Klarinet Archive - Posting 000441.txt from 1996/02

From: Brad Behn <BradBehn@-----.COM>
Subj: Sound, Equipment, Concept
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 10:38:17 -0500

Indeed Sound is a function of the individual...not the instrument...or
equipment for that matter.

I would like to suggest that all musicians with a SOUND CONCEPT will end up
sounding like themselves on whatever equipment they choose to use.

Equipment, whether it be a Selmer, Buffet, Leblanc, Vandoren mouthpiece or 3
1/2 or 4 strength reeds, etc. is nothing more than equipment! The musician
that plays the equipment is what makes the sound.

Indeed equipment can Help the musician to sound a certain way: Dark, Brigt,
etc. ( I hate those words by the way...I think they have become so over used
that they have lost their meaning!) I am not saying that equipment does not
have tonal charactoristics. If that were the case, everything would sound
the same way. We all know that not to be true.

What I am saying is: When selecting equipment, don't go so much by sound...go
by feel. (intonation is also very important, and I think a function of
feel...when it is in tune, it feels good, when it is out of tune you must
work harder to play in tune therefore it feels bad)

Assuming you will end up sounding the same on whatever equipment you play,
isn't it a good idea to select equipment that makes it the easiest for you to
create your concept.

If half of your energy goes into simply producing a sound, you only have half
of your energy to make music...and that is what it is all about! If you can
find a setup that only requires five percent of your energy to play, you now
have ninety five percent of your energy to produce music....just imagine the
improvement!

Why not select equipment that is easy to play and use that new freedom (now,
you are not working as hard) to create music!

Good luck,
Brad Behn