Klarinet Archive - Posting 000092.txt from 2001/11

From: Stan Geidel <sgeidel@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] How to make your reeds work
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 09:42:33 -0500

This humorous little tale about reeds reminds me of the reed advice offered
years ago by Leon Russianoff. Actually, I overhead Leon say this to another
student as I was waiting for my lesson one day...

Those of you who studied with Russianoff in his old studio in NYC will
remember the little waiting room he had. I was waiting there for my lesson
one day, and the fellow who was taking his lesson was just finishing up. He
apologized to Leon at the end of his lesson, saying, "I'm sorry I didn't
sound very good today, Mr. Russianoff. The weather changed, and my reed
just wouldn't play well at all."

Russianoff then bellowed at the poor fellow, "The weather is always the same
in your mouth. If you'd keep the reed in your mouth and practice a little
more, everything would be fine!"

Stan Geidel
___________________
Dr. Stanley Geidel
Editor and Publisher
THE ONLINE CLARINET RESOURCE
www.ocr.sneezy.org

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subject: [kl] How to make your reeds work

> We have had much conflicting advice about how to treat reeds to obtain
> maximum performance capabilities. However, I'm going to give you the six
> secret steps for treating reeds which will cause playing the clarinet to
be
> so much more fun than you have ever experienced!
>
> 1. Place all your reeds in a small brown paper bag. (Plastic won't to -
> the reeds can't breathe.)
>
> 2. Take them to a cemetery at midnight on the night of a full moon.
>
> 3. Sprinkle the bag with a concoction of dried and powdered bat's wings
and
> lizard tails.
>
> 4. Recite an appropriate incantation, or read a few passages from either
> Keith Stein's "The Art of Clarinet Playing" or William Stubbins' "The Art
of
> Clarinetistry." (But don't read from both of them - your reeds will
become
> hopelessly confused, and so will you.)
>
> 5. Throw the bag of reeds into a convenient open grave, and run away as
> fast as you can, never looking back.
>
> 6. Go home, find some other reed, and practice several hours.
>
> I'm sure you'll notice immediate improvement in your playing!
>
> Ed Lacy
> EL2@-----.edu
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

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