Canyes Xilema B-flat Clarinet Reeds
Canyes Xilema (pronounced She-lemma) reeds are made from the finest French/Spanish Mediterranean Arundo Donax cane. Inma and Miguel, owners of this company located in Valencia, Spain, depart from traditional methods of reed making. They first visually inspect every piece of cane and discard any that is inferior. They use a CNC machine to cut blanks to exact specifications for the Artesana, Professional, and Classic models.
Inma’s brother, Jose Herrera, principal clarinetist of the Valencia orchestra, has determined the exact measurements for the best reeds. He is a widely recognized reed-making expert, and designer of the Canyes Xilema reed cuts. Next, either Inma or Miguel cuts the reed tips manually. Then, in the case of the Artesana reeds, the table is polished with sand paper, and the vamp is sanded precisely by hand. Xilema employs five professional clarinetists who conduct quality control for the company, ensuring that every batch of reeds is perfect and consistent.
The Classic cut has a longer scrape and is hand-finished.
Note: Letters designate strengths (A=2.5; B=3.0; C=3.5; D=4.0; E=4.5). (+) signs indicate a quarter strength.
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