Part 1: Prevention of Warpage and Aging
Part 2: Spare that cracked double or single
reed
About the writer
For several years, I have been experimenting with and perfecting a simple and inexpensive box for controlling humidity of reeds. The box has been in use for over a year by a number of my students, from the elementary to college level. The idea of controlling reed humidity is not my own, and information has been written or expressed on the related subjects of reed humidity control, warpage and longevity by Charles West, Bernard Garfield, Lyndesay Langwill, Anthony Gigliotti and others (see references and selected bibliography).
Charles West, my former student, states that "the principal problem encountered by the single reed player in dry climates is warpage."[1] He made this statement after many years as a university clarinet teacher- -performer in New Mexico and Arizona. Bernard Garfield, Solo Bassoonist in the Philadelphia Orchestra humidifies his reeds even in humid Philadelphia in the dry heating season. Garfield describes his colleague in the Philadelphia Orchestra, clarinetist Anthony Gigliotti as employing similar humidifying procedures. Garfield feels that the reed cells become clogged as a result of continuous wetting and drying and the reed "becomes more resistant and thus harder to respond"-"However, if the reed is not allowed to dry out then these deposits do not harden, do not seemingly calcify, but remain pliable and the reed continues to play nicely."[2] I agree strongly with Gigliotti's opinion, expressed recently at a seminar he taught in Denver. He feels that a reed's cells can only go through the warpage and straightening process a limited number of times before they break down and the reed loses its original vibrating qualities. Ronald Orcutt and William Roscoe describe the problem beautifully in their article on humid reed storage: "Winter especially, with its low humidity, is a time when wires on bassoon reeds loosen, bindings break loose from the tube, the sides of oboe reeds open while the tips close, and long soakings are necessary to restore the wellplaying reed of yesterday even to a playable state today."[3]
Having been a university woodwind teacher, actively performing on all woodwinds as a doubler for the past 32 years, the past 22 years in dry Colorado, I have observed extreme problems with all single and double reeds. It always took valuable time to soak a reed just to demonstrate for a student, and reeds that sat too long between playing became more and more unwilling to recuperate. One of Dr. West's clarinet students studied with me a few years ago and brought with her from New Mexico a humidifier box similar to the one here described, but it had to be carried in an upright position to avoid scrambling the reeds and salt. In over three years of use and experimentation, my humidifier box has become my most valuable and constant accessory. I no longer have to soak and straighten reeds for impromptu demonstrations on any instrument, and even with extended periods between use, the reed's playing qualities don' t change. As a bonus, even my most used reeds work beautifully for a much longer period of time. Lyndesay Langwill writes that Almenraeder (1786-1843) bassoonist who co-founded the Heckel firm and participated in the development of the Heckel system bassoon, developed a box to control reed humidity.[4] Langwill's information concerning Almenraeder's box to control humidity in Europe in the 19th century will not be discussed here, but it is interesting that he found such a strong relationship between reed humidity and longevity. I store clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and oboe reeds in the same container, and the improved results apply to all of these reeds. Reeds simply do not warp when they are never allowed to dry out. The problem then becomes not how to repair or renew a warped or dead reed, but how to keep a reed constantly humid (not wet) without undue expenditure of money, time, trouble or frustration.
The following section of the article deals with construction of the humidifier box. Please refer to the accompanying photographs to clarify descriptions.
Materials
1. 5-6 inch square, 1 1/2-2 inch deep sealable plastic food storage container, Tupperware or other brands. 2. A kitchen sponge or sponges to fill the container completely. 3. A brand new single-edge razor blade (available in drug stores) to cut the sponge. 4. A piece of glass approximately 3" X 5" to fit snugly against the container on the long ends. 5. Rubber bands to hold the reeds firmly when stretched 5 inches (I prefer bands that are about 1/8" wide, available in some drug and discount stores). 6. Rock salt, as used for homemade ice cream or de-icing sidewalks, to prevent mold from forming in the vacuum. 7. An old cotton handkerchief.
