I second Michael's love of the Boveda Humidipaks. I've been using them for several years in AZ where there is little to no humidity. In fact, I keep them in each of my clarinet cases to humidify my instruments. Very handy, work great. Reasonably priced. I do exactly the same things. I keep long-term reed storage in an air tight tupperware type container at the lower humidity level and my everyday reeds are in cases that I carry with my instrument at 72%.
Thanks a lot for the Boveda-tip! I had massive problems with warping now in winter time in Germany. Didn’t want to buy the D’Addario pouches because they are about 7,50€... in a cigar shop I got them for 1,90€ each now. Yay! :)
A couple questions cause this intrigues me (especially for marching band season where I could be playing a reed for up to 8 hours in a day) 1: If I get a reed case (nothing fancy, just the normal Vandoran ones like you have on the table) will these pouches still be good?? 2: What do you mean by keeping a reed for a week? Does it mean you don't play on it for a week? Why would someone do that? I just rotate 4 reeds on my saxophone and use 2 daily (1 classical and one jazz). Why keep them not playing for a week?
Hey there. Quick answers. 1: Yes. Totally 2: A lot of players who are professional keep a lot of reeds going at the same time. I personally have about 30 that are in active or semi-active use. When you start working on reeds (watch my "My reeds suck #1" video) you shouldn't play on them for a long time--you need to break them in. Then they will last a lot longer. So when you are in that break-in period, you may not play on them for a while. Hope this helps.
I did not realize there was a Marching Band Season. When I lived in New Hampshire they had Mud Season and Black Fly Season. Is MBS similar to either of those? Do you need a license? Is there a limit? :-)
Your reeds will do much better in this situation if you have a large number in rotation and change them every half hour to an hour, unless you're outside for extended periods. Being outside just kills reeds. Sometimes synthetic is the answer.
You sell two and ten dollar reeds on your site. I buy Rico 2.5 at $10 a box.. Will I be gilding the cheap plastic lily if I tried your reed sanding, polishing, etc., techniques on my reeds?
I used to suck at bass clarinet and I live in Canada, and I was always buying new reeds because I was always wondering why they got so warped, and I didn't know how to "un-warp" it 😂 but I know better now
Hello! I love your videos, really helpful. I'm a High School Bari/Tenor sax player looking to learn clarinet. I know I need to learn it along with flute, for jazz band and such. I've noticed that the Bari sax is usually the one that plays the bass clarinet part when its called for. Should I start on Bass Clarinet first, then go to regular clarinet, or should I pick up a regular clarinet first? I've heard its harder to go from Bass Clarinet to Regular clarinet than it is vice versa. Just wondering where I should start, thanks in advance!
Fantastic and life-changing advice! Thank you. A question about the terminal (convex) warping: I live in a humidity-volatile environment and I have this happen a lot, but only from the middle of the reed; the table is perfectly flat at the butt end with the warp occurring only along the cut part of the reed. most of the time the 'pop' test sort of works but the reed has become almost un-playable. Is this situation surmountable by re-soaking the reed?
Hi, could you make a video on Alto Clarinet basics? I rented one from my school for fun and I enjoy it a lot, I just figured more people need to know of their existence
If you get the chance, could you make a video on reed storage and cases? I have a teacher who keeps them in the plastic stock cases because he claims regular cases warp his reeds. I’m not really sure myself and I’m interested to know what you use for your reeds.
Does the size of the reeds determine the humidity pack you place because of the material being either hydrated or dehydrated? I know you are doing this experiment with soprano clarinet reeds, but does this work with bass clarinet, tenor sax, and bari sax?
I use the same pouches for Bass clarinet and Clarinet reeds. They work in both cases, and they definitely work with sax reeds as well. (And bassoon/oboe)
I've never really had that problem (with the butt of reed). Or last that I've noticed. If I have, I would have noticed by now. But it doesn't mean that I won't deal with it in the future. I also have a question. I own a wooden clarinet that is made of out grenadilla wood. I had a crack in it about a couple months ago, but it got sewed up. I learned that wood expands when it gets warm. Every time I play, I still see the crack, but I'm not worried about it because it's sown up. But what bothers me is that I can still see it. Do you have any tips on how to a crack seem invisible? I'm just curious if you know anything about it.
