Hi Band_Hault

Thanks for replying again. Yes, I have now actually started rotating reeds. So far I have only broken in two reeds, but I’ll be adding one or two more soon. I suppose four would be a good number to have in rotation. Using different ones in succession like that must certainly be good for one’s technique, because every one is slightly different from the other. I have also started searching around for a reed rotator, as I believe one can get a thing like that. I’m not quite sure what it would look like, but until then just finding a little box that will hold a few reeds one behind the other seems to be the answer.

Hi Bobo

Yes, I’ve been hearing more and more about how good Vandorens are and how bad Ricos are. So I guess I’d better try some Vandorens, but I’m still using my Ricos. Firstly, because I’ve got a good few to use up, and, secondly, if they work, can they really be so bad? But, I’m also getting used to the new ones, so I’m getting the problem solved slowly.

Regards,
Errol

I've tried several reed brands back in my clarinet days.

I'm not sure about some being "better" than others, but...

Vandoren tend to be .5 harder than a reed of a different brand.
So a Vandoren 2.5 will be like a rico 3.

I also found Rico ones to be even softer than other brands.
I liked a certain strength to get more support for tuning and the sound quality.

I mostly played Vandoren 2.5 and was quite comfortable on those.

I picked up my old buffet E11 the other day and tried it again. It's SO tight compared to playing the bassoon. I was always a bit annoyed at using my teeth on the top, the sound just gets SO much softer/darker when you play with lips only.

The other thing that annoyed me on clarinet was that I never seemed to be able to get a consistent way of getting the reeds into the same position with the ligature. And a slight change in pressure or position of the reed would change the response of the reed a lot.

Maybe some of you have a few more tips in case I pick my old clarinet up again

Cheers
James