Klarinet Archive - Posting 000070.txt from 2009/06

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Alternate for Eb Reeds
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:47:53 -0400

Marcia Bundi wrote,
>
>I am playing some eefer in a concert next week and have borrowed a horn.
>It's a great instrument and everything is coming along nicely. However, NO
>ONE in town has any reeds for this little guy -- 2 places didn't even know
>what it was! Before I have someone order a box of reeds just so I can buy
>one -- or I have to buy a whole box just to get one! -- is there any way to
>alter a Bb reed so I can have a backup? Is there some other alternative?
>

Ed Wojtowicz suggested White Master Bb reeds (because they're smaller than
typical French and American Bb reeds), Bobby M. McClellan suggested soprano
sax reeds and several people offered various ways to cut down a Bb reed.
I'm only an amateur, but fwiw: I've tried all these suggestions and I've
found they all work -- some of the time, on some Eb mouthpieces, with some
Eb clarinets.

Not all eefers were created equal over the decades. There's a great deal of
variation in the dimensions of the mouthpieces and in which mouthpieces work
well with which clarinets. The unfortunate consequence is that someone who
has to work with a borrowed Eb soprano clarinet on such short notice may
have to scramble to find something, anything, that works at all, let alone
something that works well. If the local music store doesn't even carry
eefer reeds, the chances are not good that they'll carry White Masters.

Here's where the famous obsessional reed-hoarding behavior of clarinet
players can justify itself. I think it's not a bad idea for a clarinet
player to keep some odd-sized reeds handy, just in case. Clarinet reeds age
well, if stored well. They won't get the arundo-flu and crumble, and
they'll be there if and when needed.

A sad coda: Until this week, I'd have expected this message to be followed
(if not pre-empted) by a rant from Shadow Cat, stating that she's making her
stupid pet human type this, that we should hand over all clarinet reeds to
cats for disposal, that we should dump the evil screech-sticks in the
driveway and run cars over them, etc., etc., but this Tuesday, Shadow became
shadow at age 21.

Lelia Loban
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/Lelia_Loban

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