Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2009-06-09 13:05
I spent my career in the U.S Army Field Band, A great gig where you spend 150 days a year on tour. I've spent all of that as the primary instrumental soloist, sometime performing 2 different pieces on 2 of the four shows we usually took on tour. Many days it would be One night in Denver, next night Cheyenne Wyoming followed by a concert in Vegas. I would have loved to have a reed like the Legere signature, in my case in 1/4 strengths like I do now. I don't like reed roulette! Put a reed on and hope the conditions your playing in don't screw it up before you're the only one playing.
I've recently was in Los Vegas working on a CD of clarinet quartets. I recorded the first part on my cane rico reserve 3.5s when I went back to track some of the remaining parts, I switched to the Legere signature, which I had a few of the early samples, I figured it there was a small sonic difference in the tone it would enhance the ensemble sound I was going for. When I was in the control room hearing play back, I couldn't hear any difference. I was really surprised! Now what was differant was, in the recording, playing a take, than listening then playing another take was much easier with the Legere. In Vegas if you take a cane reed out of your mouth it is DRY when you put it back in. Even if it's just for a minutes. That reed stayed on my mouthpiece for the remainder of the session.
But I have to say the "signature" is the first synthetic reed that I've felt this way about. The other Legere cuts and the Forestones, always felt like a cane reed that I might have played if I could have adjusted it, like a cane reed. I'm wondering how many of the people who have played the Legere reeds have tried the signature version. I think that these reeds are a quantum leap in synthetics.
There sometimes has been a tendency on this list for people to "try" things not using anything remotely like the "scientific" method. Isolate a variable then test the hypothesis. I've seen people at clarinetfest, pop on a piece of equipment blow the first 5 notes of the lick dajour and pronounce a reed, mouthpiece, barrel, bell or whole clarinet as either the best thing in the world or a P.O.S (piece of crap). When the reality was they had not one piece of information more than they had before they played it.
The work that I do now basically a clarinet based show called "A night at the Opera a Day in the Ukraine" is a show where I play a bunch of the opera note fests, Rossini variations, Rigoletto, Weber Grand dou on the first half then I play klezmer tunes on the second half. I need a reed that has great tonal range and can last. If I playing a cane reed, I now have a Legere signature reed on my alternate mouthpiece (amateurs have one awesome mouthpiece, professionals have 4-5 really good ones that will do the job). I've found that using signature reeds I've been able to explore different facing options on mouthpieces I've never played much. I have a B45 which sounds great for certain things with a 2.3/4 signature, an M30 with a 31/4 and my normal Moba with a 3 3/4.
Let me say this about the marketing term "legere friendly", I've have found that legeres need a flat table, and symmetrical rails. If those two things aren't what you mouthpiece is about, your success with Legeres will be marginal. So will you success with cane reeds. A good mouthpiece is a good mouthpiece, if it's designed in a way that facilitates reed vibration it will work great with any reed.
This is the time for clarinetists! New things made new ways with new materials. and the price is getting lower. I played a gig last week on a new Leblanc Bliss ( Ok I'm a Leblanc artist) and that clarinet was fun to play, It's next to nothing cost wise, $600 or so, it weighs nothing (nice on a 4 hr continuous Jewish wedding where the AC is letting the temp fluctuate from 85-65). Except for the barrel, no wood was harmed in the performance of that gig! Now there's a tool I can leave in my gear box and leave it there and use it on gigs. Tell me that wouldn't be a great thing on a Wicked gig.
I wish Leblanc would make an Eb, and Low C bass out of that material and have them cost in that price range. You could have a set to leave in the Phantom Pit!!!
Tom Puwalski Author of "The Clarinetist Guide to Klezmer" and soon to be released "Clarinet Basic Training" and "Klezmer Gig tune" a play along book.
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