Things You'll Need:
- A box of high-quality clarinet reeds (VanDoren or better) one-half strength harder than you normally play
- a piece of plate glass (a framed picture or mirrror will do); a large professional glass-plate reed case is better.
- emery paper in fine and very fine grits
- an emery board
- a reed trimmer
- a reed knife or very sharp, strong flat-bladed pocket knife
-
Step 1
Cure your reeds by soaking them in water or in your mouth. Be sure to draw moisture through the entire pore structure of the reed (top to bottom) by sucking moisture through the reed. Press the reed flat side down onto the glass so it creates a seal with the glass. Let dry. Repeat this process with an entire box or two of reeds for about a week. This breaks down the internals structures somewhat, seals the pores and makes the reed stable for long-term play after adjustment.
-
Step 2
Try playing each reed. If they are extremely hard, you will need to thin them somewhat (next step). If they play relatively easily but still a bit, put them aside.
-
Step 3
Thin the reeds that are much to hard to play. When doing so, do not thin the last 1/4" of the reed -- the tip of the reed will be finished last. Thin the reed by placing fine or very fine emery paper on a piece of glass grit side up. Place the reed flat surface down against the paper but protect by extending it beyond the edge of the emery paper. Abrade the reed bottom gently and evenly with a few back and forth movements across the paper. Try the reed again. Keep reducing the thickness until the reed is close to playable but still somewhat hard.
-
Step 4
Very hard reeds can be reduced by carefully shaving the top of the reed area with a knife. Begin close to where the bark of the reed has been cut away (bottom center or 'heart'). After shaving a bit with the knife try again.
-
Step 5
When you reed is playable but firm, you can then adjust it with the knife and emery paper to make it responsive across all registers. Always be careful to tune the tip last and to not over-thin the tip. This leads to reeds that are shrill, too bright, and unplayable.
-
Step 6
Balance the reed so that both sides of the reed (extending from the tip to the base) are of equal thickness. More important is that each side is of equal resistance. To test this, rotate the mouthpiece left or right a bit in your mouth, pinching that side of the reed shut against the mouthpiece, playing just one side of the reed. Compare. You'll know which one to adjust. Be careful in adjusting the sides or wings of the reed -- they should be balanced, but be careful to remove very little material.
-
Step 7
Higher registers are tuned at closer to the tip of the reed; lower registers closer to the base. After the reed is balanced, you can make various registers easier to blow, by removing reed material with emery paper or the knife at corresponding areas closer or further from the tip. Agan, be sure not to remove too much material near the sides (or "wings") of the reed.
-
Step 8
Adjusting and tuning clarinet reeds is a lot of work. It takes significant trial and error. And a good reed takes about 2 weeks to cure and then tune. Take your time with tuning, cure younger reeds and harder reeds longer and return to tune then several times. Reeds cured this way will play well for a long time.
-
Step 9
It is a good idea to develop a marking system for yourself, indicating at what state the reed is in and how it plays. Ideally, you'll want 3-5 reeds that are concert-ready, and 15-20 that are playable for practice, rehearsal, and another 15-20 that are in the early stages of curing. Think of your reeds as works in progress: from brand-new to playable to concert ready.
