Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Every detail of the clarinet emits its own special sound. The most important part is probably a special long cane, almost 1 m long. Canes come in various thicknesses and shapes. We will show you how to choose a good clarinet reed to ensure good sound quality of your musical instrument.

Steps

1. 1 Choose a company. Different companies produce different types of canes. The most popular clarinet accessories company in the USA is Rico. It is great for aspiring musicians. She also produces canes under the LaVoz and Mitchell Lurie names. In France, Vandoren is popular. There are other good companies in France for the production of musical instruments and accessories - Selmer, Rigotti, Marca, Glotin, Brancher. In other countries there are several good firms - in Japan Alexander Superial, Reeds Australia, Peter Ponzol, RKM, Zonda. But you recommend using the most popular and good firms Rico and Vandoren.
2. 2 Decide how much power you need a cane. Typically, reeds come in five power levels. The first level is the softest, and the fifth is the hardest. Many companies produce canes of three levels of hardness. For a beginner musician, a 2-3 level cane is suitable. Hardness measurements at different levels may vary slightly from company to company. On the Internet you can download a graph comparing reeds made by different companies, for example, at this link: http://www.reedsandmore.com.au/comparison_chart.pdf
   • A hard cane produces a lower and fuller sound. Changing the pitch of such a cane is quite difficult, but it has its advantages. Soft low tones are difficult to play with a hard cane, but the altissimo is easy to play.
   • A soft cane makes playing easier. It is easier to play and produces a lighter and louder sound. While playing, the tone can change quite easily, but it can be corrected with an ear pad. Play complex sounds with a cane.
3. 3 Choose a cane cut. It can be a regular or French cut. French cut reeds tend to respond more quickly to changes in tone and cost only a few dollars more. Regular size looks like an upward semicircle, while a French cut looks like an upward semicircle with a flat line underneath. If you play deep, low sounds, the French cut of the reed is fine.
4. 4 Buy a box of canes from a music store. It is better to buy a lot of canes at once, so as not to run after them every time and do not select them again. A box of 10 canes should be enough for a few weeks.
5. 5 Take all the reeds out of the box to assess their quality.
   • Check for damage or cracks. Throw away the damaged canes.
   • Bring the cane up to the light. You will see the outline of the cutout. On a good cane, this neckline will be perfectly symmetrical right down the center.
   • The uneven texture of the wood that makes up the cane will also interfere with your ability to play well.
   • A cane with two knots on the surface of the tree will vibrate violently, throw it away.
   • Look not the color of the cane, the cane should not be green or any other color than wood. Green reeds can be put aside, they will turn yellow over time and play much better.
6. 6 Test your canes by playing with them. After you have thrown away all the bad reeds, try playing with the remaining reeds. Make sure all reeds are playing properly. You should always have at least 3 good canes. You can buy a special cane holder.

Tips

• If you are allergic to cane, you can buy canes coated with a special varnish.
• Synthetic (plastic) reeds are a relatively new invention. Each cane costs between $ 20 and $ 30. They do not need to get wet, and they can also serve you for a long time. Some musicians say that plastic reeds sound pretty rough.There are also plastic-coated wooden canes.
  • Artificial walking sticks can be used for a long time and it is not difficult. If you are in urgent need of a good cane, for example, for a performance, this quick solution is for you. Faux canes cost more but last 15 times longer than regular wooden canes. Therefore, it is more profitable to buy a plastic cane than 10 wooden ones. Faux reeds play a little louder and brighter, and are also easier to play.
• You can mark good reeds in a box with a + sign so you know right away which ones to use when. One plus is good quality, two is good, and so on.
• To play Sopranos, you will need a 2 ½ power level cane. For bass playing - 2 or 1 ½ power levels.
• If you don't like the taste of canes, you can buy canes in different flavors.
• An experienced clarinet player can fix bad reeds by trimming the bad parts. If you do not know how to do it correctly, it is better not to take up this business.

Warnings

• When fixing the reeds, be careful not to cut too large a piece or the reed will sound bad. Even if you incorrectly remove 1 millimeter out of 100, it can affect the sound quality.
• Each reed box contains damaged reeds. They are transported from other countries in large boxes, so they almost always get badly damaged in transit.