Great video. What do you use to keep your clarinets (in case) humidified in the winter? (Harold Wright used small pieces of orange peel, but I gotta believe there is something better.)
I live in Florida and there are day where we march and it can either be dry or humid. What should I do with the reeds when they are exposed go an atmosphere like that?
Hello Michael. Thanks for ALL your interesting and informative videos. I'm a 56 year old ~5th grader~ trying (painfully) to learn the clarinet. What are your thoughts on the "ReedJuvinate" product using Listerine to keep reeds flat, moist, and bacteria free? It was reviewed on the CLARINEAT podcast episode 58 (June 9, 2017).
Earspasm Music thanks. In fact I had seen that before and subsequently ran out and got a bottle of hydrogen peroxide! Which reminds me... Now I need to go clean my mouthpiece!..
I use them for my reeds varying in size from clarinet to baritone sax. I recommend them very highly. (But since you don't know who I am, that may not be worth much!) They keep the mold away and your reeds are ready to play straight out of the holder, which adds a few minutes of useful time to my pratice sessions.
I use the packs and cases and the plastic bags and my reads still warp! What am I doing wrong? I would so love to solve this problem. Generally they are not warped when I take them out to play. I use the 72% (but will check the other flavors, as described). When I take a reed out to play, I soak it in a shot glass for a minute or so, then put it on the mouthpiece. After playing for about 30 minutes , I sometimes notice the symptoms of a warped reed. So I give it the 'flat glass test' - moisten the back of the reed and press it on some glass while looking at the underside. You can see where the moisture is contacting the glass in the middle of the reed but not the side. If you rock the reed you can see that it is, in fact, curved. This happens nearly 100% of the time. Is there help? Thanks.
Thanks for your attention! The reeds can be anywhere from a couple of weeks old to a several months. I keep three Rico cases - one for new reeds to be played lightly, one for reeds that are a couple of weeks old and so can be worked on and played more aggressively, and one for 'performance ready'. I do sometimes promote the best new reeds to performance reeds, but never until they have at least a week of breaking in. I have coding system so I could try to track whether age relates to warpage.
When I take a reed off the mouthpiece, it looks like it has dried, while playing, along the sides but not at the tip. That correlates to the shape of the warping. From the tip to 1/4-1/2 in down is flat, then it warps mid-reed, then, generally but not always, flat on the non-vamp portion of the reed.
Thanks for the video! This is helpful. Are these humidity packs also useful for wooden instruments as a whole (clarinet/bass clarinet) or do you recommend a different solution there?
What are your feelings on the Alto clarinet? I play it on occasion because we have to share Bass clarinets at my school. But for some reason allot of people don't like it and I have no idea why.
Biggest thing about alto is, no one writes for it any more (or hardly anyone). You're either doubling the 3rd clarinet or an alto saxophone, and it's rare that either of those sections needs *any* help (or they do, but it's cuz they can't play well, so you have to try blending with a section that's two rows away, not that I speak from experience or anything...). As for the sound - yeah, it's personal :) I love mine, but it's a 1950s Selmer.; I have no idea what the current instruments are like. Mellow, not as rich as the bass, but more class than a Bb in the same range. Sometimes tetchy in the upper clarion/altissimo register. Most people will tell you it doesn't add anything, tone-color-wise, so you're better off using Bb or bass, which have been better engineered over their lifetimes. YMMV. Me, I got a double case designed for bass and alto, so I'm obviously prejudiced :)
Hello, Ive started using this reed storage method but within a week my reeds have shown signs of molding/black spots. What do you do to prevent that while still using the humidity packs?
Steelhammerr let the reeds dry a bit before you store them! Don’t put soaking-wet reeds in the bag. Also, in summer you will need to use the 62% packs.
