Each clarinet reed is very different from its case mates. Therefore, it is important to accept that we will never be one hundred percent comfortable with a new rod. It is essential to choose the hardness of the reed well, so that it is not too white (it is very easy to blow and the reed closes with the force of our mouthpiece) nor too hard (it is too difficult for us to blow). After these introductory factors to take into account, I present some small tips for facing a new box of rods:
Tip #1 - Sort them
It is very important to spend some time trying all the rods you want to use and order them from best to worst, based only on your feelings. You can number them and organize them in a rod holder. In life we don't choose the rods we get, but we can choose how to use them.
Tip #2 - Don't discard any
As time goes by, the worst rods can get better and the best ones get worse, so never discard any rod, don't be too hard on them 🥲 As the months go by, you can repeat step 1 to reorder them.
Tip #3 - Adapt
It is also very important to play a reed regardless of whether we feel comfortable with it, since little by little we will take it to our field until we feel that it is good. This is not First Dates, don't rule out the idea based on first impressions.
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