Klarinet Archive - Posting 000060.txt from 2001/11

From: Gavin Rebetzke <GRebetzke@-----.au>
Subj: RE: [kl] Leaving the reed on.
Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 19:37:32 -0500

>From my limited knowledge of microbiology, it must have been a very rare
virus indeed to survive on a reed, no matter how disgusting the reed was.
You most likely contracted your viral illness from some other source. Gavin

-----Original Message-----
From: lubydjackson@-----.net]
Subject: Re: [kl] Leaving the reed on.

Adding to what you're saying, I do recount some small black fuzz growing on
my reeds once or twice. After playing this doomed reed, I contracted a rare
virus which sent me reeling for about two years.

I said all of that to say that one must really know their reeds before
practicing these things.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stan Geidel" <sgeidel@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] Leaving the reed on.

> The issue of leaving the reed on the mouthpiece for the duration of its
> usable life is a curious one. I *have* heard of this practice, but it has
> only been in the form of stories about players who do this; I've never
> personally known of anyone who manages their reeds in this manner. If I
did
> know someone who did this, I would ask them the following question:
> It seems the purpose of leaving the reed on the mouthpiece is to
> preserve its ideal playing position. There is no question in my mind that
> each reed does, in fact, have an ideal playing position: we make slight
> position changes - higher, lower, left, right. However, in my experience,
> that ideal playing position changes as the reed changes. For example, I
may
> find that as a particular reed ages, I might like to place it a little
> higher in relation to the tip of the mouthpiece. If this is true for most
> players (and I suspect it may be), what would be the point of trying to
> preserve an "ideal" playing position if that position is a moving target?
>
> Stan Geidel
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Wakefield" <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 9:59 AM
> Subject: [kl] Leaving the reed on.
>
>
> >
> >
> > Tony Pay has brought to our attention the oboists` idea of dipping the
> reed
> > (clarinet reed) into a little water as opposed to wetting it with our
own
> > saliva. He also lets us know that one or two American(?) clarinetittists
> > have been known to leave the reed on the mouthpiece for the life
> duration(?)
> > of the reed.
> >
> > I have noticed positive and immediate response using this method, but
> would
> > ask this: if the reed is left on, it must surely create some kind of
> dilemma
> > in how to blow in brand new reeds for playing on the mouthpiece already
in
> > use. Unless one has an identical mouthpiece, and even with this way,
then
> > leaving the reed on, can surely only cause a <faster> degeneration of
the
> > reed, due to digested food particles building up on the inside surface
of
>
> > reed, and will also surely shorten the useful life of the M/P as
deposits
> > build up, and harden, without cleaning. I have mentioned before that
> taking
> > the reed off (to clean) and replacing it correctly and accurately to
> within
> > a couple of thousandths of an inch should not interfere at all in the
> > continuing good performance of the reed, (experienced players will be
able
> > to do this to within 1000th of an inch). Indeed it should, with positive
> > results enhance the life and performance of the reed, as it is being
cared
> > for, as opposed to neglected if left on.
> >
> > There are of course the obvious health hazards too, if one leaves the
reed
> > on all the time.
> >
> > I`d be interested to hear further views.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Tony W.
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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