Construction
As in photo #1, shape the bottom of the sponge or sponges to snugly fill the complete container, with the sponge firmly against the lid when attached (photo 2). A new razor blade cuts the sponge as if it were warm butter. An indentation may be made in the bottom of the sponge for the sack of rock salt, as in photo 1, or the sack can merely fit below the complete sponge. In the top of the sponge, photos 2 and 3, an indentation must be cut into the sponge to allow the reeds on glass to fit down into the sponge without either putting too much pressure on the reeds from the lid or allowing the glass to move when the box is transported or dropped accidentally. Next, form a sack with a cut down handkerchief around a thin layer of rock salt, allowing enough material for one layer of cloth around the salt, and place it in the bottom of the container, as in photo 1. Finally, attach rubber bands to the glass, as in photo 4. Two bands are adequate for single reeds, but I prefer three for double reeds or a combination of both. Note the suggested method of inserting reeds into the rubber bands in photo 4.
Maintenance of humidity.
The reeds should appear to be completely dry, but remain humid enough that tips of reeds never become warped or wavy when moistened. When washing the sponge as you should do every month or two, let it almost completely air dry before inserting it back into the box. It is very difficult to make it dry enough with towel drying. Between washings, a little water (10-15 drops) can be added every week or so. It is critical that the humidity in the box not approach 100%. If the sponge is too wet, the reeds will become wet and waterlogged or begin forming mildew or mold. Immediately dry the sponge and scrub all mildew or mold off the reeds. A loose lid can draw salt up to the reeds or lid. Inadequate room for the reeds above the sponge can keep the lid from closing securely and more may have to be cut from the sponge. You cannot store all of your new or unused reeds in controlled humidity, and as long as they are not going from wet to dry, they will continue to age and not warp or deteriorate seriously. However, once you begin using a reed on a regular basis, it should never be left outside the box when not being played. A fine reed, even after it is completely broken in, can warp badly in a few hours if allowed to air dry.
Many contemporary case covers have pockets which will accommodate this reed box. Photo 5 pictures a custom clarinet case cover with a pocket designed specifically for it.
The described humidifier box should cost no more that $5 to $10, and once it is assembled, it takes only a minimum of maintenance. A very small investment for what I hope you find to be a big improvement in reed performance.
REFERENCES
1. West, Charles A. "Controlling Reeds in Dry Climates:" Instrumentalist Magazine, Vol. 31, October 1976, p. 54.
2. Garfield, Bernard H. "An Approach to Greater Reed Longevity:" Woodwind World, Vol. 13, No. 4, September 1972, p. 13.
3. Orcutt, Ronald and Roscoe, William. "Reed Storage A Simple Solution" Obtainable from Meason, Incorporated, Erwin Tennessee.
4. Langwill Lyndesay. The Bassoon and Contrabassoon. New York: W.W. Norton and Co. 1865, pp, 157-158.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Garfield, Bernard. "Further Notes on Reed Longevity:" Woodwind World 12:20, No. 3, June 1973, p. 20.
Heard, John M. "The Oboe Reed versus the Weather" Woodwind World BP Vol. 16, No. 2, March 1977, pp. 14-15.
McBride, Jerry. "Reed Response: Some Climate Experiments:" The Clarinet, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1976, pp. 16-17.
Mellott, George. "Humidity Control of Single Reeds:" NACWPI journal. Winter 1974-75, pp. 62-65.
Having dealt with prevention of warpage in all woodwind reeds in one article, referring to numerous others who have dealt with these problems in various ways, I come to an area on which I have read and been taught nothing. Surely with the variety of wonder glues introduced in recent years, people have experimented with gluing reeds, but I am unaware of any serious research in the area.
