Klarinet Archive - Posting 000087.txt from 2007/02

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Help with reeds in Baltimore?
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 11:01:31 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ted Casher [mailto:tedcasher@-----.net]
> Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 1:54 AM
>
> Ted Casher here. Take the Rovner clarinet ligature and give it away to
> some
> student you don't like! <snip>
> The Rovner takes away all the higher overtones from the sound. It also
> slips, stretches, and manages to keep itself insecure around the mpce.

Or just use it, save your money and figure out what *else* is wrong - it's
your choice. I use and have used a Rovner for several years - the same one
(so much for stretching) - without slipping, insecurity or loss of "higher
overtones." Each to his own taste!

> I tried them on clar, alto, and tenor----some appliances don't work!

Or they do and something else is causing the problem. Or, I guess, they
don't work for some people.

The first thing is that you need to know what a responsive reed feels like.
A reed that won't play high notes without severe biting probably has more
wrong with it than poor balance. The reed needs to be reasonably responsive
before "balancing" can help much. If none of your reeds play *acceptably*
(not necessarily well) out of the box, you may be trying to use the wrong
strength reed. Whenever you try surgery on a very stuffy, dull sounding
reed, it's a gamble (mostly of time). If you're getting a lot of squeaking
and poor response in the upper clarion register, you may actually be playing
too light a reed, in which case balancing won't help much - it needs more
strength in the heart of the reed.

Once you've gotten a selection of reeds that are reasonably close to being
playable, ATG or Reed Wizard or rush or sandpaper or a knife, used carefully
(don't try to do too much at once), can remove small amounts of cane from
areas that are too stiff - usually somewhere in the areas outside the
triangle formed from the center of the tip down to the two sides of the
shoulder (where the bark ends) - so that both sides of the reed vibrate
equally. The books several others have recommended can help with this, as
well as the instruction *DVD* (not the booklet) that comes with the Ridenour
kit can help with balancing suggestions.

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rommel John Miller" <RommelJMiller@-----.net>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 11:48 PM
> Subject: [kl] Help with reeds in Baltimore?
>
>
> > Dear List,
> >
> > Hate to be a bother, but I need some help, I have Tom Ridenour's ATG
> Reed
> > Finishing system, as well as the Reed Wizard and Vandoren's own little
> > Glass
> > Reed Resurfacer, but I am having the worst time figuring out how to
> > balance
> > or to properly "fix" or a-fix my reeds to the mouthpiece using a Rovner
> > ligature.
> >
> > Everything has me bundled up in ties, I mean I can play okay, but when I
> > go
> > to the higher register I get squeaks or can't hit the note at all
> without
> > biting the mouthpiece, and I know that this is wrong.
> >
> > And Ridenour's own explanation on the dynamics testing and other testing
> > has
> > me through the loop as well.
> >
> >
> >
> > Rommel John Miller
> > 308 Dale Avenue
> > Baltimore, MD 21206-1219

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