Author: pliscapoivre
Date: 2011-09-12 07:29
Susan,
I think that your question is brilliant, and I haven't thought of things in these terms before. I'm particularly interested in your subsequent post about "edge" and color vs. stability and covered-ness. This is something I think about a LOT, especially since I've come to Europe and have a new sound concept in my ear all the time (which I'm not necessarily trying to adopt, but it's there and I know that it affects my playing).
I think that it's easy to slip in one direction or the other without noticing, as surely we all make unconscious adjustments in our reeds according to situation and feeling and a host of variables. For me, expression and range of tone color are very, very important. In my reeds, these are paired with more "virtuosity" -- a reed that allows a lot of flexibility also allows me to play faster and more cleanly.
(By the way: Now, when I listen to recordings of the orchestra I used to play in, I think that I was going a little overboard with personal expression given the context. But now I am starting to make a go of it as a soloist, and I feel like it's more natural for me, which also obviates the need to tone it down, as it were, in order to fit in. I feel stifled and a bit bored when my reed "protects" me so much that I can't change color.)
I will try to pay attention today to the amount of vibration that I feel. Of course, as Robin says, we don't feel the "tickle" as longtime players, but I think that we can probably still distinguish between freer-vibrating and physically lesser-vibrating reeds in our mouths, no?
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