Reed Care Tips For Beginners

Kody Myhra March 19, 2022

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone is having or had a wonderful spring break! This week, I wanted to put out a few quick reed tips for students. I know when I was a young student, I never really got access to these kinds of resources unless I did my own research, so here are 3 quick tips on reed care for beginners or individuals who hope to learn more!

1: Reeds are made of a bunch of really small straws

Clarinet reeds are made up of tiny little straw-like tubes called xylem and phloem. These tubes help the reed plant to distribute water throughout the entire plant when it's in the ground. When breaking in a new reed, soak it in water for 30 seconds and blow through the bottom, or the heel, of the reed like a straw. If doing it correctly, you should start to see air bubbles on the front face, or vamp, of the reed form from the water you soaked it in.

If you are having a problem with moldy reeds, it is probably because you have trapped water or spit in the reed after using it. Try using that same air blowing technique as above after every use of your reeds. This will expand or reed life significantly when implemented after every playing session.

2: Keeping reeds humidified will extend their lifespan

Keeping your reeds in a carrying case with a humidity pack is a great way to extend their lifespan. Boveda Humidity Packs are a great essential for this process! Just stick one of their 72% humidity packs in your reed case and you are ready to go! For more temperature or humidity comtrol, place both your reed case and humidity pack in a ziploc bag. This will create more of a seal in the environment your reeds are kept in.

3: Reeds typically don't last as long as we think

If we are playing often, reeds typically last us between 2-4weeks before they start showing wear and warpage. It is a good idea to have multiple reeds ready to play when this happens. I like to space out breaking in my reeds by about a week or so, so I already have good reeds to play when breaking in the next set. I will be making a future blog post about my reed break-in process at a later date, so watch out for that!

Reeds can be tricky little things, but if we keep up with them properly, we can use them to their full potential. Of course, make sure you are using the proper brand and strength when applying these concepts, and ask your private instructor if you have any questions regarding strength or type. Happy practicing!