Vandoren CR5035 Bb Clarinet 56 Rue Lepic Reeds Strength 3.5; Box of 10

The media could not be loaded. Great reeds, especially for vandoren m30. Works well on BD5 too.The vid (for sound only) is from a live concert, playing these reeds on the M30 mouthpiece and R13 Buffet clarinet.As you can see from the pictures, these are well polished reeds with consistent characteristics like density, fibrosity, thickness and finish. Each reed comes individually sealed and with a plastic holder.All reeds are made of cane, known as Arundo Donax. It is not wood or bamboo, but more closely related to tall grasses. It grows around river banks and lakes with moving water. It absorbs the water for growth and nutrients. It MUST be properly collected when the stalk is drained of water in the winter (dry season) and it must be drained and dried to avoid including biological and chemical impurities. The climate also affects its density, which limits where good reed stock can grow. Cane will absorb whatever is in the water where it grows.Good reeds should have a smooth vamp (shaped upper part) and have a golden- yellow or light yellow color without much variation. The bark can be of varied tone (glossy-looking bottom part). That's OK. You should not be able to see longitudinal lines or fibrous streaks on the vamp (part that goes inside the mouth). Green looking reeds have not been properly dried and drained. Throw them away. Grey looking reeds or ones with dark spots or streaks may have mold. Throw them away also. (This is highly unlikely in Vandoren or Daddario reeds).Good reeds are expensive. However, with proper care, you CAN make them last months.. or longer. Just teach your kids proper care skills. It's a wonderful way to teach being responsible.Always take the reed off after playing. Always put them back into the holder (or get a special case). NEVER touch the tip of the reed (I see kids do it all the time.. and they break the reeds). Practice securing the reed to the mouthpiece with the ligature without tripping the tip. Carefully wash the reeds with water once a week, wiping with clean fingers, bottom to top. And lastly, don't play one reed all the time. Have a few ready to go and rotate them. If you do this, or teach your kids, a box of quality reeds will last you a very long time... and you won't have to buy cheap non-reeds made in china..

I previously used the Vandoren V12 3.5 to 3.5+ for what feels like forever...Long story made short, They weren't working for me after so many years. They were either too soft or too hard. When I tried the 56 Rue Lepic, I noticed an instantaneous difference! It was warmer, richer, and most importantly it was the right strength for me! Now that is my experience but it may not be for everyone because all have an idea of what they want their sound to be. but I hope this helps!

I used to be a traditional blue box reeds kind of guy, but man did these change me. Great tone for how much air you output. I feel that there’s not much to say about these because while they are more expensive, they are easy to use and functional for clarinetists at any level.

These Reeds are great. They help make getting a wonderful tone much easier. Unfortunately for me I didn't need a whole set of 3.5 reeds but paying $32.10 for Vandoren 56's you easily get your money's worth. I went (As a Guinea Pig) to a Band Teacher Convention on teaching beginning clarinetists how to play 16th and 32nd notes as well as proper tonguing technique and last but not least reeds. This brand Vandoren came highly recommended by the person presenting and they also said that they start students out with 2.5 and then move them up directly to 3.5 reed strength(Help the student with proper breathing). I have used this brand for 2 or 3 years now and highly recommend it to anyone that has been playing more than a year on Rico Reeds I wouldn't buy these for a student that might drop the instrument after a year as they are more expensive. I find that with this strength you can get 3 full octaves plus a few notes above High C easily, and then pound out a couple more above that.

Reeds are a personal choice, and after spending several months trying out a wide variety of reeds, I've settled on these for the time being. They're consistent and don't require too much adjustment, they produce a nice tone and are very responsive. On my Rico Reserve X0 mouthpiece the 3.5 is about the right strength though I might try some 4's as well. 56 Rue Lepic's aren't right for every player, but they're definately worth trying if you're in search for a new reed.*UPDATE - I reduced my rating down to four stars for the following reasons.After using these reeds for a while I became less content with their reliability, after having several broken-in reeds behave erratically during performances. While they are good reeds, and can produce an excellent tone, I've moved on to synthetic reeds, which I find work significantly better and more reliably for me. 56 Rue Lepic reeds are definately worth a look, but they're not perfect for me,

Vandoren are the only reeds my kids use. Blue box for marching and every day. Grey box for contests and concerts.