Author: vboboe
Date: 2007-07-14 00:31
... cotton fibres can get snagged on the reed, and a moist cotton isn't enough water to wetten a dry reed, although it might keep a wet enough reed moist longer, in summer especially, but the fuzzy wuzzy option doesn't work for me, don't have time to hand-pick fibers when rotating reeds or while changing sheet music
pre-wetting reeds in a little water, in a container like a shot glass at chair-side at home (wouldn't use the idea of 5 mins under running water minimum 2 qts wastage when little reeds only need maybe 2 fl oz water to do the job, unless absolute emergency) and putting them into reed case not more than an hour before playing in temperate weather (less than an hour in summer) works for me too
... but there's absolutely no substitute for a *hands-free* soaker cup in a hot band-room during a 90 minute practice, i put mine behind right front chair leg, my elbow room is wider than the space chair legs occupy on the floor, so it's pretty safe there, and if the lid's on it and if daddy long legs alto sax behind me really stretches all the way under my chair, and if knocks it over accidentally, no problem really, hasn't happened yet
but that setup wouldn't work for a band concert, so the wet reeds in reed-case is a better solution, one goes up, plays, it's all over, reeds stay wet enough for the duration, what bothers me most is the long time waiting one's turn to go up there, that's when i worry about my reeds drying out in the reed-case while in my body-hot pocket or in my nervously hot hand ... so a little soaker cup is really handy, can hold it like a beverage while waiting around
brand-new beginners usually don't have a reed case right away, just whatever containers reeds come in, the wood reed case i've got now has a velour type lining so it wicks up water like cotton when several reeds are put in there with water still sitting on the surface of the cane
after each use, i leave the reed case propped open on its catch to air-dry the reeds (and velour) overnight
as for the reed cup i described, i'm still looking for the ideal depth and width while i make do with something else salvaged, former tooth-pick container at the moment, snap-on cap leaks, brittle plastic cracks easily, absolutely not recommended, but it's the right size, and to protect my gig bag from leaks, what else are half-pint ziploc bags good for?
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