 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: grenadilla428
Date: 2014-03-03 18:00
Let's say that the Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue solo is on a repertoire list for an orchestral audition. I find this excerpt much easier to play convincingly if I go down a half strength on the reed. However, I don't like the way the weaker reed plays, say, Brahms or Tchaikowsky. I've seen Gershwin on several repertoire lists, but have never actually been asked to play it in a first round, and I think it unlikely to show up in a first round. But what if...
What if it did appear in the first round? With time being precious in an audition, but the quality of the gliss (and other pitch-bending moments) being better on the weaker reed, would you take the time to switch, or make the best attempt on the stronger reed?
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Author: TJTG
Date: 2014-03-03 18:33
I know bassoon player will often have different reeds along for things like Rite of Spring or Bolero.... but they simply pop them on and off.
The problem for us is the time of switching reeds and laying them straight on the mouthpiece. Will it respond well on the excerpt without noodling and knowing its response tendencies? I would try for one reed in the whole audition, even though it may not be ideal for every solo.
Would you still switch reeds with the curtain out of the way with all eyes on you?
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Author: Ed
Date: 2014-03-03 14:03
I would go with something that pretty much covers all the bases. If you walk in with a reed that is comfortable, you know how it will respond and can make adjustments to your embouchure, air, voicing as needed. To change in the middle not only takes time, but adds a somewhat unknown variable.
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2014-03-03 15:54
grenadilla428:
I 100% get your point. I too can far better Glissando on, all other things equal, a softer reed, that may not be ideal for most other pieces.
And it's not like professionals don't have piece specific reeds
http://youtu.be/9y0Zv3EZ-Ms?t=2m25s
And yet, for some reason, I'm with Ed on this one as it regards the audition space.
Maybe its you creating the notion/illusion that as some conductor's principal clarinetist, you can be called upon on a moment's notice to play some piece, as Drucker did under Mehta, in a last mintute program change that involved playing of the Mozart Concerto, where Drucker's part couldn't be found, and he shrugged his shoulders, playing from memory.
Now maybe Drucker and other sponsoring artists got their reeds gratis, allowing them to approach reeds without regard to $, immediately ruling out reeds you and I might work on, instead search for that 1 reed in 10 boxes that does all. But Drucker belief was that an orchestra clarinetist "always has his/her best reeds avaiable for his conductor on a moment's notice," or so I read somewhere once.
Maybe Mr. Drucker should have said that the "orchestra clarinetist always presents the illusion that he/she always has his/her best reeds.......
and it is this illusion that you wish to preserve.
I'd be interested in hearing dissenting opinions and the logic behind them.
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Author: William
Date: 2014-03-03 22:07
Now that I am playing synthetic reeds (Forestones) I am able to use the same reed no matter what kind of music sit's on my stand. No need to change reeds for special effects, my reeds do everything I need of them. They last through an entire gig and into the next ones with the same resilience, tone quality and response. As a former cane player, I know what you are talking about.....just happy that all those cane woes are behind me.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-03-03 22:27
I think you should be prepared to play the audition on one reed. Preliminary audition rounds are often very tightly packed time-wise, and you're better off not antagonizing anyone on the committee by taking extra time to change. And, if the Rhapsody gliss is asked for in the middle of the series of excerpts, you're going to have make the reed change twice.
On the other side of this, it might be a better approach to learn to play the gliss on the same reeds you use for the majority of other pieces you play. You might still choose to use a softer reed for a performance, but even then it would be an advantage to be able to do it with the same reed you use for the rest of the program. Since you can already do the gliss with the softer reed, you might concentrate on learning to do it with any playable reed and eliminate the problem.
Karl
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Author: William
Date: 2014-03-04 20:44
As you mentioned needing softer reed for the R n B gliss, I was reminded of what my old college clarinet professor once mused, "Most professional players use reeds that are too stiff". He made a career long study of his students mouthpiece facings, their resulting playing characteristics which resulted in his own custom clarinet mouthpiece design. He also made his own reeds, not with a machine but by hand from reed blanks. And made us all do the same.....yikes. I tell you this to impress the fact that he knew a lot about mouthpieces and reeds, and his theory was that too many players relied too heavily on the strength of the reed rather than the strength and control of the embouchure.
Which reminds me of another ledgendary quote, "Play the reed--don't let the reed play you". Emeritus Professor of Clarinet, William Stubbins, U of Michigan. My (our) advice, learn to adjust your oral and embouchure configuration to "voice' your tone so that you can use the R n B reed for all of your clarinet work. FWIW, I find this much easier to do with synthetic reeds.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-04 23:11
So- all of you... is a reed change during a gig something you do 1) never, 2) only in a pinch, or 3) as standard operating procedure?
I've been trying to aim for a single reed and no adjustments during an 8 song set. So that's what I've also been trying to achieve in practice sessions, despite reading on BBoard to rotate/swap reeds during practice. I learned the hard way during my piano concert years to make practice sessions, as much as possible, exactly the same as my public performances. Any arguments about that either?
This is why I've been so hot about trying to keep C7 playing for me for an extended time.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-03-04 23:11)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-03-04 19:49
fskelley wrote:
> So- all of you... is a reed change during a gig something you
> do 1) never, 2) only in a pinch, or 3) as standard operating
> procedure?