I have used the 72% pouches for years. I would say that mold is more a function of your "reed hygiene" than it is the humidity pack. I flick whatever moisture I can out of the reed before storage. I use cheap ziplock bags and change them once a week. I also frequently (a couple of times a week) give my reed a quick hydrogen peroxide soak and flick all of that H2O2 out of the reed before storage. If you use reeds guards, it is a good idea to clean them too. I have a little basket I put them all in and run them through the dishwasher. That said....you will need to get the reeds out into fresh air from time to time. Warm moist environments are great incubators for mold and bacteria. If I am storing reeds for the long term, I would most definitely start with a clean bag, and give the reeds a quick H202 soak before storage.
There's a method for bass clarinet? I have been playing it for 6 months, but it has a müller sistem. Now I'm going to buy a new bass clarinet and I need a method. (At the moment I'm using a Method for clarinet)
Hello Earspasm I was hoping u could give me the number of the guys u called or email, that u got your all black bass clarinet. I would really love a custom bass clarinet. I have been playing clarinet/bass since 5th grade and it's time for an extremely good upgrade
I second Michael's love of the Boveda Humidipaks. I've been using them for several years in AZ where there is little to no humidity. In fact, I keep them in each of my clarinet cases to humidify my instruments. Very handy, work great. Reasonably priced. I do exactly the same things. I keep long-term reed storage in an air tight tupperware type container at the lower humidity level and my everyday reeds are in cases that I carry with my instrument at 72%.
Thanks a lot for the Boveda-tip! I had massive problems with warping now in winter time in Germany. Didn’t want to buy the D’Addario pouches because they are about 7,50€... in a cigar shop I got them for 1,90€ each now. Yay! :)
Hey Mike! Can you make a video about types of mouthpieces and how they affect your sound?
Thank you for the informative video!
Thank you very much for the valuable tips. This channel is very interesting!!!
Awesome video!!
Can you please make a video regarding clarinets cracking and how to prevent it?
A couple questions cause this intrigues me (especially for marching band season where I could be playing a reed for up to 8 hours in a day)
1: If I get a reed case (nothing fancy, just the normal Vandoran ones like you have on the table) will these pouches still be good??
2: What do you mean by keeping a reed for a week? Does it mean you don't play on it for a week? Why would someone do that? I just rotate 4 reeds on my saxophone and use 2 daily (1 classical and one jazz). Why keep them not playing for a week?
Hey there. Quick answers.
1: Yes. Totally
2: A lot of players who are professional keep a lot of reeds going at the same time. I personally have about 30 that are in active or semi-active use. When you start working on reeds (watch my "My reeds suck #1" video) you shouldn't play on them for a long time--you need to break them in. Then they will last a lot longer. So when you are in that break-in period, you may not play on them for a while.
Hope this helps.
thank you!
I did not realize there was a Marching Band Season. When I lived in New Hampshire they had Mud Season and Black Fly Season. Is MBS similar to either of those? Do you need a license? Is there a limit? :-)
Jeff b. It's was a school thing. Summer camp for it was 8 hours long
Your reeds will do much better in this situation if you have a large number in rotation and change them every half hour to an hour, unless you're outside for extended periods. Being outside just kills reeds. Sometimes synthetic is the answer.
You sell two and ten dollar reeds on your site. I buy Rico 2.5 at $10 a box.. Will I be gilding the cheap plastic lily if I tried your reed sanding, polishing, etc., techniques on my reeds?
Here in Alberta the climate shifts so drastically that it's impossible to stop warping. Even playing a wooden instrument is risky.
I used to suck at bass clarinet and I live in Canada, and I was always buying new reeds because I was always wondering why they got so warped, and I didn't know how to "un-warp" it 😂 but I know better now
Crinkling happens to the tip, warping to the back. I wish we could just agree on these terms - it would cut down on some amount of confusion.
could you maybe do a gear wars video on bass clarinet mouthpieces?
Hello! I love your videos, really helpful.
I'm a High School Bari/Tenor sax player looking to learn clarinet. I know I need to learn it along with flute, for jazz band and such. I've noticed that the Bari sax is usually the one that plays the bass clarinet part when its called for. Should I start on Bass Clarinet first, then go to regular clarinet, or should I pick up a regular clarinet first? I've heard its harder to go from Bass Clarinet to Regular clarinet than it is vice versa. Just wondering where I should start, thanks in advance!
