 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wyatt
Date: 2003-10-31 21:00
your best reed went south in the middle of a performance?
i.e. die
bob gardner}ÜJ
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Author: Henry
Date: 2003-10-31 21:51
If such a thing happened to me
I'd turn to the crowd with a plea:
"I ask for your kind understanding.
It seems that my reed needs some mending.
It's either that or some key
That's not free.
I'll be back after slight sanding or bending."
Henry
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-10-31 22:24
Hmmm...Do I sense another poetry thread starting?
If your only good reed was mundane,
Do something now - don't complain.
Get off that French lumber,
Just unencumber.
Call Phil and Bob at Davie Cane...GBK (not an ad - "just in a humorous vein")
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-10-31 22:28
I'd probably just keep going, then change reeds at the end of the movement or piece. I've personally never had a reed become unplayable in the middle of the performance... I've had reeds change their playing qualities (become harder to play or having a less desirable sound), but I doubt I couldn't make it to the end of a piece (assuming it wasn't the Nielsen or some other huge long work).
If it did, for some reason, become completely unplayable, I'd probably do something similar to what Henry said. I read something somewhere about Nathan Williams having to fix his reed/mouthpiece in the middle of a Brahms Sonata (I think that story was on this board, but I'm not sure). Also, my teacher told me a story about a pro-level player (I can't remember the name) who was playing a recital and left the last page of a Weber Concerto in his office. He said that the player told the audience what happened, ran and got it, then finished the piece (with a standing ovation). I also went to a recital of a college student who got her swab stuck in her clarinet in between movements. She was a little flustered, but they finally got it out and she kept going.
I think most audience members are at least somewhat familiar with music and can appreciate all the unexpected stuff that has to be contended with. If nothing else, it would make the performance more memorable.
DON H.
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-10-31 23:00
I would reach down and pull out one of the two or three other reeds I had soaking in a small bottle of the water on the stage floor next to my feet. This is exactly what I did at my last concert --- I NEVER play a concert without having at least one extra reed for each instrument standing by, ready to put on the mouthpiece. Ask any double-reed player!
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Author: Ben
Date: 2003-11-01 00:02
I think reeds change most when they are very old or very new. Be carefull using either in a concert as 'your best reed'.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-11-01 00:30
My reeds usually last for the full performance because I am careful to select a reed that is at an optimum playing condition. And, I always have a couple of reeds as "backups" or second choice status to resort to. If, however, my whole reed supply "went south", I can now always resort to my trusty Legere reed that is always in my case and ready to go at any moments notice. It's kind of like that little spare tire in your trunk that isn't as good as your main wheels, but will safely get you the next 50 miles.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-11-01 17:02
When seeking the adoration of many,
one should come prepared, reeds a-plenty
If if, behind the first chair
your cane fails,
With flair draw your Legere, at the ready!
Ambition -
"With drive, determination and a ready stream of expenidble labor any
feat may be accomplished."
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Author: wyatt
Date: 2003-11-01 19:10
do you just have a back up reed at the ready, or do you have a back up mp with reed attached at the ready?
It is faster to change a mp then to change a reed.
bob gardner}ÜJ
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-11-02 06:10
Streak the White House... blame it on Wyatt ![[right]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie8.gif)
- ron b -
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-11-02 21:13
far better indeed that it's your REED that goes south when you're performing and not your trousers.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-11-02 21:31
Happened yesterday afternoon with a particularly good Rico Jazz select alto reed. Fortunately it was during the last set. There is an old saying "better the devil you know". I keep using the dead one and just adapt a little because putting on a different reed in the middle of something is fraught with danger. If you have to keep a well broken in one handy, one that will play straight away. It would be rare for a reed to become unplayable in the middle of something, rather it would go a bit dead, you can usually nurse it along for a while.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-02 22:03
The biggest reason for a reed to fail during a performance is it becoming water logged. This would cause the reed to lose resistance in the tip and heart, thus causing unpredictable response and difficult articulation.
If your reeds are properly broken in over a period of days and sealed, the chances of a reed becoming water logged during normal playing conditions is greatly lessened.
No reed will take an infinite amount of playing without rest. When Ricardo Morales was playing with the Met, he told me that he changed reeds after every Act, thus using 3 or 4 different ones during the course of an opera...GBK
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-11-03 14:30
Unlike GBK, the biggest 'failure mode' of reeds I've experienced in performances has been reeds warping. The risk of this (like every other type of reed failure) is reduced by proper selection and break-in, but it still occurs --- part of the reason, I suspect, has to do with hot stage lights beating down on the instruments. I always buy reeds about a half-strength harder than I'll eventually play, to allow me to scrape the bottom side flat periodically during (and sometimes after) the break-in period ---- the idea is that eventually the reed will stabilize with a flat bottom and will have gotten most of its warpage 'out of its system' by concert time.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2003-11-03 15:42
I like the idea of a backup mouthpiece and reed, but you'd have to get the reed moist for a good seal. A spare with a Legere might work.
If confronted with the situation specified, I'd keep playing until able to change reeds. What else can you do?
Allen Cole
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-11-03 16:14
If it dies, do what the cellist did in the middle of his performance when the G string broke with a very distinguished pop - stop the performance, go backstage and replace it. At least clarinetists can change reeds or mouthpieces on stage.
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Author: Henry
Date: 2003-11-03 16:16
Yes, replacing a G-string on stage IS a bit risque!
Henry
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Author: Rachel
Date: 2003-11-04 00:44
I would turn around and glare at the other clarinettist... make the audience think it was them who had the bad sound.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-11-04 03:31
Hi,
Here is a little trick that I learned from my sax teacher a long time ago. If your reed suddenly craps out and you suspect it is water logged, take a piece of thin cardboard or some sheet music and insert it between the reed and the MP. Press the reed down to absorb any excess water; then bend the reed up a little away from the MP (this seems to have the effect of suddenly stiffening the reed).
The cardbaord backing that used to come with individual reeds when you bought them at the music store is perfect for this. Any music or paper is an OK emergency backup.
Then when you have a break in the action, you can do something like change out the reed. This little trick has saved me several times.
HRL
HRL
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-11-04 04:48
Blame Canada? Sounds like a south park movie to me ...
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