Klarinet Archive - Posting 000891.txt from 1998/06

From: "line ringuette" <lringuet@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] I'm Back!
Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 00:02:25 -0400

> >But I broke my Gennusa mouthpiece after one orchestra rehearsal; it just
> >slipped out of my hands and hit the ground and broke. I almost cried.
>
> I broke a Vandoren 5RV just before a concert once - had to borrow a
> mouthpiece from someone in the concert band which had played just before
us.
> I had my clarinet standing upright (not on a stand - OK, that was stupid,
> but I was 11 at the time) and it fell over and the mouthpiece hit someone
> else's LH side keys. But it was a pretty awful mouthpiece anyway - I've
> still got it, minus a big chip. I keep it to remind myself never to do
> anything stupid like that again!
>
I don't want to bother anyone on the list with another "me too" story, but
I think that breaking my first mouthpiece was probably the best thing that
ever happened to me!!! :)
I was a struggling 8th grader who obviously missed the lesson on 'why to
carefully hold on to your instrument when not playing it'. It tipped over
and the mouthpiece was history!!! My music teacher, who travelled from
school to school actually kept spare intrument parts in the trunk of her
car, for occasions just like mine. She told me to dig around and find
myself a new mouthpiece. I ended up with an old, crappy-looking one, but
as soon as I put it in my mouth I could play high notes like never
before!!! All of a sudden, I was one of the best players in the class!!!
(much later I discovered that the old beat-up mouthpiece was actually an
old Woodwind G? mouthpiece - it certainly was much better than the Bundy
stock mouthpiece I had been struggling with!)
It's pretty funny, but sometimes I wonder if I would still be playing my
clarinet... (and completing my master's degree) if I hadn't broken that
first mouthpiece?!!!
:)
Line

---------------------------------------------------------------------
For additional commands, e-mail: klarinet-help@-----.org
For other problems, e-mail: klarinet-owner@-----.org