Klarinet Archive - Posting 000033.txt from 1998/06

From: <EbKlarinet@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] answer the questions, please
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 00:49:00 -0400

Matt, You still don't address the questions involved in this discussion. Why
not???

>>>>>>>>>>>
Elis,
I am very much aware of the different reeds made by Rico. I was SIMPLY
referring to the COMPANY NAME, not the low end reeds. You, yourself,
above just used the word RICO to refer to the COMPANY NAME.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Rico reeds are no less consistant than Vandorens and you may have just
intimidated the hell out of some younger players who use them.
>>>>>>>>>>>

Which Rico reeds were you talking about that these "younger" players are
using? The obvious implication is that they are using the low-end Ricos--it
is students who have less money to spend and less knowledge about cane who are
the main consumer of low-end Rico reeds. And you still haven't verified the
correctness of that statement you made above about the relative consistency of
Vandoren and Rico cane. Well?????? If they were so consistent, wouldn't you be
using them yourself? Yet you said, "I personally do not use Rico reeds on my
low clarinets as often as other brands". By the way, the high-end Rico reeds
aren't available for contraalto or contrabass--the best you could do would be
Royals, which, though they are french-filed, are not high-quality cane like
Vandoren.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>Yes, we ALL know that educated clarinetists use Bundy >mouthpieces!!!!!!!
>PUH-leze! Have you measured these mpcs? What other makers' mpcs are >they
>better than? I'll take a nice Leblanc hard rubber contra mpc over ANY >Bundy
>any day!

Elise, Leblanc Eb contra mouthpieces don't fit Selmer Eb contras. :)
please check yourself.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

How about a SELMER contra alto mpc? I personally have almost always played
Leblanc contra clarinets, and I use the hard rubber PRO mpc supplied with the
instrument--Vito would be Leblanc's version of the Bundy, and I wouldn't use
one unless that was the only one available. A Bundy mpc is the Selmer
Company's student line--the GOOD mpc would be Selmer. Whichever brand
instrument the player was using, surely the best advice would be to use a pro
mpc, not a student one. This is what Shouryu was talking about. Again, you
still do not say which other manufacturer's mpcs Bundy is better than. Why
not?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Elise, actually, yes, I have measured these mouthpieces. And there is
this thing call REFACING.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What were the results of these measurements that cause you to recommend Bundy
contra mpcs over a PRO mpc?? And about REFACING, are you saying Bundys are
only good if they've been refaced, in other words, turned into ANOTHER MPC???
Should everyone with a Bundy mpc go get it refaced? This is hardly practical
for someone who is using a school-owned instrument, and doesn't own the mpc in
question. It also proves that Shouryu was right to say that Bundy mpcs aren't
very good--if YOU think they need to be refaced, then they can't be very good,
can they? That *is* why you mentioned refacing, right??

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As a youth, I don't expect you to understand my statements on
mouthpiece/reed proportion, altering reeds, instrument design, etc. but
don't flame me for the fact that you can relate to Shouryu more than me.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>tirade over--you may lower shields!----Elise Curran
I suspect this may be your problem in the first place. This is no place
for shields.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Are we getting personal here????? I wonder why you feel it necessary to cast
aspersions on youth, especially when you have no idea how old I am. btw, age
is NO guarantee that you have a clue AT ALL about this subject, but I have
noticed that some people think their age gives them carte blanche to talk down
to other people. I have also noticed that the more a person knows about a
subject, the less they have to put down other people, esp. young ones. (btw. I
am middle-aged, not a youth!) I learned about mpcs from a very humble man
named Tom Ridenour--you may have heard of him.:~) I also have worked in music
retail for ten years, where I have all of the manufacturers' mpc charts and
reed information, and I pick the brains of anyone who has information that I
can learn from, at any opportunity, like Marcus Ely, Charlie Bay, and David
Hite, and the manufacturers themselves, who are always happy to talk with
people interested enough to ask. What are your credentials? They must be
impressive indeed--look at how you address even the older members of this list
[and I don't mean myself! :~)] !!!!
Judging by your correspondence with other people on Klarinetlist, I
would say that we DO need shields! And I am happy to know that I can relate
to a wonderful person like Shouryu--it's not too surprising at this point to
learn that you can't!! The original reason I posted was not to discuss mpcs
and reeds, but to object to how a member of this list was being treated by
another member. **That was and is the point.** There are many different types
of people in here, with widely-varying backgrounds and experiences. We're
here to help people who have questions, and have pleasant, and even
invigorating, exchanges with fellow clarinetists. It is not for you or anyone
else to tell other members not to try to give the best advice they can to
anyone who asks, which is what you did to Shouryu. We all have the right to
this free forum--it is for the reader to pick and choose what they will use
and what they won't.

Elise Curran

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