RJ Music Group
  • Home
  • Product Information
    • Mouthpieces
    • Reeds
    • Reed Wizard
    • PerfectaReed
    • Books
    • Discography
  • Purchase Products
  • About RJ Music Group
    • Ben Redwine
    • Leslie Redwine
    • Ignatius "Iggy" Gennusa
    • Ben Armato
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Discography

REEDS... FRIEND OR FOE?

5/2/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
    A properly made reed, in tandem with a good mouthpiece, well-serviced instrument, and fundamentally sound embouchure and air support, is essential for producing a good, characteristic clarinet sound.
    The old saying “you get what you pay for” is very true in the reed market. Most reed companies produce reeds that do not go through a strict quality control regimen. As a result, inconsistencies are common in a box of reeds. Ask most professional clarinetists and they will tell you that they routinely get 3-5 good reeds out of a box of 10. The reason lies in harvested cane. Cane (Arundo donax, of the grass family) is subject to any abnormal growing condition. Too much moisture in a season will cause xylems to be too large; too little moisture will cause them to be too small, etc. Heat, disease, and insect infestation are all variables that contribute to a particular harvest being inconsistent.  Most reed manufacturing companies purchase cane on the open market.  Part of the reason for their inconsistency is also that they make all of their purchased cane into reeds, regardless of any imperfection from the elements in the cane.  *As I recommend for the purchase of any product, test every brand of reed that you can before determining which one to use. Always be open to new products, as products made by reputable companies should be improving over time.
    A colleague has developed a new strain of Arundo donax, called Arundo donax Musicalis, which has been hybridized to be more consistent in its growth habits. This is exciting for the woodwind community. Possibly, better cane will be available for reed making companies, which will only serve to give clarinetists better reeds. Hopefully, Arundo Donax Musicalis will be a success after it has gone through rigorous testing.

What to Look for When Examining Reeds

    Holding a reed up to a light source should reveal even, fairly close lines (xylems) that run vertically from the butt of the reed to the tip. The cane should be yellowish/white in color, not greenish. Looking at the center of the cut area of the reed should reveal a dense section of wood, called the heart. The tip should be rounded and in the shape of the mouthpiece tip. The ears should look evenly thick on both sides.

How to Choose the Right Reed Strength

    A mouthpiece’s facing and tip opening determine the strength of reed that is required for the best sound. A wide-open mouthpiece requires a soft reed; a close mouthpiece requires a hard reed. A mouthpiece manufacturer should have recommendations for reed strengths associated with each model of their mouthpieces. For students, I recommend a medium close facing, which should be used with a 3, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75 or 4 strength reed. This combination will provide resistance to the beginning student and will be a little difficult to play, but once a proper embouchure is learned, facial muscles are developed, and use of proper airstream support, the student will produce a good, characteristic clarinet sound quickly. I recommend purchasing several reed strengths in the range of what is suggested and test them all, preferably with a clarinetist or teacher listening.

How to Make a Good Reed Better

    After finding the right brand and strength of reed for you, you can make even the best commercially produced reed better. The main problem with reeds on the market today, except for the inferior cane problem, is that the reed manufacturing process makes it almost impossible to produce a perfectly balanced reed. Variables of cane denseness and rigidity even within one reed can make one side of the reed vibrate differently from the other side. For a reed to work efficiently (avoiding too much resistance, squeaking, chirping and dull sound), both sides must vibrate equally. To test this, I employ a technique I call the “side to side test”.  
    Put the clarinet in your mouth as if you are going to play normally. Then, twist the entire clarinet counter-clockwise in the mouth and blow (it is helpful to also tongue rapidly for this test).  You are testing the right side of the reed. Next, twist the mouthpiece clockwise to test the left side of the reed. If one side or the other is lower in pitch and harder to blow and tongue, then that side is unbalanced on the heavy side—either thicker, or denser. To correct this, remove the reed from the mouthpiece and remove some material with either a sharp, non-serrated knife, sand paper, reed rush, or other tool. [As a professional clarinetist, I use a tool which makes balancing reeds easy and accurate every time. The Reed Wizard, invented by Ben Armato, former clarinetist with the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, makes reed adjustment very simple. You place a reed on his machine, and then scrape it with the metal blade, and the reed comes out of the machine ready to play.] 

Picture
    Using the Reed Wizard and the next step are the only things I do to reeds to make them play well. After you have played a reed for a day or two, the flat part of the reed tends to warp slightly. It is necessary to flatten this with very fine (400-1200 grit) sandpaper on a piece of glass (a plate of glass provides a perfectly flat surface). If a reed is playing sluggishly, it is amazing how much better it will play when the back is flattened. It is necessary to “refinish” your reeds on a regular basis. When saliva enters the xylems of the reed, warpage continues to occur, so you may find yourself flattening the table and balancing the reed several times over the course of a reed’s life.
    One of the biggest problems with young clarinetists is that they play with poorly manufactured and finished reeds.  The warping described above also contributes to a reed responding inefficiently.  Constant attention and periodic adjustment to the balance of a reed is necessary to prolong the life of a reed and to keep it playing as well as it can. It is amazing how much better a reed will play and your clarinet section will sound if each student is playing a good reed that is properly balanced.

