The Yellow Board

Synthetic reeds

Posted by Curious on 8/2/2022, 12:15 pm

Do any of your clarinet sections play on synthetic reeds for marching band?

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by All single reeds on 8/8/2022, 6:22 pm, in reply to "Synthetic reeds"

Either the D'addario Venn or, if a big reed that there isn't a Venn for, a Legere. Entire single reed section is on synthetic for this season.

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by Pretzel guy on 8/7/2022, 7:20 pm, in reply to "Synthetic reeds"

I play on a Legere European cut for all occasions.

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by Small School Clarinet BD on 8/3/2022, 10:56 am, in reply to "Synthetic reeds"

This will be the 2nd year my clarinets and saxes will be playing on Legere reeds for marching band.

Plastic Reeds are fantastic for outdoor playing as they aren't as temperamental to temperature and weather conditions, however there is a small tone quality reduction IMO.

My student gets 1 reed for the marching season, however, depending on how big/intensive your program is they might need another partway through the season.

If you are featuring a clarinetist with a solo in the show I would have them play on a cane reed, but besides that, the benefits for outdoor playing far outweigh the (slight) reduction in tone quality on the field.

The biggest thing is to make sure they get the correct size since reed sizing varies from brand to brand (and even across different styles in the same brand). I would recommend "fitting" your kids on a variety of sizes to help determine which size is best for each kid.

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by Big Shot Bob on 8/2/2022, 9:49 pm, in reply to "Synthetic reeds"

Great idea. They don’t chip or split like cane. The only thing that makes a reed hard to play is that the corners bend. Legere Signature play very close to Vandoren strengths. The Classic reeds play 1/2 strength harder than V. They should last the whole marching season.

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by Not a Clarinetist on 8/2/2022, 8:00 pm, in reply to "Synthetic reeds"

I've heard of this. If you have GREAT players who are incredibly responsible, it works.

Personally, I would recommend against ANY freshmen doing it since their reed hardness will likely change over the course of the year. Keep in mind that a synthetic reed (such as a Legere) may not need to be wet to play, and may be consistent, it breaks/chips just as easily as a cane reed, yet it costs on average 10 times what a cane reed does. If you have kids learning to negotiate their instrument with a uniform, sash, cape, gauntlets, et al, then it's not a sound investment.

YMMV. I know of some top players that exclusively play synthetic. But for your typical run-of-the-mill high school kid, I would recommend against.

Maybe there's a clarinet major that could convince me otherwise, since 90% of my argument against isn't due to the reed, it's due to immaturity (literal and physical).

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by 2A Bumpkin on 8/3/2022, 1:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Synthetic reeds"

I disagree. Legere reeds last MUCH longer than cane. I have all of mine play on them (clarinets and saxes) and have had zero issues. Much cheaper in the long run than the constant breaking of cane during marching season.

Re: Synthetic reeds

Posted by Contrariwise on 8/2/2022, 9:26 pm, in reply to "Re: Synthetic reeds"

I have found the durability of the Legere to be far and above that of a cane reed. It can still break, but it is not as fragile and more forgiving to students in a hurry.

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