Klarinet Archive - Posting 000146.txt from 2000/03

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] Toys? Obsessions?
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 20:27:45 -0500

On Sat, 04 Mar 2000 07:08:41 -0800, vsofan@-----.com said:

> How about "treasure" or "treasured posession" instead of obsession?

I suppose I don't want that because both of those are terms for things
that are acceptable and defensible, whether they're rational or not.
Probably we all have treasured possessions.

What I wanted was a term for something that I think isn't really
acceptable or defensible, and that should be argued against, even if
it's understandable. I wanted a descriptive term that had built into it
the idea of a lack of proportion, and a lack of proportion when dealing
with the world, on the part of attitudes falling under it.

It's rather a small example, but I mean, I really do think that going on
and on about these ligatures is a bit potty. (Quite a lot of things in
the world are potty, admittedly, but this is one that's actually trivial
enough to be nailable.)

What I say is: have lots of ligatures if you want, and use different
ones for different reeds, and so on. And if you have a
diamond-encrusted one, I can well understand how it could be your really
fave item, and I'll come round and admire it with you, and drink your
booze to celebrate, and so on:-)

But, really.

There was a very nice chap (sorry, I've mislaid his post for the moment)
who talked about his cheap, non-damping ligature, putting it mostly in a
way that would encourage me buy one of his (it's worth having an extra
ligature lying about to try, and you do actually have to have one of one
sort or another, even if it's made of bubblegum or whatever, and a
non-damping one would be fine).

But when he said something like, a lot of difficulties of students can
be avoided by giving them a better ligature, I'm afraid that seems to me
to be well over the top.

My students' difficulties might be avoided, rather, if they acquired the
ability to decide for themselves whether or not a different ligature, or
reed, or mouthpiece, or clarinet, or technique, or embouchure, or
tone-colour, or phrasing, or whatever, *is* actually better in the
situation in which they actually try it.

The thing has something of the flavour of that question, do you give
them fish you catch, and tell them that those fish are really the *very
best fish*, or do you give them a fishing rod?

And show them the river?

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE www.gmn.com/artists/welcome.asp
tel/fax 01865 553339

.... The opinions expressed here are also my dog's.
.

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