Klarinet Archive - Posting 000278.txt from 2006/08

From: Tski1128@-----.com
Subj: [kl] $650 mouthpieces and Other equiptment.
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:52:10 -0400

I just returned from the ICA Atlanta fest, and once again I have the same
opinion that I've had the last few times, that is utter disbelief. Disbelief
that clarinetist are totally incapable of evaluating their own playing and the
equipment involved.

Clarinet is an equipment thing, to play one you have to have one, and to
have one means evaluating and making decisions on all the accoutrements that go
into playing it. I was working with team Backun and as such I got to hear a
lot of clarinetists, and trust me, when you work the Backun booth, you get to
hear both extremes of clarinet ability. I have had a chance to hear the
"Gods" and some absolute beginners and everything in between. So I will take
this opportunity to share some of my observations, as opinionated and as
unwelcome as they may be.

Rank beginners : kids under 13 who might have some talent and a little bit
of training. Ok unless you were Julian Bliss a few years back, or some one
else that everyone is calling a prodigy, don't drive yourself nuts trying all
the stuff at an equipment orgy! Spend money on lessons, spend time
practicing. Buy the mouthpiece your teacher tells you to get. Use the reeds he or she
tells you to. Learn to play with a good embouchure, not to bite, and learn
what a well balanced reed feels like. Most importantly learn how to be a student.

College, high school players: Repeat after me, "It's not the clarinet, it's
not the mouthpiece, It's me" say that a few times before you walk into the
exhibit hall. OK it could be the reed! Most of what I heard at the booth, is
rampant lack of tonal concept coupled with lack knowledge about what to
change in playing technique. You are one of the people who ran around the exhibit
hall trying everything! Every bell, barrel and mouthpiece and nothing worked!
Nothing fixed your sound or you staccato. It's not the bell, barrel or
mouthpiece, and God knows it's not the freekin ligature! It most likely in the
following order: the concept, the air, the embouchure and the reed. Wow it's
all the "moveable" parts! Yes I think tonal concepts are movable! If you have
to ask anyone else if any piece of equipment is better, put your wallet back
in your pocket and step away.

Gods: these are the few and far between. I don't believe you have to have a
job in one of 3 major orchestras to be one, which seems to be everyone else's
yard stick. By Gods I mean those few people that can play 5 notes and you
instantly know, what ever IT is they've got it!!It's very interesting to watch
a "God" try equipment. They almost never play the Nielsen, or the abyss of
the birds. They do slow scales and long tones. They play very simple passages
that they can already play. Most gods really don't want to change their set
ups, they have it working, they have reeds for it, and they played on it long
enough to know exactly how it will react in just about any situation. Very
rarely does a god put on something new, and proclaim: "eureka if found it." A
god will buy it then take way longer than the 2 week trial to "work" it into
their act. Unless you're Ricardo! I've seen him get a new barrel, have the
taper adjusted, and go out and perform the Neilson on it, and sound totally
awesome! That falls into the "Don't try this at home" category.
This year at the OK symposium I had the chance to observe, first hand Dave
Schiffran, trying clarinets and barrels. That was an education. He was more
like a chef tasting a meal along the preparation, but he knew what it was
supposed to taste like every step of the way. Did you pick something up that
made him sound "better than Dave ever sounded", no. But he could find the things
the equipment wanted to do, with very few notes and non existing
"grandstanding" He's a Mench! He should do a class on how to find equipment that what
works for you. He's one of the handfuls of people I've seen do it right.
Hearing him test stuff reminded of an Ansel Adams quote,he was fond of uttering
when talking about testing film and photo paper, " Casual testing, yields
casual information, and that's worse than no information at all"

Gods will never spend money on anything that makes a night and day
difference in their playing, they will however spent any amount for something subtle
and something, nobody else my even hear. The mortals will spent endless money
on things that are thought to be night and day changes and are usually
disappointed. My take on all this stuff, they equipment is getting way better
than it ever has been, and the playing isn't!
Ok sorry about the rant but I had get it out!

Tom Puwalski, former soloist with the US Army Field Band, Clarinetist with
Lox&Vodka, and Author of "The Clarinetist's Guide to Klezmer"and most recently
by the order of the wizard of Oz, for supreme intelligence, a Masters in
Clarinet performance

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