Klarinet Archive - Posting 000874.txt from 2001/01
From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet Choice
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 17:47:20 -0500
At 12:44 PM 1/26/2001 -0700, William J. Pontarelli wrote:
> This is the first time in months that I have ever responded to any
>message I have gotten from Klarinet. I just enjoy reading them and learning
>from them. When I read about the teacher that says that all his students
>play the same mouthpiece it reminded me of the time just recently I went to
>a guy in the symphony to smooth out my technique and improve my hand
>position and finger position. He tried to change the barrel I was using and
>increased the strength of my reed and changed my ligature and mouthpiece and
>even suggested that I get a new clarinet. Now, I am a professional jazz
>clarinetist (you know, bending and squeezing notes lots of vibrato, hard
>phrasing on the off beat, punching and wavering notes) and all I wanted was
>to improve my technique. I asked him how everyone could play the same
>mouthpiece and strength of reed when everyones tooth position, palate
>height, and throat opening are different and that sound is dictated by one's
>oral anatomy. He couldn't answer me. I told him that vandoren reeds are
>too stiff for me to play but he insisted I play them. I read him a passage
>from Buddy Defranco's new book that said that it was nearly impossible to
>play jazz on a classical setup but he ignored me. There are lots of guys
>out there like the one you described.
Personally, I use entirely different setups for jazz and classical playing,
lately even different instruments. I want tight intonation control for
classical/concert band work, and the ability to blend well in the section,
but for jazz/big band, I want to bend and scoop notes, and to get as much
projection as possible to try to hold my own against the saxes. I don't
think you can really do both well on one setup. These guys who insist on
one tool to perform every job are a drag! Like they say, if all you have
is a hammer, you tend to approach all problems as nails. If there was only
ONE correct setup, wouldn't ALL the pros be using it? In fact, I doubt if
ANY two of the major solo artists use the same setup. I assume most of
them spent YEARS finding what works for them, and have not stopped looking
for something better. This guy may give you a nice new starting point in a
search for a new CLASSICAL setup, but don't change what you are doing
professionally just to suit him! There are many who think Benny Goodman
never sounded as good once a famous symphony artist/teacher switched him to
double lip.
Bill Hausmann bhausmann1@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265
If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!
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