Fantastic and life-changing advice! Thank you.
A question about the terminal (convex) warping: I live in a humidity-volatile environment and I have this happen a lot, but only from the middle of the reed; the table is perfectly flat at the butt end with the warp occurring only along the cut part of the reed. most of the time the 'pop' test sort of works but the reed has become almost un-playable. Is this situation surmountable by re-soaking the reed?
Why am I watching this I live in hot and humid (Florida)
You might need one of these packs to lower the humidity of your reed storage environment.
in the winter, it gets cold and dry af for like 1 week and it kills your reeds
So does Mike.
Hi, could you make a video on Alto Clarinet basics? I rented one from my school for fun and I enjoy it a lot, I just figured more people need to know of their existence
If you get the chance, could you make a video on reed storage and cases? I have a teacher who keeps them in the plastic stock cases because he claims regular cases warp his reeds. I’m not really sure myself and I’m interested to know what you use for your reeds.
Honestly, I use the things the reeds come in. (Like you see in the video) and I number them so I know which is which.
Does the size of the reeds determine the humidity pack you place because of the material being either hydrated or dehydrated? I know you are doing this experiment with soprano clarinet reeds, but does this work with bass clarinet, tenor sax, and bari sax?
I use the same pouches for Bass clarinet and Clarinet reeds. They work in both cases, and they definitely work with sax reeds as well. (And bassoon/oboe)
I've never really had that problem (with the butt of reed). Or last that I've noticed. If I have, I would have noticed by now. But it doesn't mean that I won't deal with it in the future. I also have a question. I own a wooden clarinet that is made of out grenadilla wood. I had a crack in it about a couple months ago, but it got sewed up. I learned that wood expands when it gets warm. Every time I play, I still see the crack, but I'm not worried about it because it's sown up. But what bothers me is that I can still see it. Do you have any tips on how to a crack seem invisible? I'm just curious if you know anything about it.
Great video. What do you use to keep your clarinets (in case) humidified in the winter? (Harold Wright used small pieces of orange peel, but I gotta believe there is something better.)
Mark Alan Palmer I use these same packs
What humidity level?
62%
I live in Florida and there are day where we march and it can either be dry or humid. What should I do with the reeds when they are exposed go an atmosphere like that?
Hello Michael. Thanks for ALL your interesting and informative videos. I'm a 56 year old ~5th grader~ trying (painfully) to learn the clarinet. What are your thoughts on the "ReedJuvinate" product using Listerine to keep reeds flat, moist, and bacteria free? It was reviewed on the CLARINEAT podcast episode 58 (June 9, 2017).
Have a look at my "Reed Mold" video. I show how...um...it works.
Earspasm Music thanks. In fact I had seen that before and subsequently ran out and got a bottle of hydrogen peroxide! Which reminds me... Now I need to go clean my mouthpiece!..
I use them for my reeds varying in size from clarinet to baritone sax. I recommend them very highly. (But since you don't know who I am, that may not be worth much!) They keep the mold away and your reeds are ready to play straight out of the holder, which adds a few minutes of useful time to my pratice sessions.
I use the packs and cases and the plastic bags and my reads still warp! What am I doing wrong? I would so love to solve this problem. Generally they are not warped when I take them out to play. I use the 72% (but will check the other flavors, as described). When I take a reed out to play, I soak it in a shot glass for a minute or so, then put it on the mouthpiece. After playing for about 30 minutes , I sometimes notice the symptoms of a warped reed. So I give it the 'flat glass test' - moisten the back of the reed and press it on some glass while looking at the underside. You can see where the moisture is contacting the glass in the middle of the reed but not the side. If you rock the reed you can see that it is, in fact, curved. This happens nearly 100% of the time. Is there help? Thanks.
How old are your reeds?
Thanks for your attention! The reeds can be anywhere from a couple of weeks old to a several months. I keep three Rico cases - one for new reeds to be played lightly, one for reeds that are a couple of weeks old and so can be worked on and played more aggressively, and one for 'performance ready'. I do sometimes promote the best new reeds to performance reeds, but never until they have at least a week of breaking in. I have coding system so I could try to track whether age relates to warpage.
