Klarinet Archive - Posting 000316.txt from 2000/04
From: "Michael Lawrence" <belgarath10@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] re: Tone - the quick way
Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 14:40:21 -0400
Heh, you don't sound either:)... I know I didn't reply to the Tony's point
at all, that is why I included only a portion of what he said- the portion
that led to my thought- and replied only to it. I appreciate any input
possible... thank you for telling me not to look at the visual aspects- I
currently do neither (visual or audial(?)) and just pick up the next reed in
the box until it gives out. I know this must be horrible (well, not the
best...) for my sound, and I wish to improve it, I just do not know how. I
have looked into other reeds and such (I currently play on a Vandoren V12),
but I know there has to be some individual care for any reed. Thanks again
for your input, it is muchly appreciated:).
Michael L.
Without wanting to sound snide or flippant, I think you missed Tony's main
point in the message to which you were replying (in part) with this
question. Without in any way wanting to speak for Tony Pay - he does very
well on his own and I can't speak as a player with nearly his level of
authority - I would nonetheless suggest that if you're looking for visual
clues to good reeds, you're barking up the wrong tree. Reeds are *good* or
*OK* or *not good* because of what they sound like and what they allow you
to do. I've played on some reeds that looked awful by every standard
criterion. They did what I needed them to do. Many reeds that look wonderful
don't play well because there are qualities in the cane that you can't
really see reliably.
I've long ago quit trying to pick reeds visually at all. I don't look at
them until after I've tried to play on them. I actually try (on the
instrument with a ligature) every reed in the box. Some are just too far off
the mark to make me want to spend the time trying to adjust them, so I put
them in a box for some other lifetime (I keep thinking I'll buy a
Reed-Du-All one day). Some feel closer to what I'm searching for, and I then
inspect those to see if I can find an imbalance or a heavy area visually.
The important thing is that the sound and feel of a reed makes it good, bad,
or indifferent. The great challenge in learning to choose good reeds is
developing a conceptual expectation of sound and response against which to
judge each reed you try.
Karl Krelove
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