- The reed is shaped to fit the shape of the mouthpiece exactly. When positioning a reed on a clarinet's mouthpiece, the reed is set over the mouthpiece's opening and adjusted so that it matches the lip of the mouthpiece. It is then held in place by a metal band with a tightening screw. The shape of the reed stays the same no matter its thickness. The reeds are made from a plant in the grass family called arundo donax. The grass's regular name is cane.
- Three main brands of clarinet reeds are Vandoren, Mitchell Laurie and Rico. You can buy whole boxes of reeds at a time, to have spares. Depending on the company, a clarinet reed will be cut from a different part of the cane.
- Temperature and moisture can affect the sound a reed makes. How long someone has been using the reed has a big impact on a clarinet's tone. To get the best sound, don't play the same reed more than one day at a time.
- A clarinetist must have a very developed embouchure to produce high notes. Clarinetists still improving their embouchure are told not to try harder reeds until their mouths are stronger. This is because a beginner will bite down on the reed to hold their mouth's position. This will change the reed's shape and the clarinet's sound. The hardness system can be arbitrary. Though every company may use the 1 to 5 system each company makes their reeds differently from the others. The hardness level will sometimes be printed on the back of a reed. Different countries cut their reeds differently. German reeds will sometimes be thicker in the middle than American reeds. This is because the German clarinet is shaped differently, with a narrower, smaller mouthpiece.
- Not all reeds are made out of cane. More recently, synthetic clarinet reeds have been produced by companies such as Fibracell and Legere. These reeds do not need to be prepared before being played. They are more expensive than regular cane reeds. Not all clarinetists are satisfied with reeds in their original form, and some shape their reeds to their own preferences.
