Klarinet Archive - Posting 000250.txt from 2002/08

From: "Lacy Schroeder" <LacyS@-----.org>
Subj: [kl] Reeds!!
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 12:39:34 -0400

On Saturday, I fixed about 40 reeds, which is a real coup for me since I
hate messing with them. And since there were so many, I wanted some sort
of system in which I could differentiate them. I have used numbers
(marked on the heel) in the past, and I have remembered certain numbers
in the rotation I was using, but couldn't remember the playing
characteristics of the others. I know this sounds simplistic, and I'm
sure someone else on the list has done this too, but I came up with a
new little system for myself. I have a box of skinny Crayola markers,
the classic colors, and devised a color-coding system in which a dot of
a certain color designates a different characteristic of the reed. So,
in my process, I have three different colors designating the reed in
sort of a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place overall quality. Red is a #1, blue is a
#2, and brown is a #3 and only fit for practicing. Then, I designated
other colors for other reed characteristics, black for a covered sound,
and green for an open sound. Then, I put a final dot to designate how
the reed plays on both my Bb and A. An orange dot means it plays well on
both, a purple dot means it is better suited for my A, and a yellow dot
for my Bb. So, this way I see a reed in the box, and I can tell by the
red, orange, and black dots on the heel that it's a #1 reed with a
covered sound that plays well on both horns. I keep a color key taped to
the inside lid of my reed-supply box so I don't forget which color means
what.=20

I'm sure I'm not the first to do this, but I'm excited about it and
thought I'd share my little bit of clarinet-nerdiness. I'm also excited
about starting my grad studies next month at Northwestern!! I seriously
wish they were on semesters instead of quarters, because I'm itching to
go back to school and most everyone else is in school already and I have
another month to wait!! Call me a geek, but I'm a big academia nut and
love to be stimulated intellectually. I'm thinking of intentionally
failing my placement exams just so I can take the history review classes
and such (haha, that was a joke, I'm not THAT crazy). :) Okay, now I'm
just rambling (too much coffee this morning) so I'll say "adieu."=20

Adieu!

Lacy Schroeder

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