 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2013-03-10 16:04
LUCKILY (and I stress the "LUCK" part), it turned out ok.
So we had a stage band concert a few weeks ago just west of Atlanta GA and I was performing on 2nd Tenor. Borrowed mouthpiece, four reeds to choose from. So during practices I've been hit or miss with reeds. One or two would sound good, the rest would constantly whistle or squeak, especially when trying to play soft.
So during sound check a few hours before rehearsal I go through the reeds and choose the one that is performing best that night. Got it. I put all four in the reed case (glass back reedcase with velvet pressing the reeds down, held closed by a clasp). I put them in order. Best reed closest to the clasp, worst reed furthest from the clasp so I know which one to choose for that night's performance.
Performance time comes up, I'm backstage getting my horn together during the intermission and pull out the reed case from my pocket to open it and select a reed. Apparantly, while it was in my pocket, the pins holding the hinges closed had worked themselves out and it literally fell apart as it came out of my pocket, the four reeds falling on the stage (behind the curtain) and bouncing around a bit.
Crap. 75 percent chance of utter failure coming up. So I pull out my detective skills. I remember my chosen reed having a more circular cut where it starts to meet the butt of the reed so I can eliminate the one marked straight across. 66 percent. hmmm. I remember trying two reeds during the dress rehearsal with the second reed not showing any problems so I carefully feel them hoping for one to feel drier than the other two.....so I eliminated another. Down to 50 percent. Finally I look at the two I have left, and one seems to have a distinct lip marking indicating I played it more often. Which means it was probably the one that worked more often. So I took that one and slapped it on and hoped for the best....
THANKFULLY I chose correctly and got through the concert without any hitches!
So note to self and for future performers. If you're gonna carry reeds around in your pocket like I do, use a GOOD reedcase. none of these pin clasps or secondrate hinges. Or even better, mark your reeds with a felt-tip pin and just remember which NUMBER is the one you're going to use that night.
Crisis averted by luck that time, but next time I'll have a better system in place.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2013-03-10 19:22
I never trust the latches or hinges on reed cases. Always put a couple of elastic bands arround the case.
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-03-10 23:59
A good bit of detecting, Sherlock. Why were you carrying known bad reeds with you anyway? Seems to me that life as a performer is difficult enough without giving Mr Murphy a free shot :-)
Tony F.
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Author: LJBraaten
Date: 2013-03-11 05:31
I carry so many reeds now that I can't leave anything to chance. So I use a fine tip pencil to mark, identify and/or rate my reeds (I write on the bark). I now almost always know the character of the reed I'm selecting ( unless it has changed since I last played it).
Laurie
Laurie (he/him)
Post Edited (2013-03-11 05:52)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-03-11 10:12
In addition to writing on the very butt of the reed, there are also cases that use the rare earth magnets (no latches to become undone) such as the case offered by Muncy Winds:
http://www.muncywinds.com/index.php/muncy-sax-12-reed-case.html
................Paul Aviles
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