Several years ago, I began experimenting with gluing cracked bassoon reeds with a shoe-patch glue which is flexible and so tough and waterproof that it is used to build up the soles of shoes. I ran into the same problems on reeds as on shoes, the rubber-like material was truly tough and waterproof, but scuffed from the edges, eventually peeling off. In order to avoid this scuffing, I completely cleaned and dried the reed then applied the glue only to the crack, rubbing it into the crack with the flat side of an oboe mandrel. I rub the glue off of the reed immediately, before it dries enough to begin scuffing, using my bare fingers. The only glue remaining on the reed is down in the crack. Several fingers get sticky in the process, but the glue is easily removed from the fingers by immediately briskly rubbing them against the palm of the apposite hand, scuffing it off completely. The reed should be allowed to dry over night to allow the glue to thoroughly dry and fumes to entirely dissipate. The results were promising, in that the glue held well over a period of time and reeds were playable. Continuing to work with cracked bassoon reeds at all stages, it became clear that while a reed cracked from the tip deep into the heart was not repairable, many smaller tip cracks were apparently completely prevented from expanding, and the reeds often played as well after gluing as they did before they cracked.
Along the way, I discovered that inserting an arrow-shaped plaque between the bassoon reeds prevented glue from going through the crack and building up inside. Another problem became evident: With tip cracks, the cane on the two sides of the crack sometimes failed to line up flat during the drying process, resulting in a problem that looked like this:
By gluing the reed, then immediately taping the tip securely to the plaque with clear scotch tape, the two sides of the crack lined up to one level surface as they dried:
In prolonged normal use, including soaking of reeds in the mouth and in water, the glue has held beautifully, and small tip cracks almost never expand. The larger the crack, the more effect it has on the performance of the reed, but by carefully watching for small cracks and gluing them immediately, most small cracks can be permanently repaired with no effect on the playing qualities of the reed.
As a doubler and a university teacher on all of the woodwinds, I began expanding the gluing process to other woodwind reeds. The oboe reed is so small and delicate that I met with little success, although small tip cracks were sometimes prevented from expanding, using the same procedures as on bassoon reeds, but using an oboe plaque between the reeds.
Cracked clarinet and saxophone reeds turned out to be much easier to work with than the double reeds, since the back of the single reed is perfectly flat, as opposed to double reeds which have to be shaped to form the tip. Another factor contributing to the simple gluing of single reeds is the fact that their cracks always originate from the tip, while many double-reed cracks originate from the curved back of the reed. The gluing process has been highly successful on both clarinet and saxophone reeds if the cracks are caught while still
small. Obviously, any reed damaged by accident will be less repairable according to the extent of the damage.
With cracks naturally occurring in clarinet or saxophone reeds, I use the same procedures as described for bassoon, but placing a clean, dry reed on a flat piece of glass.
Two different brands of shoe patch glue have proven satisfactory; Kiwi Shoe Patch and Sportsman's Goop, and other brands are available. The labels warn against breathing of vapors, but the same warning is used for vapors of the same chemical used in airplane type glues used in sealing the string of the turks head of bassoon reeds and routinely soaked in the mouth of bassoonists. The amount of glue employed in the gluing processes of this article are relatively negligible, and there is no vapor or taste of glue after the reed has thoroughly dried.
Old reeds can't be made to live forever, but old reeds and sometimes the favorite not-so-old reeds of professional players can be given extended life. With young students whose demands are less exacting, this can also be a money and frustration saver. In conjunction with the life-extending techniques described in my other articles on humidity control and repair of reed warpage, it is my hope that my suggestions give you at least some relief from the reed headaches we all regularly experience.
[Loren Bartlett performs regularly
on all the woodwind instruments. A soloist at the International
Double Reed Society's annual convention and a performer at the
International Clarinet Congress in London, he also is an active
adjudicator and clinician and has served as Southwest chairman
of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors.
Dr. Bartlett holds a Master of Music Education degree from Oberlin
College and a PH.D. in woodwind performance and literature from
the University of Iowa. He has studied bassoon with George Goslee,
Ronald Tyree and Leonard Sharrow and clarinet with George Wain
and Himie Voxman.]