Klarinet Archive - Posting 000963.txt from 1999/02

From: avrahm galper <agalper@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] CLARINETISTS AND MOUTHPIECES, Part 1
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 10:31:25 -0500

Clarinetists and Mouthpieces by Gennaro Volpe

Many years ago I was playing in Chicago for a few days and dropped into
the shop of Mr.Goldbeck, who rightly enjoyed fine reputation for his
work on clarinet mouthpieces.
In this shop was a professional clarinetist who was in great
distress--every time he played C in the staff he produced a whistle.
Goldbeck thought that the facing might be crooked but it proved to be
even when measured.
He suggested that another facing be tried and proceeded to reface the
mouthpiece
The C still whistled
Another facing was made. Still the C whistled
More and more facings were tried until all the rubber possible had been
taken off the mouthpiece.
Never had there been such a robust whistle that player continued to
produce.
Goldbeck threw up his hands, "The devil has taken your soul, my friend.
You need a priest, not me"

Whether it was the condition off his soul or out-of-line gear in the
player's head is a debatable point, but many players have experienced
spells of a peculiar whistling upon particular notes.
The first clarinetist of one of our best orchestras went through such a
period when he whistled every time he played the high C of the solo on
the last movement of the New World symphony.
Another time he whistled on the middle B in the fast D run in the second
cadenza of Liszt's second Hungarian Rhapsody.
The whistles disappeared as mysteriously as they have made their
appearance.

Was it the reed? No, because other reeds also whistled

Was it the mouthpiece?Perhaps. Was it a passing peculiarity that had
developed in the embouchure? Perhaps. It would be difficult to say what
precisely the reason for the trouble was.
However, this much is sure: if a player believes that the trouble is in
the mouthpiece, he is in for a rough time
Or to take another explanation, if he believes that somewhere in the
world there exists just the right mouthpiece to end his troubles and he
begins searching, he will surely go to his grave believing that the
mouthpiece is waiting for him "just around the corner".
I knew a few mouthpiece bugs when I was young and those are still alive
and searching avidly as ever.

Of course rheumatism and other infirmities of age cut down the amount of
territory they can cover in a week, but the gleam still burns brightly
in their eyes.

Taken from the Clarinet,a Symphony Quarterly.
--
Avrahm Galper
TONE TECHNIQUE AND STACCATO
THE UPBEAT BAERMANN MELODIC SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
http://www.sneezy.org/avrahm_galper/index.html

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