Picture
  *As a professional clarinetist, I have found a brand of reeds that provides me with 100% playability in a box. I have visited the Canyes Xilema reed factory in Valencia, Spain on several occasions. The owner of the company, Inma Herrera, explained to me that when she goes to cane auctions in the Mediterranean region, every large company is there, bidding on cane.  So, every reed company is using the same cane, contrary to what you may have heard.  In Inma’s case, she throws away 40-60% of the cane that she purchases, because it is inferior.  My theory as to why other companies have 30-50% playability in a box, is that they are not throwing away inferior cane.  Additionally, she monitors the mechanical adjustment of her machines on a regular basis, and employs professional clarinetists to test her production, resulting in the most consistent reeds I have tested on the market. 

3 Comments

Understanding your mouthpiece

2/19/2015

1 Comment

 
I contend that there are four elements that contribute to success or failure in your chosen avocation—playing the clarinet.  These four elements are:  your body, the clarinet itself, the reed/ligature combination, and the mouthpiece.  I’ll discuss the first three elements in other essays, but now we will focus on the selection of the French-style mouthpiece.

Arguably, the most important part of the clarinet set-up is the mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece is where all elements come together to produce your sound.  A bad mouthpiece on a great instrument still produces a bad sound.  Surprisingly, a bad clarinet, or a good one in disrepair with a great mouthpiece can sound reasonably good!

The major components of a mouthpiece can be generalized to the interior, the facing, and the tip opening.  The components and their effects are described below, so you may put your knowledge to use and select the mouthpiece that is best for you and your clarinet.

INTERIOR:  The relationship of the elements in the image below make up the total volume of the interior of the mouthpiece and affect pitch and color of sound.  By removing material from different areas of the interior of the mouthpiece, a mouthpiece refacer can alter the pitch and sound quality of a mouthpiece.  
Picture
FACING:  The components of the mouthpiece facing (seen in the image below) affect the way a reed responds on the mouthpiece and the feel for the individual player.  I suggest that when choosing a mouthpiece, you use your best reed and listen for the sound and intonation that you like, keeping in mind that feel and response can be adjusted by a competent mouthpiece refacer and intonation of the clarinet can be improved, with some limitations, by a competent clarinet repairman.
Picture
In the image below, you can see that measurements are taken at four points (A,B,C, and D), using  .0015 mm,  .010 mm,  .024 mm, and  .034 mm thickness gauges, respectively, along the facing curve define the length and shape of the curve.  These measurements can either be incorrect, uneven (asymmetrical) on both sides of the window, or even (symmetrical).
Picture
Picture
The above diagrams show from the side where measurements are taken, then examples of an incorrect facing, an asymmetrical facing, and a symmetrical facing.  The asymmetrical facing is generally less accepted than symmetrical, however, there are many excellent performers who use an asymmetrical facing.  The measurement on one side of the window will be longer than the corresponding measurement on the other side of the window.  This facing requires reeds to be appropriately unbalanced to compensate for this unevenness – not an easy task to accomplish effectively.  The symmetrical facing is the most accepted facing.  Using feeler gauges from a mouthpiece refacing kit, measurements on both sides of the window will read the same.  Using a tool such as the Reed Wizard, a symmetrical facing allows you to balance your reed exactly and obtain good response. 

TIP OPENING
:  Once you have chosen a symmetrical or an asymmetrical facing, you must then determine what tip opening you prefer.  A thickness taper gauge is used at point E (shown below) to measure the tip opening.  Professional clarinetists use both open and close tip openings successfully.  Generally for French-style mouthpieces, American clarinetists prefer close facings and Europeans prefer open facings.
Picture
Open Tip: Requires a softer reed
It will be easier to play and will produce a projecting, relatively bright sound.

Close Tip: Requires a harder reed 
It will require more effort to control, but will produce a darker more covered sound.  

A mouthpiece refacing kit contains all of the tools necessary to effectively measure and assess the various parts of a mouthpiece.  When you get adventurous, you can try to alter a mouthpiece yourself with these tools!

Now that you understand the components of the mouthpiece, you are ready to evaluate the sound, intonation and feel of the mouthpieces you are considering using.

SOUND:  After deciding on a comfortable mouthpiece/reed combination, the sound should be immediately pleasing to you.  You should not have to “grow into the sound”, unless your teacher is having you use a mouthpiece for a short period of time to reinforce a particular part of your playing that needs attention.

INTONATION:  Generally, intonation is a product of a barrel/ instrument combination.  The mouthpiece should provide good relative pitch throughout the range of the instrument, however.  A good repairman can alter individual notes on a clarinet that are out of tune.

