Reeds Wow! Hemke!

[MarkSax]

Aaaaargh!!!!
Practising today on my usual Link STMNY 7*, note played flat and stuffy, I thought dead reed and changed to another semi-used Rico Royal 2.5. Sounded like a duck being strangled. Another RR 2.0, the duck was dead. My best VanD was not wet enough and refused

Spoiler: XXX

4play

Went for an old Hemke 2.0.....oh wonder, the perfect subtone and so easy to lip.
Never thought a Hemke would sound better than Rico or VanD. What's the general consensus on this? And where did I screw up?

 

[lydian]

Thanks for the heads up. Last time I tried Hemke was in the 70s. Don’t remember much about them. Been pretty satisfied with Rico and Rico Royal for years. Never liked Vandoren at all on sax (great on clarinet though). I’ll have to give Hemke another try.

 

[Pete Effamy]

I used Hemke for years until a change of setup went brighter and the Hemke tipped it over the edge with brightness.

I always found them to be nice and buzzy - good for me as I naturally tend to towards roundness.

 

[mizmar]

I don't understand. 3 reeds, that had been fine, stopped working; and one old reed was still fine?

 

[MarkSax]

I don't understand. 3 reeds, that had been fine, stopped working; and one old reed was still fine?

yep, I don't get it either. It's not like my embouchure miraculously changed (back) with the hemke on. It was always a good reed to play on, used it with Meyer and Selmer mpcs in the past, but today it turned a miserable session into a better one.

 

[mizmar]

yep, I don't get it either. It's not like my embouchure miraculously changed (back) with the hemke on. It was always a good reed to play on, used it with Meyer and Selmer mpcs in the past, but today it turned a miserable session into a better one.

So not really about One brand being better than another; but a question about what miraculously changed?

Or, maybe, the claim is that Hemke are immune to spells cast by a malicious neighbor? You should let their marketing department know...

 

[MarkSax]

So not really about One brand being better than another; but a question about what miraculously changed?

Or, maybe, the claim is that Hemke are immune to spells cast by a malicious neighbor? You should let their marketing department know...

I'm wondering whether Hemke makes an easier blowing reed than Rico or VanD. Maybe it needs less moisture or it is stiffer/more flexible than Rico @ 2.0. The VanDs I have take at least 15 minutes of play/practice before I get a decent tone.

 

[Pete Effamy]

The numbers certainly blow softer than Vandoren

 

[Colin the Bear]

Hemke is a french cut. Rico Orange is American cut. Vandoren blue is french cut.
I don't mind a Hemke. They're ok. I find them very consistent. They seem to be a little bit middle of the road tone wise. I can't seem to get much flexibility out of them, just a solid reliable middle of the road inflexible, easy blowing tone. I've never had one that wouldn't play on alto or baritone.

Why do reeds go off? Nobody knows. Clip, scrape or bin it when it goes off the boil, is the only advice.

I think the accepted wisdom is to use a different reed on different mouthpieces. They don't seem to like shifting from piece to piece.

When a reed dies I replace it with a new one. I had the idea that if you stopped using a good reed it would stay good in the holder to be re used later. In my experience they don't.
For that reason I don't rotate.

 

[skeller047]

I’m a little confused by this. How long does it take to get a reed wet? “My best VanD was not wet enough and refused”. Just run it under the tap for 30 seconds, done. Or stick it in your mouth for 30 seconds, done.

I always soak reeds in water for a minute or so before playing. I recommend the practice. Running under a tap works too, if you are at a venue where you can’t get a glass of water. Warm water out of the tap, 30 seconds, reed wet. Last resort, suck on the darn thing for a minute.

I don’t get it.

 

[MarkSax]

I’m a little confused by this. How long does it take to get a reed wet? “My best VanD was not wet enough and refused”. Just run it under the tap for 30 seconds, done. Or stick it in your mouth for 30 seconds, done.

I always soak reeds in water for a minute or so before playing. I recommend the practice. Running under a tap works too, if you are at a venue where you can’t get a glass of water. Warm water out of the tap, 30 seconds, reed wet. Last resort, suck on the darn thing for a minute.

I don’t get it.

I don’t wet reeds under the tap. It gets soaked and I find the tone a bit flat. I find that the best way is to add saliva on the whole thing recto verso and then play it for about 10/15 minutes. If I do wet it under the tap or in vodka I leave it for a while until it’s just lightly damp before putting it on the mpc.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Reed management is quite a thing. Some people do pretty much nothing in this respect and others do a great deal.

There’s reed preparation, reed “doctoring”, and then reed care. There are a few tools that are handy to have too. I have a book or two on the subject that are probably still in print though the info must now be available on the net.

You realise that a brand new reed is just a load of tubes (because it’s bamboo)? They can get waterlogged before the gaps seal.

