Klarinet Archive - Posting 000327.txt from 1998/03

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: ITS A FACT (4)
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 14:43:10 -0500

On Thu, 5 Mar 1998, avrahm galper wrote:

> 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.

These may have been FACTS 50 years ago, but in my humble opinion, some of
them are dangerously close to being FALLACIES today.

> Advise your elementary students to leave the reed about 1/16" below the
> tip of the mouthpiece when putting the instrument in the case.

I would never do this. Rather, I would advise them not to leave the reed
on the mouthpiece at all when the instrument is in the case. They must
get used to this, because at some point as they mature they may own a good
quality mouthpiece which could be adversely affected by pressure from the
ligature. Even very slight pressure over a long period of time could be
detrimental. Besides, removing the reed and storing it properly
encourages students to clean out the mouthpiece a little bit. Otherwise,
the most interesting cultures of mold, mildew and who knows what else can
grow there.

> If you should join a new group and discover you are flat in pitch, do
> not rush to the nearest repair shop to have your barrels cut. You may
> discover that this group plays very sharp (most amateur groups do) and
> by having cut your barrels, you may have ruined the pitch of the
> instrument for playing with other groups.

Today, with the easy accessibility of electronic tuners, there is no need
for speculation about pitch levels. In 1950, the international standard
of A=440 had not been established for a very long time, and there were a
lot of instruments still in use which might have been manufactured to
other pitch standards. Today, the A=440 standard is facing a lot of new
challenges and pressures, but that's a subject for another discussion.

> If you use kleenex to wipe your mouthpiece, always use fresh ones. Old
> kleenex's tend to leave some residue in the mouthpiece that can stick
> and be hard to get off.

I wouldn't wipe a mouthpiece with tissue paper of any kind, old or new,
borrowed or blue, to borrow a phrase. The reason is precisely the one you
mention - residue which will be left.

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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