Klarinet Archive - Posting 000093.txt from 2001/11

From: HatNYC62@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: How to make your reeds work
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 10:05:57 -0500

There comes a time for every clarinet player when he has to decide how
dedicated to the reed-making and preparation aspect of playing he is going to
be. I am not good with reeds, not handy with a knife and my thumb is not
sensitive enough to check the tip for imbalances.

But, there is a solution for people like me. Fortunately I discovered it when
I was still in school and it has paid off every since. I LEARNED TO PLAY ON
BAD REEDS.

Let's face it, probably 50% of the time you are not going to have a very good
reed. If that thought makes you uptight, you have a problem. Especially with
the kind of work I do, where I literally play in a different room every gig,
it would be impossible to prepare reeds in advance for every situation. Even
if you think you have something, the weather might change and then you are
screwed if you don't have something else.

My advice is, practice your scales and arpeggios for several hours every day
with a metronome and use your ears, not your reeds, to get a great sound.

David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com

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