 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: brianshe
Date: 2016-12-15 05:50
I just played in a concert with my highschool, and I had standout-solo (in the second piece), halfway through the first piece, I realized that my reed was becoming "kazoo-y," I could've changed my reed, but I don't know if that would be seen as "unprofessional," so I played my solo with a not-so-great sounding reed. I then decided to play it at the solo dynamic required for the piece (f-ff), and it sounded super bad (T-T).
So two questions,
Can I and when should I change my reed in the middle of a performance (between pieces)?
and how do I prevent my reeds from like dying in long performances?
Thanks in advance
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2016-12-15 06:14
I suggest that you use a Legere plastic reed until you become more efficient at maintaining your cane reeds. Plastic reeds do not suddenly become "kazoo-y".
Many professionals use nothing other than plastic reeds, but that's another story. You need to learn how to manage cane reeds before you go "plastic".
Good luck.
Alan
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-12-15 06:26
Changing your reed is highly professional. Nevertheless, I'm sure you sounded fine.
If you don't have time to change the reed, try moving it slightly higher, with the tip sticking out a little past the end of the mouthpiece tip.
Many players keep a postcard to slide between the reed and the lay, to bend out the tip and temporarily restore tone and response.
John de Lancie, the great principal oboist in Philadelphia, always brought a complete second oboe plus reed onstage in case his first one cracked.
Ken Shaw
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2016-12-15 07:19
Keep in mind as well that any tonal differences will be much more apparent to you than to an audience. Yes, it probably made a difference, but I HIGHLY doubt it was as "kazooy-ey" in the audience as it seemed to you on stage.
If you have the time to change reeds, go ahead. But Ken's advice is what I would recommend. Shifting the reed ever so slightly on the mouthpiece will have a huge difference. Half a millimeter or a millimeter up or down, side to side, etc.
If a reed gets soft, shift up. If it feels hard, shift down.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2016-12-15 17:44
Ken's right, professionals change their reeds during a performance all the time. The corollary is that it doesn't always work. Reeds can behave differently under different conditions, so if your main reed has changed, your backup reeds might have changed too, or at least they might feel that way. Also, many people underestimate the time required to get a new reed on the mouthpiece, centered and playing properly, when they're really nervous. It's also good to make sure the conductor doesn't have a heart condition. One reason I use a string ligature is to discourage messing with reeds once I've started a session with people. Forces me to do the prep beforehand.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-12-15 18:34
First, good for you if you had extra reeds with you on stage in case of emergency. Second, you need to be more concerned with how the reed is responding than what it sounds like, mostly because you can't really hear it well in the band (I'm assuming this is a band concert), but you can feel whether it's closing up or has gotten stuffy or isn't responding as it should.
If it isn't responding well, you're better off changing reeds if you have time to do it. You shouldn't do this if the next exposed entrance is only measures away, but if there's a fairly long passage where everyone is playing and you won't be missed, you can usually make the actual change safely. The problem is that you have to have wet the new reed first, which can take extra time. You have to start wetting the replacement (put it in your mouth, leave a puddle of saliva on it and put it flat side up on the music stand somewhere) before you stop playing and take the old reed off. (I know, it sounds a little gross, but the moisture will be absorbed as though the reed is in your mouth).
If there isn't enough time before the next big solo passage to do all of that, then leave things as they are and do the best you can.
I once back in the 1960s watched a concert by the Cleveland Orchestra on tour at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The orchestra had arrived late and hadn't played in the hall before the concert. The first piece on the program was Die Meistersinger Overture. Marcellus, the principal clarinetist, began the first solo passage and *nothing* audible came out. The reed just wasn't vibrating. You can bet that before the next exposed spot came along, he had replaced the clunker with a better reed and all went well from there.
"Professionalism" is based on how it sounds, not on how it looks.
Karl
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