 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-11-23 09:07
I live in southern California where the humidity and temperature are pretty moderate (with the exception of occasional El Niños like the last couple of days, where it becomes hot and dry — it was about 80° out and my case hygrometer measured somewhere in the 35-40% range.) This winter I will be doing a lot of traveling in the Northeast for college/conservatory auditions. I have never had to deal with clarinets in "real" winter weather, and I'm a little concerned about the sudden transition from SoCal to NE.
I'm aware of the basics of cold weather playing: don't play in very cold environments, let the instrument warm up to room temperature, warm the outside first before blowing through the bore, etc. But does anyone have any advice on how to make the sudden transition from SoCal weather to Northeast weather without running the risk of cracking, key binding, etc? It would be very bad if my instruments stopped working right before an important audition. I have a Humistat — should I keep using it? Some of my Northeast friends from Tanglewood recommended getting one. Is bore oiling recommended for cold weather?
(If it's at all relevant, my A/Bb instruments are R13 prestiges. The A is about 10 years old and has a small repaired crack, the Bb is about 5 months old, purchased at the NY Buffet showroom this summer. I figure the denser wood and tenon rings will help.)
Thanks,
Max
Post Edited (2015-11-23 09:12)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-11-23 16:16
Keep your clarinet with you. As long as YOU are comfortable, your clarinet will be comfortable (don't leave your clarinet in the trunk of a car when you go to dinner, ie., let it freeze while you're comfy inside).
The reed thing may not be so tricky. I hear advice about having new reeds to start at your destination. That's more important when there is a drastic difference of altitude from one spot to the other. Since that's not the case, I would think a broken-in reed (what you want to use when taking auditions) would be much less reactive to the DRY interiors of heated northeastern buildings in the Winter.
This is what to watch for. You put the reed on the mouthpiece and it plays great for about 30 seconds and then gets really resistant and unresponsive. Again though that's more with reeds that are newer. Just make sure you keep it moist (take it off and keep in your mouth; or do that "lolly-pop" lick more often).
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2015-11-24 09:47
Good advice from Paul. Make sure your reeds are broken in for about a week at least. Also carry some reeds that play slightly lighter and heavier. About a 1/2 strength. Going from a state where it's raining to a state where there is snow will most likely require a reed change. Then there are dead sounding audition rooms and very live rooms, also perhaps requiring a reed change. Don't be shy with changing reeds during an audition. Best thing to do is mark your reeds for different playing conditions. Also carrying a small plastic cup of water with a few reeds into the audition is OK to do.
The last thing you want to do is wreck an audition because of a dang reed not responding.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-11-24 20:22
Ok, thank you both for all the advice. I experienced the reed issue this summer – my reeds felt very different going from dry San Diego to humid Tanglewood. I'll be sure to have some reeds of different strengths with me (I play 3.5+s typically, so I'll have some 3.5s and 4s.)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2015-11-26 04:50
Where are you auditioning and when? Maybe I can offer a bit more advice to you.
Do you work on your reeds?
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-11-26 05:33
Other than the advice to have a range of strengths (not a large range, just enough difference to account for changing needs), I don't think you should obsess too much over climatic differences. If you're expecting to be playing at a significantly higher altitude that you're used to, bring along a box of reeds a half strength softer. Unless you're auditioning outdoors or you're leaving your instrument in extreme hot or cold conditions (as you've already been warned not to do), the indoor temps and humidity levels shouldn't be a problem. Just protect the instrument itself from rapid or wide temperature swings.
Karl
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-11-26 06:57
@kdk: Ok, thank you. I figured there wasn't anything extreme that I needed to do, just wanted to make sure.
@Bob Bernardo: The northeastern schools I'm auditioning live at are NEC, Oberlin, Northwestern, and Eastman. I do work on my reeds, though minimally at this point, since I'm not extremely experienced with it. I mostly focus on balancing the reed from side to side.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-11-26 08:16
I very list of very august institutions.
Good luck, and above all.......have fun!
...............Paul Aviles
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