Klarinet Archive - Posting 000040.txt from 1994/02

From: SCOTT MCCHESNEY <MCCHESS4641@-----.EDU>
Subj: first Clarinet question
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 1994 16:07:06 -0500

Well, I'm rather new to the list, so I suppose I'll start with a no-brainer...

I have recently returned to school to study Composition. Being a Music major I
have to, of course, choose a major instrument. Not wanting to take any more
piano lessons (12 years was enough for me), I chose Clarinet. So, I took the
plunge and signed up for Applied Clarinet lessons. I have been playing for
about 10 years now, and I have worked my way up to an old Buffet - 50's
vintage, if I remember correctly. Sounds wonderful, and my parents stole it
from a local symphony player. hee hee...

ANYWAY, being under a new professor, he is diligently "converting" me over to
his new and improved way of playing - which, of course, extends to mouthpiece,
reeds, and the subject of my question - mouthpiece patches.

He has instructed me to get one, and I have. I have been playing it for about
three weeks now, and I still don't like it. I used a patch when I played
saxophone in a musical pit, but I don't like using them on my Clarinet. What I
am wondering is:

What do all you "real-world types" (i.e., those of you who play for a living)
do? Is there a general consensus on whether to use them? He is the first
person I've met whose used one. I do know that, like neckstraps, they kind of
go in and out of style for teachers. But, do they really help to reduce the
stress of playing? That's what I've been told - that they're easier on the
player.

What's the scoop?

-- Scott McChesney