Klarinet Archive - Posting 000465.txt from 1998/07

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] re: Ricardo student set-ups
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 09:00:23 -0400

I once came in to a Gigliotti lesson with a big M.P. patch (bigger the
better right?) and he told me that it would deaden the sound. 3 stacked on
top of each other? hmmmmmmm maybe I'll try it.
One of my students - Jen Moren, tells me that she sat next to Ricardo (of
course 2nd chair to) in Indiana All State Band a number of years ago (THE
Ricardo, not A Ricardo). I wonder if that is possible?

David Blumberg

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 22:17:38 EDT
From: <GTGallant@-----.com>
Subject: Ricardo student set-ups
I recently played with one of Ricardo's students, and she did use kind of a
strange setup. She used a set of Opuses that were tricked out and owned by
Ricardo himself. They had an awkward half-hole device soldered to the left
hand, index finger key. Some pinkey keys were filed down and made smaller.
Some leather pads were used in various spots for who knows what reasons.
Cork, yes cork, was used inside some of the larger toneholes to help with
tuning.
The instruments played nicely, though - real even and smooth. She also used a
refaced B45 mouthpiece which was mega resistant and used 41/2 Grand Concerts.
Her sound was nice, but it seemed she was laboring to play and ran out of
breath quickly. The strange part about the mouthpiece was the amount of
patches on it. She had no less than three, very thick patches all placed on
top of each other. Ricardo uses the same multiple mouthpiece patch setup (I
asked her if he does the same). Oh, yeah, and of course... the BG ligature!
The funny part was that she played on the Buffet R-13/standard B45 setup
prior
to studying with him. It must have been hard to get accustomed and adjust to
an entirely new concept of playing. To each his/her own, I guess.

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