I have had great success keeping reeds playing well by occasionally soaking them in hydrogen peroxide until the reed tube stops foaming. The result is a reed with a lot of resistance.The temptation is to scrape away. DON'T TOUCH IT. It will recover if just played in a bit. I don't know if others have tried this but I will say I once got half a season in a professional orchestra on one reed using this technique. I'm retired now and only play for fun. Love your videos by the way, very helpful.
+Jon Busch Great Jon! Yes, I have tried that and also have an ultrasonic cleaner too. But I find both these make an immediate impact which I am not so sure about in the long term - it's the elasticity in the cane that we are trying to preserve and both hydrogen peroxide and the ultrasonic seem to take more flexibility out of the cane. But whatever works for you! Happy Blowing.
I have had great success keeping reeds playing well by occasionally soaking them in hydrogen peroxide until the reed tube stops foaming. The result is a reed with a lot of resistance.The temptation is to scrape away. DON'T TOUCH IT. It will recover if just played in a bit. I don't know if others have tried this but I will say I once got half a season in a professional orchestra on one reed using this technique. I'm retired now and only play for fun. Love your videos by the way, very helpful.
+Jon Busch Great Jon! Yes, I have tried that and also have an ultrasonic cleaner too. But I find both these make an immediate impact which I am not so sure about in the long term - it's the elasticity in the cane that we are trying to preserve and both hydrogen peroxide and the ultrasonic seem to take more flexibility out of the cane. But whatever works for you! Happy Blowing.