter (Cordier is my favourite general clipper, Vandoren do a fine precision clipper for the tip profiles of 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.

 If a once good reed is just starting 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 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. This is ‘pre-ageing’ the reed and it can often be all a reed needs to quickly settle in ready for successful use.

In Summary

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

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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