Klarinet Archive - Posting 000029.txt from 1997/12

From: Jennifer Rose McKenna <jrm0013@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: New topic...when to transcribe?
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 19:42:07 -0500

I always wanted to know this - do many of you so called 'water log' your
reeds before you play them-you know buy blowing through the end of the
reed. i always found that the reeds died sooner when i did this. just
wondering?

jennifer mckenna
jrm0013@-----.edu
university of north texas
clarinet concentration/music ed major

On Mon, 1 Dec 1997, Da Shouryu-man wrote:

> On Mon, 1 Dec 1997, Roger Garrett wrote:
> >
> > Actually, the break in is not so long for Bass......just the sanding of
> > the back to be sure the warp is gone. An important consideration is that
> > when reeds start to wear out, they make it sound/feel as though the horn
> > is leaking somewhere......very important to remember this!
>
> I seal my reeds first, soaking and pressing, soaking and pressing, etc
> until I don't see air bubbles on the vamp when I blow through the butt of
> the reed. Then I wait for it to completely dry, and occasionally, after
> sanding then playing, it will warp again...that's why I say it's long.
> While it may not be necessary to seal it, I do anyway. That's part of
> what takes so long for me. I've never tried not sealing the reed; that
> _would_ shorten the process significantly, huh? ^_^
>
> > I disagree with the contention that one never plays on anything harder
> > than a 3. I play on size 4 Vandorens, and they are a bit soft at times
> > for me. Lawrie Bloom plays on 4's.....anything less than a size 3 on a
> > standard C* mouthpiece will be too soft for a good quality, full-bodied
> > bass clarinet sound....especially for projection in the low range.
>
> I haven't tried a C* yet, so I can't say for sure. I was probably jumping
> the gun with my statement there. All the students I've worked with and
> played beside in regional conventions, if anyone played anything harder
> than a 3, they got real reedy in the clarion (yuck) and couldn't play
> ANYTHING below mezzoforte without sounding like a gagging goose. So when
> I speak, I speak of off that experience. I haven't tried working past
> 3.5, but I may try with different mouthpieces, now that you've brought it
> up.
>
> > Doesn't matter to most of us if you sound that way as long as you realize
> > that there are a LOT of people who have put a lot of time and effort into
> > being good bass clarinet players......gee...and some of us have even
> > played in a major symphony orchestra on it!
>
> Mr. Garrett, I've been on the list for less than a day, and I'm happy that
> I've found people like you who take basses seriously. I have such a hard
> time finding people as such, and it's good to know that they're on this
> list as well. I'll keep these things in mind from now on. ^_^
>
> "The dumbest thing that band directors often do is take the last few
> clarinets on the list after chair tests and have them play low clarinets.
> It is truly a tragedy."--Grant Green, Contrabass ML
>
> Shouryu
>
> Coming soon! A whole new Dope-onna-rope! That's right! Shouryu is
> changing EVERYTHING!!! A new signature with new and improved design! A
> new web page with...>gasp<...USEFUL STUFF! Stay tuned in December when
> Warm Up gets a whole new makeover!!! http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
> (This does not mean, however, that Shouryu has a girlfriend yet.)
>