Klarinet Archive - Posting 000684.txt from 2003/02

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Audition preparation (a small point)
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 19:44:15 -0500

While Clark made mention of avoiding equipment changes as the audition approaches, the more basic
issue of simply ensuring that your equipment is in peak working condition is also worth
addressing. I can understand why Clark might not have discussed this point. He's a former
repairman himself and is the best possible person on the planet to adjust his instruments so that
they play exactly the he wants them to. For us less manually inclined players :), one's
instruments should receive regular check-ups regardless. During audition season, if there's a
rattly key or a leaky pad somewhere, get thee to the finest repairman you know pronto, the moment
the audition is announced. You do *not* want to be battling your instrument during your audition
prepration, much less during the audition itself. Murphy's Law goes into overdrive at these
times, and it's always on audition morning that the lube-saturated tenon cork you've been ignoring
for the last three months spontaneously disintegrates upon contact with anything resembling part
of a clarinet (can you tell I learned the hard way?). Even if you manage to jury-rig the thing to
work well enough during the audition, the momentary trauma of having to deal with it at all has
the potential to unRavel the best-rehearsed excerpt at the worst possible moment (particularly if
it's Bolero).

Neil

Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more
http://taxes.yahoo.com/

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