Klarinet Archive - Posting 000102.txt from 2010/09

From: Jennifer Jones <helen.jennifer@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] breathing problems
Date: Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:38:18 -0400

On Mon, Sep 6, 2010 at 3:54 PM, Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net> wrot=
e:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jennifer Jones
>> Subject: Re: [kl] breathing problems
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 6, 2010 at 7:37 AM, Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
>> wrote:
>> > Yes, the inverted Bonade (also available in a non-inverted form), the
>> > Luyben, the Rovners, the Gigliotti and some others are all
>> specifically
>> > designed with rails, raised dots, or other features to hold the reed
>> while
>> > allowing free vibration, and at the same time creating grief for
>> left-handed
>> > people. =A0:-)
>>
>>
>> The bonades I saw were all inverted with a plate. =A0I guess the plate
>> could be placed by the screw to make it non-inverted. =A0Dodn't know the
>> Gigliotti.
>
> They are actually rails. =A0The non-inverted variety has them on the screw
> side.

I was looking at a plate.

>> =A0Don't see where the grief for lefties is. =A0Just get a
>> regular ligature and turn it around or turn your clarinet around when
>> you tighten the screws. =A0Hell. =A0When I turned my ligature around, I
>> worked with the left handed screws as a righty. =A0It wasn't *that* big
>> a deal.
>
> Some lefties get a little testy about living in a "right-handed world."
> Inverting a standard ligature puts the screws on the "right" side for the=
m,
> but offers no other advantage, as the =A0designed-to-be-inverted ligature=
s do.

And they have every right to get testy, having to turn their ligatures
around all the time. I don't think turning the ligature offers any
disadvantage either.

>> =A0> If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!
>>
>> My jazz band miked saxophones on solos. =A0Seems sensible when you need
>> a sax to stand out amongst a bunch of other saxophones. =A0OTOH, could
>> be a good opportunity for the rest of the section to learn how to play
>> quietly and let the soloist do their soloing.
>
> The band I play in mics ALL players. =A0It actually louses us up for solo=
ing,
> since, in order for the saxes to stand and solo, they would have to adjust
> the mics. =A0So we just stay seated. =A0The trumpets and 'bones stand all=
the
> time, so it doesn't matter to them.

How does that louse things up for soloing? In your case, the sound
mixer should be able to shift the balance so that the soloist stands
out; soloing doesn't require standing up.

Besides, when everybody gets a solo, what is the need for the
recognition? OTOH, could result in poorer solo quality as nobody has
recognition to work for. There has to be something else to work for.

Presumably since everyone is miked, you record? If you produce
recordings, then there is the name on the CD case liner which serves
as a form of recognition.

> My point is that, acoustically speaking, the sax is a loud instrument.

Of course, it is hard for a clarinet to outblow a saxophone. My
physical chemistry instructor in high school said that it was absurd
to march flutes. Which was annoying because it meant that a whole
batch of people in our band would be left out. Our flute section was
heard on the field, so it is quite possible for them to be audible.
Room just has to be made. Maybe I need to get a saxophone and
practice playing pp and piu p.

So, why have more than one mike for a band?

> If it needs amplification to cut
> through the din of the background, the problem is not the sax, but the
> background.

Not necessarily. Whether everyone else should be quiet for a soloist
depends upon whether the time for the solo is appropriate in the view
of the group. This could lead to conflict the soloist may need to
make an argument to convince the group that it is appropriate for them
to solo.

One could argue that use of amplification depends upon the level of
skill of the group; but such argument can perpetuate mediocrity and is
not true, unless the group makes it true. Then there is risk of not
amplifying interesting things. Of course some things gain interest in
not being amplified and their value lies in that obscurity.

>=A0Back in olden times, the big bands had a mic for the vocalist.
> Everybody else was expected to manage for themselves, and the folks playi=
ng
> the background riffs backed it down so the solo could be heard.

I guess my band was a hybrid. We had one mike in the front.
Depending upon the piece, that was for the singer, instrumental
soloist or everyone.

What about saxophones vs. trumpets?

-Jennifer
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