Klarinet Archive - Posting 000404.txt from 2003/05

From: "Matthew Lloyd" <Matthew@-----.uk>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: reeds/cases, rotating
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 19:22:34 -0400

Hold on a tick. You make it sound as if anyone who doesn't follow your
example is doomed to failure. That no-one could be an even quarter
decent clarinettist unless your strictures were followed. [And, for
clarity, this isn't specifically said to Elise, it's just that I'm
responding to her post].

I'm fully prepared to concede that someone like me might do better
trying your system, although I have to say that I have until recently
kept reeds on mouthpieces and they seem to have done well, but what
makes me a teensy weensy bit suspicious of all this is that one of our
number has said that - in effect - it's all pointless.

Tony Pay keeps telling us that he breaks all the rules on this. There
are two possible options here. Either the rules are suspect or Tony (qua
clarinettist) is suspect. Seems that is an easy choice!

If it works for you - great. Tell us about how it works for you. Tell us
why you think it might work for us. But don't tell us it is the ONLY
way!

Remember that Alfred Prinz and Leopold Wlach might well suggest that we
were ALL wrong! On everything!

Matthew

-----Original Message-----
From: EClarinet@-----.com]
Subject: [kl] Re: reeds/cases, rotating

In a message dated 5/19/03 3:16:36 AM EST, Oliver writes:

<<
Thanks, Martin, for the good press (for a change) about Rico. My
teacher
used to tell me that Rico reeds were made from bamboo grown on the
banks of
the Santa Ana River here in southern California. >>

Then Martin said that the cane is french.

The Rico company makes many different grades of clarinet reeds:
Plasticover,
Rico, Rico Royal, La Voz, Mitchell Lurie, ML Premium, and Grand Concert.
I
believe all except the ML and GC use California cane, and the others are

french cane.

About reed cases and rotating reeds, the number one problem with using
the
same reed until it dies and then putting on a new one is the
deterioration of
the embouchure muscles as the reed gets weaker and weaker. When you
then put
a new reed on, it will tire your embouchure. This cycle goes around and

around, putting unnecessary strain on your mouth muscles. If you have
several reeds in rotation, you have choices, and your embouchure doesn't
ever
have to go through the constant up and down. As someone else mentioned,
you
phase out the weaker reeds one at a time, so you have reeds in several
states
in your reed case: new and firm, broken in and prime, starting to be
soft,
and too soft and time to take out!

The other big problem with not having several reeds in rotation is that
if
your one reed breaks, you are in trouble. Or if your one reed isn't
very
good, you are stuck. Or if your reed is good for say, soft playing, like

chamber music, it might not be good for loud playing, like band music.
I
have actually switched reeds in a concert because I needed one for a
particular piece that would play a certain way.

The only way around this is to just use a new reed everytime you play,
or
nearly every time, and that is what I suspect some people who don't
rotate
reeds actually do. I know I heard a famous orchestral player say he did

this. Seems expensive, though.

btw, I use two Vito reed cases with room for 4 reeds each and the air
slots
for ventilation. I have 3 other brands of reed case, which I don't use
much.

Elise Curran
Orlando
EClarinet@-----.com

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