Klarinet Archive - Posting 000977.txt from 1998/05

From: "Carl Schexnayder" <carlsche@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] re: don't get sick from playing students equipment
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 03:57:32 -0400

(Snip) - However, you *can* catch other people's colds by playing on their
reeds...
>Which irritates the hell out of me since I often grab a student's setup to
>play on it. There's just no other way to tell what their reed setup is,
>especially with new students with unknown mouthpieces... Now I know I can
get
>some disinfectant spray, but I also know that when I'm teaching I'm just
too
>impatient and can't be bothered.

Hi David:

For many years, I also picked up and played student's instruments and felt
exactly the same as you do about it. However, I've been fighting Lymphoma
since 1986 and, since I became sick, I was much more concerned about
catching something that would add to my problems. What I do now is to have
the student play for me, checking the reed for balance, etc. himself, (or
herself), and then I'll work on the reed. If it's a problem with a leak, I
have them start on an open g, (on the clarinet), and go down the chromatic
scale until the problem surfaces. If the g won't come out, then I know that
the problem is higher up. At first, I felt lost....as though I wouldn't be
able to fix the problem if I didn't play the instrument, but I now feel just
as confident as ever that I can find and fix the problem just as well as I
could before.

In the past, I used Dr. Tichner's Anticeptic, (I don't know if that's the
correct spelling), but I know that the Woodwind & the Brasswind sells
something that you can either spray the mouthpiece with or dip it in.

When I've seen how filthy some kid's mouthpieces are, I wonder how I lived
through playing on them. Of course, I would usually check before blowing on
one, but I can remember getting burnt by thinking, "This kid keeps his
mouthpiece clean", and just trusting that, only to find out I was wrong.

For What It's Worth,

Carl Schexnayder

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