 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: clairgirl
Date: 2002-08-01 05:14
How soon before an audition can reeds be chosen and still make it to the audition sounding good? I am asking this because i am preparing for ensemble auditions at my college at the end of august. I have not only been hoarding all my good reeds, but i've gone further to labeling some which work particularly well for certain excerpts (ie the "Scherzo" reed). How can i keep a reed "in shape" for the big event without killing it? I am afraid not playing on it for extended periods of time wouldn't be too good for it either.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2002-08-01 05:44
Since weather and altitude (if your audition is in a different city from where you are right now) will affect your reed, I think that you might be trying to be a little too specific with your reeds at this point. When I've taken professional auditions, I usually don't start in earnest on finding audition reeds until about two weeks before. I try to find a lot of reeds that have potential, maybe 8-10 out of a half dozen boxes, and balance them. Usually 3-4 will begin to stand out after a few days, and I start playing those more starting 5-6 days before the audition. However, I still play the others a little each day, just in case they are my best reeds in the audition city.
I would try to avoid using different reeds for various excerpts.
Above all, remember that it is you that is important at the audition, not the reed. The audition committee probably won't be able to tell the difference between the sound of your #1 vs. your #2, 3, or 4. The biggest difference between reeds in an audition or concert situation is in the comfort, not the sound.
Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: diz
Date: 2002-08-01 06:41
Good luck!! Storing a "good" reed for future use for specific purposes has NEVER worked for me - when they decided to die, they'll give you NO warning
:-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Brenda
Date: 2002-08-01 12:50
I'm going to stick my neck out here and be different. If you're having that much difficulty with reeds, try out a couple of synthetic reeds and find one that's firm enough for your needs. It won't change on you because of humidity, etc. etc. I've had two times too many when I thought I could count on a cane reed in performance and it chirped or squeaked. My Legere reed pulled me through and let me concentrate on the performance once I switched to it.
These aren't to be used everyday, though, because they're so consistent that your embouchure will get lazy. Use cane everyday, and if a cane reed will be great for performance, then fine. But the Legere reeds are sure nice to have thrown in the clarinet case as a backup! He's one of the sponsors of this site, look him up.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-08-01 13:20
Choose several reeds and prepare them (sealing, etc). I keep many reeds ready to play during the week before a performance. I choose two or three reeds on the day of the event.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2002-08-01 14:59
Your sound must be acceptable, but in itself is not the deciding factor in winning your audition. It is more how In Tune you play, how rhytnmically accurate your performance is (soloist liberties are not recommended--you are auditioning to be a section-team member) and how musically expressive your are. Take softer dynamic markings very seriously and articulate cleanly. All of these aspects are more important than how good your basic tone quality is, so don't get overly paranoid about having the "perfect" reed. Have many reeds in "playing condition" as you go for the "event" and pick one that works OK in the warm-up room. My only recommendeation is: softer is better than harder. It is better to hve to cope with a reed that plays a bit "too easy" than struggle under audition conditions with one that plays a bit too hard--espcially in softer dynamic levels and in "finishing" long musical phrases artisticly with musical finesse. Most audition decisions are based on rhythmic and intonational issues given the fact that everyone can execute the right notes with acceptable musicality. So, keep your notes from going sharp in pianissimo and play with precise rhymic accuracy (avoid being "the soloist"). Wait until you warm up to pick your reed.
I am fasinated by the story about Charles Neidich cracking open a box of new reeds five minutes before an orchestral solo performance, popping the first reed out into his mouth and walking onto the stage (while putting the reed on his mpc) to play. Wheither the story is accurate, or not, I did hear him in a master class demostration (University of Wisconsin-Madison) where he expressed dissatisfaction with his reed. Instead of changing to a different reed, he choose a different mouthpiece from his coat pocket. He said, after putting the old reed on the new mouthpiece, "That's more like it!!!) Frankly, I heard no difference. To him, the reed felt and played better, but to us, the reslulting Neidich sound was the same. Conclusion, he seems to play the reed and does't let the reed play him.
Good luck in your audition effort. Relax and have fun--as most of us know, they can be great "learning experiances" (if nothing else)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ken
Date: 2002-08-02 00:35
William, singular advice as usual but if it was me (strictly my opinion) I'd remember the general audience here and be careful with the "pro stories". It's easy for us old-timers and experienced players to adapt on the spot to changing reed conditions and disguising a reed gone bad. But an amateur/more inexperienced player can't make the adjustment as the great Mr. Neidich can. No one in their right mind unless they purposely have a death wish, being cute, stupid, desperate or that skilled would perform/audition with a "green" right out of the box and hope to get away with it. Part of the gig is being just as much a carpenter as a player (thank god we're not oboe/bassoon players that make their own...we'd be on the pot hours a day).
Be diligent and thorough in preparation, "put in the hours". Have no less than 2 boxes (20 reeds) you're comfortable with and fully broken in. When auditioning in a different climate anymore than a 20 foot elevation shift prepare at least 40 more reeds 20/20, 1/2 strength below AND 1/2 strength above. Myself, I've gone as far as mailing my regular playing/broken in reeds as a back up batch "by surface" so they don't have to endure the sudden compression changes in commercial airline travel. The point is, with an important audition or performance is NOT to become a slave to your equipment and be a sanding/scraping/clipping fool but be "prepared". It's a crapshoot either way; you can pull out the 1st one and go or spend an hour going through 40 of them. The last thing you need in a pressure situation is reed problems. v/r KEN
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kat
Date: 2002-08-02 01:32
Interesting points, Ken! Particularly about surface mailing reeds. When I went to Europe last summer, to play with the dance group I perform with, I used Legeres exclusively. I didn't want to attempt to deal with cane, although I did bring quite a few along, in addition to all of my "tools" (reed knife and big file for reducing warpage). When I got to Bulgaria, the village guy who gave me lessons was very intrigued by the Legeres. I had brought him a couple, but they were much harder than he's used to using (he uses Rico Plasticover 1.5-2!!!!). So I sat there and shaved them down for him...
AT any rate, I had no problems with the Legeres, particularly because the show we did in the Czech Rep. wasn't very clarinet-heavy. I ended up playing lots of drum and percussion. The Legeres were great in that situation due to their incapability of drying out!
Katrina
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wes
Date: 2002-08-02 02:31
If one has significant reed problems, it is time to check other items such as the mouthpiece or look for leaks or misadjustment of the instrument. Good luck!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clairgirl
Date: 2002-08-02 03:08
Thanks for all the tips! I used legere once for marching band... I agree with William, that sound is only one factor of an audition. I am not that hung up on reed prep, but i just don't want to start too early or too late finding a few i'm really satisfied with.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ClarinetQween
Date: 2002-08-02 15:01
What school are you going to be attending?? Just curious if you are going to be in my neck of the woods....
-ClarinetQween ;^)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