FEEL
:  Ultimately, a mouthpiece and reed combination must feel good to the individual performer and play comfortably.  If you have to work too hard to achieve a desired sound, other aspects of your playing will suffer.

There is no “perfect” mouthpiece. Even the best hand made mouthpiece is made for the person testing the mouthpiece. You must try every mouthpiece that you can to determine which mouthpiece is best for you. Once you have found a mouthpiece that seems to best fit your needs, it is advisable to visit a good mouthpiece refacer who can undoubtedly improve your mouthpiece after hearing you play. Do not fall into the trap of believing that a more expensive mouthpiece is a better mouthpiece.

Have you found a mouthpiece that sounds good, that articulates well, that has good intonation and that feels good, allowing you to play various styles of music effectively? Congratulations, you have found the mouthpiece for you, regardless of the brand stamped on it!
1 Comment

Assymetrical mouthpiece facings

1/28/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture

Have you ever been ready to take the stage for a big performance and one of your clarinet colleagues says something like “I play an asymmetrical facing, so...”  You take your seat to play the Ring Cycle and promptly forget the conversation.  Then, a couple of days later, your friend’s comment comes back to you and you think to yourself “what did she mean?  I meant to ask, but forgot”.  A simple phrase can make you think about your equipment.  You’ve been playing for years without that knowledge, so does it matter?  What do you need to know about mouthpieces?  Unless you have decided to embark on refacing mouthpieces as a vocation, or an avocation, then a general knowledge of the mouthpiece facing will probably suffice to assist you in your mouthpiece knowledge.

There are two main schools of thought in the French style mouthpiece arena regarding facings.  The first is asymmetrical facings and the second is symmetrical facings.  I solidly land in the latter school, but I will explain asymmetrical facings so you have a general base of knowledge.

Using various tools, most importantly, a high quality piece of glass with varying grits of sandpaper, a mouthpiece refacer will put a facing on a mouthpiece, which is a curve that starts a measured distance above the table of the mouthpiece and culminates in the tip opening.  For an asymmetrical facing, the opposing sides of the mouthpiece window will have different measurements, usually with all measurements on one side being longer than on the other. 

With a properly balanced reed, this will create resistance in the mouthpiece, which some people like.  There are fine clarinetists and mouthpiece makers that believe in this school of thought, and I do not wish to suggest that school of thought is wrong, just different from my thinking and experience. 

One thought in asymmetrical facings is that by creating these measurements, one is compensating for unbalanced reeds.  Many reeds on the market today are unbalanced, so this thought does have some merit, however, I believe that one should balance their reeds to their mouthpiece, not the opposite.   
 
Good clarinetting, more to come…

1 Comment

November 12th, 2014

11/12/2014

1 Comment

 
Yesterday was the last Veterans Day for me while I’m on active duty in the US military, as I retire at the end of December.  It also marked the first year that I was not performing a ceremony, due to unfortunate budgetary cuts, reducing the size of the Navy’s oldest band in half.  Despite that negative news, my 27-year career has been varied and rewarding.  

My military band service included playing in the Army Reserves and the National Guard bands in Oklahoma and Louisiana, while I earned my bachelors and masters degrees, and followed with a stint in the Army Band stationed at Fort McPherson in Atlanta. That 4-year assignment afforded me the opportunity to travel the US two times each year and to perform for the 1996 summer Olympics, foreign dignitary arrivals, and many military ceremonies.

Seeking more stability and prestige, I auditioned for and won a position with the US Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland, where I have served for the last 16 years playing e-flat and b-flat clarinet as well as baritone sax for the jazz ensemble.  Until the budget cuts of this year, the concert band was one of the US military’s premier concert bands.  

As a member of the band, I was supported in my performances representing the band nationally and internationally in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Madrid Spain, to name a few.

Through the years, the band was conducted by such notable guest conductors as Leonard Slatkin and Gunther Schuller.  I was honored to have been a featured soloist on several occasions, including premiering Maurice Saylor’s “Adventures on a Saturday Afternoon”, and performing the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto (that one had to be rescheduled, as our first rehearsal was interrupted by news of the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon).

Some of my memorable performances include performing for presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barak Obama, and performing for Admiral Zumwalt’s funeral--President Clinton was in attendance and we had to play our instruments for a most attentive audience--explosive sniffing dogs, to prove that the instruments were not, in fact, pipe bombs.  Another notable performance was for Admiral James Stockdale’s funeral.  He was my favorite Vice Presidential candidate of all time!  

In addition to performing rewarding music while in uniform, serving my country, my military career has given me the stability to earn a doctorate degree, pursue private performances, and to operate a small business, setting me up for the next phase of my life! I am proud of my service and grateful for the opportunities it has given me.  
1 Comment

    Ben Redwine

    A clarinetist with opinions.

    Archives

    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

©2014 RJ Music Group, LLC.  All rights Reserved.
Covington, Louisiana 70435

Product Information                 Purchase Products      
About RJ Music Group         
  Contact