Klarinet Archive - Posting 000465.txt from 1995/03

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Chris Rohr's comments on eating before playing
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 17:37:41 -0500

What a wonderful question! And I would like to put my 2 cents on
the matter though this is probably very individualistic.

I have five problems in eating before playing:

1) the bigger the meal the harder it is to maintain good volumes
of air in the lungs; i.e., I run short of breath faster, particularly
on bass clarinet where I need LOTS of breath. So here we have a
physical issue.

2) depending on what one eats, particles can get into the mouthpiece,
sit on the reed, and prevent tone quality from being at its optimum;
under no circumstances will I eat crackers, peanuts, etc. (crunchy,
crumbly things) for at least 1 hour before playing. This is a
mechanical issue.

3) food has an odor; it lingers on one's body if the odor is strong
enough; garlic, spices, etc. all can be detected emanating from one's
body if the meal has had a lot of these things. This can both offend
and disconcert one's colleagues. This is a social problem. I try to
minimize likelyhood of bothering my colleagues by making sure I am
physically clean, not perfumed, and do not smell of foods.

4) this one is rather delicate; there is nothing quite so awful as
to be on stage and the necessity to expel gas strikes. The matter
centers around farting and its occasionally hilarious impact on a
section. This is even more true doing pit work than while working
on stage, but it is not fun to be around a farty orchestra, and the
main problem there is, food. This is also a social problem and it is
one that hardly anyone talks about in orchestra work. (It also
can involve burping, too!)

5) after the age of 50, some men begin to have prostate problems and
this leads to urinary infections, the need to urinate frequently,
and even incontinence, so a lot of eating and, more particularly,
drinking, before a concert and one can get in some pretty serious
troubles.

Jack Kreiselman, who is now retired and living in Florida, was a
NY player for years but he did work with the New Orleans Orchestra
for a couple of seasons and he told me that in a performance of
Daphnis, the basoonist, who had foolishly eaten something before the
concert that gave him diarreah (how the hell does one spell that?),
was unable to contain himself and sort of exploded. After the suite
was over they had to carry the poor bastard off the stage while still
sitting in his chair. I think he gave up music and became a cloistered
priest. While such situations are rare, it is best to avoid eating
before playing. But if one is going to eat, then do it thoughtfully;
i.e., no alcohol, no crunchy things, limited liquids, no farty foods,
no odiferous foods, and small amounts. After the concert, PIZZA,
TACOS, CORNED BEEF SANDWICHES, SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC SAUCE!!!!!!!

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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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