Klarinet Archive - Posting 000071.txt from 2009/06

From: William Foss <billfoss47@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Alternate for Eb Reeds
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:19 -0400

Lelia,

My heart goes out to you. I know what it means to loose a
long-time 4 legged companion. Just remember the good times - they
will warm your soul.

Bill Foss
U.S. Army Retired
USC Aiken, Woodwind Professor
Director of Bands, Aiken Prep

On Jun 26, 2009, at 9:47 AM, Lelia Loban wrote:

> 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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>

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