Klarinet Archive - Posting 000397.txt from 1998/02

From: avrahm galper <agalper@-----.com>
Subj: IT'S A FACT (1)
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 14:40:13 -0500

IT'S A FACT
These "facts" are taken from the CLARINET, a symphony quarterly that
appeared in the early 50s and are the opinions of various prominent
players and teachers at the time.
***************
After clipping a reed, round off the sharp corners with an emery board
(used for filing fingernails),
If left pointed, the corners do not vibrate evenly with the rest of the
reed and will, therefore, create a degree of buzzing in the tone.
***************
Do not oil the wood of your instrument. It deadens the tone.
**************
Most ligature guidelines drawn around mouthpieces are placed too high.
Top-notchers usually play with the ligature from one-sixteenths to one
-eighth of an inch below the line, therefore opening the reed more.
**********
When playing a reed, or after clipping a reed, experiment to find the
right spot for it on the mouthpiece.It is seldom that two reeds play
their best in exactly the same position.
*************
A muffled tone is often due to players' drawing the lower lip too far
over the teeth.Too large a fold of lip inside the mouth lies against the
reed, thus interfering with its vibrations freely.
This is the reason why players with full lips should be particularly
careful not to cover their teeth with more than half the lower lip.
*************
Ninety-nine percent of the finest players use the first finger of the
Left hand for F sharp (first space) instead of the thumb and the two
lower trill keys, even in the fastest chromatic runs.
It may seem awkward to students at first, but this fingering is well
worth the extra time spent mastering it.
************
Gino Cioffi (former Boston principal) refuted this last assumption
maintaining that in ascending passages, one should use the side F sharp
fingering. In descending passages, in order to avoid using two hands,
use the first finger of the Left hand {My opinion also. AG}

Avrahm Galper
Bela Bartok-- Roumanian Dances
Clarinet and Piano
http://www.sneezy.org/avrahm_galper/index.html