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| I am recently using Rico Plasticover reeds on my clarinet. The sound is a little harsh but bright and useful in many venues. However, the black coating color make it almost impossible to carefully adjust the reed on a typical black clarinet mouthpiece except in quite bright light - which is often scare on gigs. Is it possible that you could coat these reeds in a contrasting color - white, grey, etc. to make adjustment easier?
Fred |
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| FredB (3/15/2006)
However, the black coating color make it almost impossible to carefully adjust the reed on a typical black clarinet mouthpiece except in quite bright light - which isoften scare on gigs.
Is it possible that you couldcoat these reeds in a contrasting color - white, grey, etc. to make adjustment easier?
[size=2][font=Comic Sans MS]AMEN TO THAT FRED!!!
This is an issue that has driven me crazy so many times,........ I've NEVER figured out WHY they made them BLACK!
It makes zero sense, and can drive you batty, trying to put one on in less than very bright light!
I tend to use them for outdoor, summer gigs, as the heat & sun will wilt my cane reeds, and these will at least play, when I put the horn to my mouth![/font][/size]
PS
OK, I just signed up, I see no link for "help", but WHY is the IF Code not working?
"For music to be solely entertainment would be a disservice to humankind".....
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| | Hi, Thanks for the suggestion on the color of the Plasticover. I don't know how possible it would be to change the color after all of this time in production. I will pass on the suggestion to our production manager. Sometimes in very dark situations it can take a little more time to line it up with the mp tip, I would suggest a small led light keychain or soemthing similar that would not take a lot of space in your case or could fit on your keychain - could come in handy for other situations also. Thanks, Rico Admin 2 |
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Last Login: 1/14/2008 4:47 PM
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| | Setting a reed to the mouthpiece was very difficult for me at first. Here is what I was taught to do to get it correctly set. Place ligature on reed/mouthpiece. Use your thumbnail on the thickess end of the reed. Place mpc./reed/ligature into your mouth and press the reed with your lower lip to get the reed to lay over/cover-up the chamber rails and tip and have the reed be "flexed" over the chamber.. Your tongue is your "best" feeler gauge!!. Use your tongue to feel for minute over exposure and/or under exposure along the rails and mpc. tip/edge whilest the reed is flexed onto the rails and tip. When it feels like there is neither of the rails or tip protrude or the reed overhangs the tip/side rails you then have got the proper location. Tighten the ligature to freeze it into its location. Make sure that you do not slide the lig too far towards the reed base (too flabby a reed and notes will sound and the chamber will not get a good seal and the fuzziest sound will occur). Nor set it too close to the chamber because it makes altissimos too hard to "pop out". The reed will be too stiff in this latter condition.. Take out your best reed and experiment with the extremes of ligature and tip/side rails postioning of the reed upon the mouthpiece. One will be easier to blow with great variability in dynamics. Keep experimenting. Some reeds will vary in strength for up to one designated reed strength within a box of reeds. I have found that even in the best(highest priced reeds) there are two or three that need some slight adjustment to allow the best tone to emerge. I find adjustments to be part of the saxophone preparation process. |
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