Klarinet Archive - Posting 000670.txt from 2001/11

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Reamers or "Don't try this at home"
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 14:58:09 -0500

Good story, Walt.

The point you were making, and the one that needs to be stressed, is that you were putting it all on the line, with the very distinct possibility of having your "best mouthpiece to date" ending up in
the garbage can. I do that a lot when I make bassoon reeds. The only difference is when I chuck a reed by making that last fatal scrape, I'm not out nearly as much in time, materials and $$$$$$ as you
are when going for broke.

GrabnerWG@-----.com wrote:

> Clark Fobes says:
>
> <<This is not magic, just 25 years of hard won experience.>>
>
> Clark is absolutely right. No magic.
>
> I might add, there is only one way to get that 25 years of experience.
>
> Let me relay an anecdote.
>
> On Friday I had a visit from a clarinetist who has four or five Cicero Kaspars, one of which he plays as his "regular".
>
> It's a fine mouthpiece, as nice as I have ever played on. (The others all had various different problems.)
>
> One of the things we did was to compare my "regular" to his best Kaspar. I wanted to see what the crucial differences were, as we both agreed his Kaspar was better than my "regular".
>
> As I compared the two mouthpieces, I began to work on my own mouthpiece. My guest blanched. "You're working and changing your best mouthpiece?"
>
> I said "Yes, it's not as good as yours".
>
> I made three changes to my mouthpiece, each one committing me to irreversible change.
>
> I "flared" the window slightly at the very top of the mouthpiece.
>
> I filed right below tip rail to slightly deepen the curve in this most sensitive beginning to the baffle.
>
> I filed at the very bottom of the baffle, deepening it considerably.
>
> Each change risked ruining the mouthpiece.
>
> I was lucky. Each change improved the mouthpiece, quickening the response, deepening the "core" of the sound. I now have a much improved "regular" and I learned some more tricks to mouthpiece work.
>
> I was also willing to go for broke.
>
> That's how you get the 25 years experience.
>
> Walter Grabbner
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Richard Bush
Bassoon Reed Maker

---------------------------------------------------------------------