When I take a reed off the mouthpiece, it looks like it has dried, while playing, along the sides but not at the tip. That correlates to the shape of the warping. From the tip to 1/4-1/2 in down is flat, then it warps mid-reed, then, generally but not always, flat on the non-vamp portion of the reed.
If you are using plastic baggie things, and they are not sealed, really sealed, the packs will not be able to do their thing
Thanks for the video! This is helpful. Are these humidity packs also useful for wooden instruments as a whole (clarinet/bass clarinet) or do you recommend a different solution there?
Yes, totally. Though I use a couple in the case instead of just one.
Could you make a video where you put a 62rh and a 72rh pouch in the same bag and see which one wins?
What are your feelings on the Alto clarinet? I play it on occasion because we have to share Bass clarinets at my school. But for some reason allot of people don't like it and I have no idea why.
TBH, I'm kind of indifferent. It's just not an instrument that has a sound that resonates with me. (It's a personal thing)
Biggest thing about alto is, no one writes for it any more (or hardly anyone). You're either doubling the 3rd clarinet or an alto saxophone, and it's rare that either of those sections needs *any* help (or they do, but it's cuz they can't play well, so you have to try blending with a section that's two rows away, not that I speak from experience or anything...). As for the sound - yeah, it's personal :) I love mine, but it's a 1950s Selmer.; I have no idea what the current instruments are like. Mellow, not as rich as the bass, but more class than a Bb in the same range. Sometimes tetchy in the upper clarion/altissimo register. Most people will tell you it doesn't add anything, tone-color-wise, so you're better off using Bb or bass, which have been better engineered over their lifetimes. YMMV. Me, I got a double case designed for bass and alto, so I'm obviously prejudiced :)
I use synthetic legere reed, my cane is fine ;)
Légère...
They're great.
Hello, Ive started using this reed storage method but within a week my reeds have shown signs of molding/black spots. What do you do to prevent that while still using the humidity packs?
Steelhammerr let the reeds dry a bit before you store them! Don’t put soaking-wet reeds in the bag. Also, in summer you will need to use the 62% packs.
The URL at 4:30 is obsolsete.
Would a humidity pack be useful in the clarinet case to keep the humidity at an optimal level?
Yes!
Why does this video not have more views?!?
Quick question, when you are breaking in your reeds in do you use the humidity control packet?
Depends on the season. In winter, definitely.
Another question, should you use the humidity control packet during the summer?
Will the reeds mold eventually with the humidity pouches?
I have used the 72% pouches for years. I would say that mold is more a function of your "reed hygiene" than it is the humidity pack. I flick whatever moisture I can out of the reed before storage. I use cheap ziplock bags and change them once a week. I also frequently (a couple of times a week) give my reed a quick hydrogen peroxide soak and flick all of that H2O2 out of the reed before storage. If you use reeds guards, it is a good idea to clean them too. I have a little basket I put them all in and run them through the dishwasher. That said....you will need to get the reeds out into fresh air from time to time. Warm moist environments are great incubators for mold and bacteria. If I am storing reeds for the long term, I would most definitely start with a clean bag, and give the reeds a quick H202 soak before storage.
Hello Earspasm
What is the average length of time for a cane reed?
Depends on how much you use it and how well you care for it. Mine last a couple months.
There's a method for bass clarinet? I have been playing it for 6 months, but it has a müller sistem. Now I'm going to buy a new bass clarinet and I need a method. (At the moment I'm using a Method for clarinet)
Do you know Reed Geek? it craps the reed?
Clarinets, like my girlfriend, are high maintenance.
Does warping affect bassoon reeds?
Yep.
Winter is coming.
Hello Earspasm
I was hoping u could give me the number of the guys u called or email, that u got your all black bass clarinet. I would really love a custom bass clarinet. I have been playing clarinet/bass since 5th grade and it's time for an extremely good upgrade
Call selmer. I think they can sell you one for about $15,000.
Chokes, coughs, shoots coffee out nose.
7:31 "...REEDing 73%..."
Synthetic reeds>cane reeds
Brace yourself, winter is coming...