Légère French Cut: Unboxing and Reaction

[@coloraturaElise]

Enjoyed that (I heard that "Golden Wedding" in there!) and thanks for sharing your experience. I play legit and jazz, too, and use a more open mpc on jazz, so have to use softer reeds on that mpc. I just checked, and it turns out I've been playing the "Classic" cut, which surprised me, since I was thinking I was playing European. Like you, my normal reed is a Vandoren V12, so it sounds like the French cut will be more compatible with that.

[@CodedNotes]

Thanks, that means you made it all the way to the end! My earliest clarinet influences were Woody Herman's The Golden Wedding, and Artie Shaw's Begin the Beguine, both really old school. Honestly, I don't change my setup between classical and jazz; I just grab a middle of the row mouthpiece and decent strength reed then tweak my embouchure to fit the style. I had a go of someone else's "Classic" cut but it either wasn't as good (subjective), or it was getting a big worn out. I ended up getting a French Cut 4.0 sent to me by way of Légère's exchange program, and it was closer to what I was expecting, but it is definitely gives you more of a work out :) The 3.75 is my easier going practise reed. I still can't shake the zingy sound I hear from them though, but if I can get the reed exactly aligned and then work the embouchure just right, I can dampen that sound. Cane is far more forgiving with positioning.

[@adrianw519]

Hello, from me and my mum. Looking forward to your new video, and happy new year 2024. 🎉🎉🎉

[@CodedNotes]

Hi. Thanks. This video is me ad-libbing in front of a camera for a bit of fun. Eventually I'll get that The Kid Laroi arrangement recorded.

[@jsaxx1]

Try coming down a size on the Reed. It should help with that .

[@johnkotches8320]

The strength charts suggest the French cut runs marginally softer, and I went up 1/4 from Euro, and may end up with 1/2. I'll see how I feel in a week.

[@CodedNotes]

Yes, the French cut is shown on the strength chart as slightly below that of the European Cut. What I can't understand is why they've got a Vandoren 3.5 rated as the equivalent as a European Cut 3.25 (or in between a French Cut's 3.25 and 3.5). I can't recall the last time I had a V12 that as played as "soft" as either of the Légère 3.75s. Thankfully Légère still has the "Exchange of Strength" initiative, so I've requested a 4.0 for my French Cut. I'd consider the "strength" of a reed as a combination of "response" (i.e. ease to get the sound happening) and then the following resistance when trying to "project" (i.e. play louder). Perhaps Légère is being more scientific and measuring how Vandoren cane vibrates against Légère synthetic. Subjective vs objective analysis :)

[@johnkotches8320]

@@CodedNotes I have no idea how they judge the strengths against their competitors… TBH, I’ve never found any of the charts to be particularly accurate when they go across brands regardless of who is publishing it. I suspect I will end up on 3.75 for Clarinet as I find the 3.5 a little less resistance than I would like. The saxophone version (on tenor at least) is about the same with American Cut vs French cut, I had to go up 1/4 and may go up 1/2 there as well. I don’t play at a level where I need that last little bit of performance that a cane reed might provide and in a semi-arid climate (Colorado US) reeds are more finicky than they are in more humid environments. I’m glad you touched on doublers. Since I I will often pick up my clarinet 40 or 45 minutes into a set and need the reed to respond without hesitation.

[@billducker7404]

Thanks yes the French cut is a bit softer than The European. Sounds nice on your Muse clarinet ? God bless you Bill. Uk

[@CodedNotes]

Yes, that is indeed a Selmer Muse. An upgrade from my Le Blanc that I'd been playing since 1999. The key positions of the Selmer were more similar to the Le Blanc compared to the high end Buffet clarinets; just enough difference that I kept missing the keys on the Buffets when I was trying them out. That's muscle memory for you. The Muse seemed like a good choice; it had a more silkier feel, which resonated with me when I got it.

[@markhunt5019]

Legere packing… Open them from the bottom… so easy!

[@vicente1049]

Que boquilla utiliza?

[@CodedNotes]

Utilizo Vandoren M30 Lyre

[@vicente1049]

@@CodedNotes suena muy bien y muy fácil, gracias por compartir

[@jsaxx1]

I had the same issue until I I did the same I was able to control it better 😅

[@medusa210562]

Hard to get your real sound on high notes with synthetic reads. That's the main problem I have.

[@iang2754]

it would feel wrong not to moisten a reed, synthetic or not aha 😁

[@CodedNotes]

Not so much moistening, but coating it in saliva 🙂

[@noahs.627]

I don't particularly like the French cut

[@CodedNotes]

Just from a tone perspective, or response? Given that they're narrower than the European Cut, I could imagine them not fitting as well to a lot of mouthpieces.

[@noahs.627]

@@CodedNotes response for sure, I do notice a more resonant tone on Europeans but it's less consistent then french cut. But the real difference is in the response. I guess I just got used to the response of the European cut.