Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2018-12-28 21:56
Chris P wrote:
> How can you avoid the heel becoming wet when cane by its very
> structure and nature will draw water all the way through it by
> capillary action?
>
> It's all going to get wet sooner or later so you can't avoid
> the inevitable.
>
Well, again, that's my question. In other players' experience, how effective is Ben Armato's way in moistening a reed's vibrating area enough to provide flexibility? Obviously, Armato's experience was that the vamp would get wet because "cane by its very structure and nature will draw water all the way through it by capillary action" but, he insisted, without the risk of warping he attributed to soaking from the vamp.
I soaked several reeds butt-down for about 20 minutes yesterday and still they played as if they were dry. I don't have that kind of time to wet a reed when I'm getting ready to play.
I'm not asking which way anyone thinks works better. I've been wetting my reeds from the vamp end since I first began playing clarinet 60 years ago and I haven't over the past week seen any reason to change. I'm just trying to understand why an accomplished player in a major American orchestral position would so strongly advocate this if it didn't actually work in some way.
I'm not advocating. I'm trying to understand, preferably from players who actually follow the butt-down procedure. I gave up on it years ago when I first bought one of Ben Armato's products (I have a Reed Wizard and a Perfect-a-Reed) and read this recommendation in his accompanying booklet. I couldn't make it work back then, even after talking to him about it by phone.
I'm getting a clear message from this thread, though, that, apart from Tobin, who I assume also gave it up, there is no first-hand experience on this BBS with this, much less anyone here who has actually adopted butt-down wetting successfully.
Karl
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