Have you ever opened a fresh box of reeds and only 2 or 3 sound decent? The rest sound pretty mediocre or might even be unplayable. This is something every clarinettist has experienced multiple times so you are not alone! Now might be the time you need to start adjusting your reeds instead of disregarding or throwing away perfectly good reeds. If, however you find yourself on the other end of the spectrum and are having to do major adjustments to every reed you use it might be worth looking at your setup and trying different reeds to the ones you are currently using as you might find something else that works for you. Too many times have I seen colleagues, professionals, open a brand new box only to go through them all to find one to play on the day for 3 hours. This not only waterlogs the reed but also ruins any chance of longevity the reed may have, and throwing away the others is a really big waste of money.
It's time to learn how to adjust and care for your reeds so they work to the best of their ability for as long as possible. Below I will discuss a few of the key methods I use, the areas I target and the tools I use but firstly, the question that needs answering is – what is a reed?
Reeds are made from cane, a living, breathing material that changes over time, especially from moisture. There are many different factors to consider when buying and using reeds, such as humidity, altitude, weather and even your own saliva. These factors are all connected and can affect one another differently. Hot, humid countries like Spain or Greece do not create the most ideal conditions for well-working reeds and many clarinettists in these countries have turned to plastic reeds which work much more reliably than traditional cane reeds; it is not uncommon to see these paired with glass/crystal mouthpieces, which work well together.
Producing the sound you want is often dependent on the weather but sometimes this can work to your advantage. I find my reeds work much better in winter/spring or whenever it rains, the extra moisture gives my reeds more body and resistance to blow against with which I perceive I can create a bigger, rounder sound. I find as the temperature gets warmer, my reeds sound thinner. If you are someone that finds themselves getting through box after box of reeds on a regular basis then it might be bad news for you… you may just have really acidic saliva, but for most people this isn’t the case.
To fully understand how a reed works, you should have an understanding of the different parts that make up the reed and the roles they play in creating the best sound for you.
When a reed comes fresh out of the box, there are still odd ends of fibres sticking up. We want to eliminate these protruding fibres and create as flat a surface as possible, and this is done by simply running a wet finger along the front of the reed from the shoulder to the tip. We do this to seal the reed so it increases the longevity of the cane, while also stopping excess and unwanted moisture from coming in during playing.
We also want to smooth out the back of the reed so it is as even as possible; to do this find a clean, flat surface and rub the reed across while applying some pressure - if you have done it right, the reed should feel smoother. Creating an even surface on the back allows the reed to sit flat against the mouthpiece which will allow the reed to vibrate more effectively and should eliminate some of the stuffiness in the sound, if it was present. Try these things before you start shaving any material and you will often find a good chunk of your issues may have been resolved.
Tools
There are multiple ways to adjust and balance a reed, the most common being sandpaper – I prefer wet and dry paper as it works equally well whether the reed is wet or dry, as the name implies. Wet and dry paper is good for smoothing out the back of the reed evenly and only takes 2-3 strokes before the back is completely smooth. However, the major downside to sandpaper is the difficulty you will face in accurately and reliably making the adjustments you want, from my own experience you tend to take off more material than you want which can sometimes make the problem worse. Alternatively you can use reed rush, a natural growing material that is similar to sandpaper and works much in the same way. There isn’t much to say about this one as I’ve never used it myself, but you can get more for your money by buying sandpaper in bulk.
My ultimate tool for reed adjustments is the ReedGeek which allows you to make the most minute of changes, most of which make the biggest of differences. It’s super easy to use and see what you’re doing, meaning you can make more accurate changes and improve the longevity of your reed to a greater degree. In order to get the most out of your adjustments, you need to select the right tool for the job. My recommendation is to use a mixture of both wet and dry paper and the ReedGeek as they both have individual strengths depending what area you are targeting.
Adjusting
Before you start, it is worth mentioning that not every reed will need all the things I am about to talk about. It is crucial to play test your reed after every adjustment, regardless how small the action is as that is sometimes all it takes. As you gain more confidence you will know exactly what needs to be done to get your reeds in good working order, but this is not a process that can be rushed and requires patience if you want the best results.
When making adjustments, one should always be conservative with how much material is taken off, it is always best to take off too little and do it again rather than take off too much. Try to make adjustments on a flat surface in order to control your movements and avoid the risk of breaking the reed. We want our reeds to retain as much body to the sound as possible and we do so with the golden rule – don’t touch the heart. The last thing you want to do is take off material evenly across the whole surface, so instead you should ask yourself where is the problem and how do I best fix it?
If the reed is too hard to blow, the best place to begin shaving off material is the back. Always try to start removing from the back first before moving over to the front side as you can remove more material without upsetting the overall balance of the reed itself. Take your wet and dry paper and with a moderately gentle pressure, do 2-3 repetitions in a downwards motion starting at the heel, then play test it. If it is still too hard repeat again until it is easier to blow. If it still is not any better use an up and down motion to take off more material.
For more precise movements use the long side of the ReedGeek and move across the surface from heel to tip – you do not need much pressure. If the reed is still a bit stuffy and you have sealed the open fibres, you should now try adjusting the front side. You can use your wet and dry paper to smooth out the front side even more but try to avoid using too much pressure as you may take too much material off. I sometimes shave off material from the shaded areas just above the shoulder if my reed is still difficult to blow, but only do this as a last resort if the other methods mentioned have not quite done enough.
I have found a couple of strokes on each rail, generally from where the shoulder starts towards the tip, is enough to change the feeling of a reed and often it makes the reed instantly softer, and I often find that a substantial amount of work is avoided elsewhere which helps keep the balance of reed intact, from my own experience.
If tonguing is still difficult and a bit sluggish then the area that might need targeting is the tip, especially if the reed has a full and healthy sound. Beware to only take off miniscule amounts as making the tip thinner than it already is runs the risk of creating a reed that is too soft! The reed may be unbalanced and could be harder on one side. You can see and compare each side by holding the reed up to the light - you should be able to see a lighter colour on both sides of the heart and they should be mostly even in distribution, if they are not then they may need adjusting; practise however this with caution. I would recommend doing a play test to check for imbalances as looks can be deceiving and you might ruin a perfectly good reed - simply blow one side of the mouthpiece to isolate one side of the reed, then blow the other side and compare the differences, if there are any.
To adjust the tip, take your sandpaper or ReedGeek and very carefully, using little - moderate pressure, take off material evenly across the tip (or whichever area needs adjusting if you are dealing with an imbalance) in an upwards motion towards the tip; this is to ensure you don’t accidentally chip the reed and put all your hard work to waste!
These are just a few of the things I do when adjusting my reeds but hopefully these tips help your reeds become the reed they were made to be and help you have a more consistent selection at your disposal. Like everything, trial and error is the only way you will know what does and doesn't work so feel free to experiment.
Happy adjusting!