>
I think everyone practices his or her own witchcraft in this area, so I'd be surprised if you get any unanimity or even a clear consensus of opinion.
I personally try to stay with the same reed through a performance, but I don't hesitate to change, usually during the intermission, if the reed's response seems to be going noticeably south. Every once in a while I put a reed into rotation too soon and find it's still getting a little waterlogged after a half hour or so. If that happens I change at a convenient time - between pieces or at intermission. I would rather accommodate whatever the reed is giving me at least through an entire selection (which can easily be a 45 or 50 minute symphony).
For practice or rehearsals, my attitude is different. I'm a little (maybe a lot) paranoid about having reeds in my rotation that aren't currently in good playing condition, so I do change reeds more often just to keep a running check on which ones are still reliable and which may need either adjustment or retirement. I try to keep at least a half-dozen *working* reeds in my reed case and want to keep tabs on whether they *are* working.
I do very little to try to match repertoire and reed - if the reed is responsive it will work for most pieces. Much more than the reed, I'm responsible for the sound and the character of articulation needed from one piece to the other.
Karl
Post Edited (2014-03-04 19:51)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-04 20:19
Karl- thanks for the detailed info. But, if you change between pieces, do you have opportunity to test quietly to yourself (imagine me trying to verify C7) or do you just trust it and on you go?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-05 03:19
Thanks for the link, Mark (Nuccio)'s comments are interesting also. If I understand him correctly, he prefers to use 1 reed for a whole weekend of performances, though he will switch if reed degrades. And sometimes he has a special reed for a particular piece of music. Correct me if I've got that wrong.
I'd ask Mark the same question, though- can he switch reeds (or make any other mechanical adjustment) in silence, not blow any notes, and still be confident and ready for his next exposed solo entry?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-03-04 22:21
fskelley wrote:
> Karl- thanks for the detailed info. But, if you change between
> pieces, do you have opportunity to test quietly to yourself
> (imagine me trying to verify C7) or do you just trust it and on
> you go?
>
Well, except in a dire emergency (scraped my reed against my jacket or shirt and shredded the tip), I'd only be changing between pieces at a rehearsal or at home in my practice studio so (a) if something doesn't come out right it isn't a great tragedy and (b) I almost never have to play C7 - even when it rarely shows up in a symphonic or other "classical" clarinet part, it's even less often exposed.
In your regular playing, the situation may well be different from mine. Since there's no way to quietly pre-test C7 before it has to come out, I guess you just have to trust it - but then having it come even after you're "verified" it takes a little bit of trust.
But again, I don't do all that reed changing during performances, and, going back to the original question, would not do it during an audition, which is more a special kind of performance than anything else. You're generally better off accommodating what you're already used to than changing in any situation where what comes out really matters.
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-03-05 03:40
fskelley wrote:
> If I understand him correctly, he prefers to use 1 reed
> for a whole weekend of performances, though he will switch if
> reed degrades. And sometimes he has a special reed for a
> particular piece of music. Correct me if I've got that wrong.
>
I heard a slightly different message - that he does routinely choose a particular reed for a specific piece on the program (and even marks the reed with a permanent marker with the name of the piece), but once he settles on a reed for a piece, he uses that reed for that piece through the entire performance series.
> I'd ask Mark the same question, though- can he switch reeds (or
> make any other mechanical adjustment) in silence, not blow any
> notes, and still be confident and ready for his next exposed
> solo entry?
>
Keep in mind that the next "exposed solo entry" for an orchestral clarinetist (unlike many jazz or commercial players in a "combo" with only a few instruments) is most often not the first note he plays in the piece, so he has some tutti or at least ensemble playing during which to adjust to the new reed before he has to deal with anything exposed. And rarely will an orchestra sit in complete silence between pieces, so a soft toot or two on a newly changed reed is generally possible. Also, he isn't switching to reeds he hasn't played in rehearsal - he decides which reed to use for each piece during the rehearsal series so that by the dress rehearsal he knows how each reed will respond and sound.
Karl
Karl
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-05 03:56
OK, Karl- thanks again and I think I get the picture. And it's encouraging that even high end pro's (of which I am not and never will be) have to fight to be sure their equipment is ready when they need it to be, and that nothing is 100% for anybody.
My situation is not as harsh as I may have portrayed it. In a church setting- a friendly audience I would hope- I expect to be given 20-40 min to play 3 to 8 of my solo clarinet songs and possibly mix in a couple of piano solos, all with backing tracks. I'll be talking in between (a little of that goes a long way) and taking a moment to fuss with reed or whatever, even toot a note or 2, is not the end of the world, and maybe I make a joke out of it. But I would prefer to avoid that, especially multiple times during the same presentation, because it's "off topic" so to speak. And it would disturb my train of thought, which gets easier to derail every year I get older. I do have B6 or C7 in over half my arrangements, perhaps overdone, and am miffed when either fails me.
Perhaps this is not so different from the audition setting, except for the assumed friendliness of the audience, LOL. Joking about an audition reed swap might not be received well.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-03-05 04:39)
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