Old reeds can sometimes be revived with a toothbrush.

It’s all on the net - probably some duff info too as per usual, so maybe someone can add to this?

@Dr G is an ex-double reed player so he’ll know loads about working reeds.

 

[mizmar]

You realise that a brand new reed is just a load of tubes

I think of reed as a load to tubes ... joined together by lingen. And lingen is water soluble. So, I guess, wetting a reed weakens the bonds allowing the cellulose (insoluble) tubes to slide past each other easier, reducing the elasticity of the reed. I suppose allowing drying makes the bonds stronger again... though, eventually, the lingen breaks down or washes out and it's new reed time

Edit: better illustration.

 

[lydian]

I don’t wet reeds under the tap. It gets soaked and I find the tone a bit flat. I find that the best way is to add saliva on the whole thing recto verso and then play it for about 10/15 minutes. If I do wet it under the tap or in vodka I leave it for a while until it’s just lightly damp before putting it on the mpc.

Hmm... it usually takes hours to waterlog a reed, not just a few seconds under the tap. What happens on a 4 hour gig when the reed is constantly exposed to saliva? How could a few seconds under the tap possibly be worse than that?

 

[MarkSax]

Hmm... it usually takes hours to waterlog a reed, not just a few seconds under the tap. What happens on a 4 hour gig when the reed is constantly exposed to saliva? How could a few seconds under the tap possibly be worse than that?

?? Must be the neighbour’s malicious spell. LOL. Or the way I sand new reeds. Like the OP I’m quite baffled by what happened.

 

[Dr G]

View attachment 24008​

I think of reed as a load to tubes ... joined together by lingen. And lingen is water soluble. So, I guess, wetting a reed weakens the bonds allowing the cellulose (insoluble) tubes to slide past each other easier, reducing the elasticity of the reed. I suppose allowing drying makes the bonds stronger again... though, eventually, the lingen breaks down or washes out and it's new reed time

Edit: better illustration.

“lignin”

 

[skeller047]

@MarkSax, try this. New reed out of the box, sand the entire vamp with 600 grit sandpaper -VERY LIGHTLY, like dusting porcelain, or brushing dust off your sleeve. This removes stray fibers left by the manufacturing process, but does not change the strength of the reed.

Then submerge it in a cup of water for 2-3 minutes, take it out, wipe it dry with your fingers and play. After it’s been played a few times, you can soak it longer like 5-6 minutes, as the pores will seal up.

If your reed is too soft after doing this, then go up a notch. Reeds work best when hydrated. NOT waterlogged, that just makes them dead sounding. But playing reeds dry or even just briefly licked isn’t optimal either. You will not waterlog a reed by holding it under the tap for 20 seconds.

I mean, do what works for you, I’m just making a suggestion. I live in an area that has similar humidity to the UK.

 

[ESJohn]

I think the accepted wisdom is to use a different reed on different mouthpieces. They don't seem to like shifting from piece to piece.

Is there a good way to determine this? I have four mouthpieces but generally choose between only two of them. As to reeds, I can select Rice Royals from 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0. I have a few 3.5 Rico Orange along with some 2.0's and a pair of Rico Grand Select 3.0.
Most of them sit in the box and I use the Rico Royal 2.0's.
Do any of the mouthpiece brands recommend certain strength reeds?

 

[skeller047]

Is there a good way to determine this? I have four mouthpieces but generally choose between only two of them. As to reeds, I can select Rice Royals from 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0. I have a few 3.5 Rico Orange along with some 2.0's and a pair of Rico Grand Select 3.0.
Most of them sit in the box and I use the Rico Royal 2.0's.
Do any of the mouthpiece brands recommend certain strength reeds?

I think the issue is using the exact same reed on multiple mouthpieces. I use the same brand and strength on all mouthpieces, but once a reed has been played for longer than a minute or two on one mouthpiece, it doesn’t get used on any other mouthpiece.

As far as brand recommendations, I expect that both Vandoren and D’Addario would prefer you use their reeds on their mouthpieces, but I not aware of any mouthpiece maker saying that one reed works best.

 

[Colin the Bear]

What he said.

One minute I'm having great success with one brand and then the next box is a bit iffy.
You'd think if a brand is great on alto, it'd be great on baritone or tenor. Not in my experience.
I'm currently loving Reserve French cut on alto. Tried them on tenor and clarinet. Yuk! Terrible.
Royal are sort of ok for me on alto but brilliant on clarinet.
Vandoren blue are magnificent on baritone but iffy and not consistent on anything else.
Gonzales work for me on sop but not on anything else.
I can't find a good tenor reed. Several are ok but nothing matches the sound and feel in my head.

It's enough to make a body try synthetic...just kidding.