Klarinet Archive - Posting 000166.txt from 1994/12

From: "Calton L. Cooper Jr" <ccooper@-----.US>
Subj: Re: Practice Reeds
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 1994 00:53:02 -0500

There is a point though in your career when the technical
demands of the music require better than a practice reed. I do
occasionally use a practice reed, but usually only for a band
rehearsal.

I've found that while you don't get a lot of reeds that play
right out of the box, with a little time, patience, and tools
(reed rush, 600# sandpaper, and a knife) that most reeds can be
fixed. I have found recently though that with the V-12's I get
a lot of unusable reeds in a box (between 50-80%). I had a
friend sell me 7 Vintage reeds (from Australia, hand finished)
and out of the 7 I ended up with 7 good reeds. They do have a
slightly darker sound than I like, but the cane is very dense,
and the reeds have a lot of wood on them. I find that a few
minutes refinishing the tip is about all the work they need.
The most impressive thing I've found about them is that they
are all very consistent within a box.

Usually when I'm playing, I have 4-8 reeds that I rotate. If I
needed to I could play any one of them for a performance and
not have to worry.

QUESTION: If you are used to playing on a "practice" reed what
happens when the "one" reed plays slightly different? Does
that wide leap sound smooth, even and practiced, or does it
stick out?

--
Later,
Lee Cooper ccooper@-----.us

"It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind
that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception."
Albert Einstein [in speaking about his theory of relativity]