Klarinet Archive - Posting 000439.txt from 2001/10

From: MVinquist@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] Water
Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2001 11:23:20 -0400

Tony -

The water container is a great idea. Do you take the mouthpiece (or maybe
the mouthpiece and barrel) off to dunk? That would avoid a semaphore effect
with the instrument.

Many years ago, I went to a master class with Gino Cioffi (principal in
Boston) -- a truly scare-you-to-death virtuoso. He said he never took a reed
off his mouthpiece. At the end of a rehearsal, he would run clear water
through it to wash out any saliva, and before a rehearsal, he would do the
same to wet the reed.

He said a reed has a single position of best response (my experience, too),
and he didn't want to lose it. Also, the bottom of the reed warps down into
the window, and if you take it off and put it back on, you can never find
exactly the spot again, and this results in a poor seal.

He played on a crystal mouthpiece, so presumably there was little build-up of
deposits and no possibility of the mouthpiece warping from the pressure of
the ligature.

My own mileage varies. On a hard rubber mouthpiece, crud builds up if I
leave the reed on, and I frequently touch up a reed with a knife, so I really
have to take it off. Also, I check for warpage down into the window and
flatten the bottom of the reed on a fine file whenever this happens.

Does anyone on the list put a reed on and leave it there until it wears out?

For convenience, at the beginning of a session, I put several reeds in a
small bowl of water to soak for 4-5 minutes, but I think saliva works just as
well. I've never noticed any difference in reed life one way or the other.
However, I put new reeds through a 10-day process of soaking, sanding and
sealing, so my experience may not be typical.

I also use Tony's method of springing the reed away from the mouthpiece if it
closes up. I use a business card or matchbook cover, on the theory that it's
less likely to put wear on the rails than a piece of plastic. For the same
reason, I never wedge the card down against the mouthpiece, but only slide it
down gently until I feel a little resistance and then gently bend the reed
away from the lay.

Tony's started an interesting thread. I want to hear more.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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