 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-06-27 02:42
Last night, at our community band rehearsal, when I got out my clarinet to warm up, I realized I had left my mouthpiece at home. I always have an extra mouthpiece with me (I've had a couple of fatal "accidents" with mouthpieces), so I figured I'd be okay, except that I didn't have a ligature! And woefully, none of the clarinet or sax players had an extra ligature either. BUT thanks to having read all the stuff (well, a lot of the stuff) on this board, I had the brilliant idea of using a rubber band to hold my reed on the mouthpiece. Looked funky, but it worked. So thanks to all who have contributed to this forum for ways you never thought you would be helping others.
connie
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Author: Leanne
Date: 2001-06-27 05:19
Whew! What a close call!
Once, one of my friends once couldn't find a ligature. I told him to use a shoe string. He thought I was crazy, but he did it anyway, because it wasn't like he had a choice. He thanked me profusely after the performance.
I pretended it was all my idea, but we both know I'm not that smart.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-27 14:00
The old ligatures were string, you know. And, Pyne still makes them for his mouthpieces. They're supposed to be quite good. But, it pays to keep rubber bands in your case. A friend of mine has an old clarinet with rubber bands on a couple of the keys. Really ugly--but works enough to get him through rehearsal. Thank God he doubles on sax and plays sax most of the time.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-06-27 14:24
If you think you had a problem......In junior high school, our band was playing a concert, and for some reason I was sitting next to the French horn player (I was playing bass clarinet). He had a solo coming up, and the entire slide assembly fell off his horn (it was a beat-up school instrument). I did the noble thing and reached over and held his horn together while he was playing his solo.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-06-27 14:31
And then there was the time our Concert Band percussionist (drummer that hangs around with musicians) began to play the chimes during a serious piece of music, and the whole thing fell apart in a "million" pieces onto the floor. Embarrasted???--You Bet!!!!!!! (and we never, ever, let him forget it) Good Clarineting!!
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Author: William
Date: 2001-06-27 14:39
And then there was the time that our community band was performing a concert in the park, on the grass, and a dog wandered out of the audience and "lifted its leg" all over the (very embarrassed) conductors podium. No, it wasn't Handels Water Music or April Showers--it was a beagle. Our conductor, dignified professional that he tries to be, never missed a beat, although some of us in the front row of clarinets, flutes and oboes, missed quite a few notes. (we also make certain that he "never forgets") Good Clarineting!!!
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-27 17:58
A year later, even the most embarrassing moment has become a war story. By your 20th reunion, everyone will be ROFL.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Benny
Date: 2001-06-27 20:27
Brenda wrote,
<<But, it pays to keep rubber bands in your case>>
Just wanted to let you know that this is not a very good idea. The sulfur in the rubber will make your keys tarnish.
Benny
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Author: Leanne
Date: 2001-06-27 21:17
That's true, the rubber do that...
The elastic ponytail holders won't though, and they do the same thing (they come in pretty colors).
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-27 21:58
I would never do it to my own clarinet. But, you should see the piece of junk this guy plays. It won't hurt it--believe me.
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Author: Jason
Date: 2001-06-28 07:04
Just to add another embarassing story to the list....
Last year we had an afternoon marching band contest in quite chilly weather (lots of wind, fingers freezing) and I was getting a bit of the sniffles. Now, about this time we had reached the quiet, sensitive moment in our show and I was really feeling "sneezy" (no pun intended) and so I stifled a little sneeze and put my horn back up to my mouth, feeling like the worst was past and that I wouldn't have to sneeze again. Oh was I wrong. That was the day everyone in the stadium found out what sneezing through a clarinet sounds like (The precussion judge stated it most eloquently: "Sounds like somebody just stepped on a duck!") No one I know has let me live that one down.
-Jason
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-06-28 15:26
I was playing in a string quartet once when the 2nd violinist's bridge snapped in half in the middle of a Mozart quartet. It sounded like a gun going off.
I've also seen a conductor's podium collapse in the middle of a piece.
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Author: David
Date: 2001-06-28 16:15
Not quite as bad as walking onstage for an orchestra concert, having a big solo, and realizing that you left your music at home. I had to improvise the entire time and play by memory, and the conductor was giving me funny looks.
To high schoolers out there who have forgotten their ligatures and own POS horns anyway, a few layers of electrical tape remains a decent substitute. The downside is that it gets adhesive on your mouthpeice that you have to wash off and you should never use that particular reed with a metal ligature again. But if you keep a spare reed and some electrical tape...
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2001-06-29 14:07
Let's not forget that even renowned professional conductors are fallible humans, too. I attended a pops concert of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel. During one energetic piece, the baton flew from his hand and landed in the cello section. Fortunately, no one was skewered, but he had to finish the piece without it. No, it was not as devestating as a musician having instrument problems, but I was surprised to find that a professional conductor wouldn't have a spare baton (or pen or pencil) in his pocket or on his stand.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-07-01 10:58
I can just see it... The all-new, awesome, "Connie" ligature, which is a specially selected rubber band, and allows totally unrestricted reed vibration and sells for only $20 ($38 for 2)
Here's your big opportunity to get as rich as Rovner, Connie. 
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Author: ~jerry
Date: 2001-07-01 16:23
Seems like tephlon (sp) plumbing tape might work better than electrical tape -- won't leave the sticky stuff. That is, for emergency situations. It also works to make a tight fit of an otherwise lose fitting joint -- in case you need to barrow a MP that does not exactly fit. The role is smaller too, and should fit somewhere in the case.
~ jerry
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-07-02 12:40
Teflon tape has almost no elasticity, and elasticity is necessary to exert pressure to hold the reed against the mouthpiece. The elastic property of metal and other materials is used in ligatures, even if the amount of stretch (i.e. 'strain') is not enough to be obvious. I agree, teflon tape is excellent for tenon adjustment, but I'd opt for the rubber band or string for the a makeshift ligature.
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-02 17:12
I never thought of that!! Nylon cable ties is so obvious. It might slip off the mouthpeice, though. But I've got to try it sometime.
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-07-02 21:11
Gordon -
What a great idea! You can be my "Down Under" sales rep, and I'll give you a 50% commission. This particular model ligature was green, but they're also available in red, blue, and khaki (for those who don't like to stand out in the crowd)!
-connie
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-03 14:43
Honor Bands Auditions. All of the keys on my clarinet literally froze ten minutes before my audition. I had to borrow someone else's clarinet and placed lower than I would have done. I was furious, and rather embarassed as well.
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