#clarinetproblems

So for a few years I’ve been using the ReedJuvinate storage thingies for my reeds. I liked them, and they definitely extend the life of your reeds - I would only need to break in new ones every 6-9 months. But the storage clips are super awkward, and the humidity in the container is hard to control and they could get waterlogged. After I had a number of reeds fail recently the niggling issues had me thinking I needed to try switching back to a more traditional system. So I switched first to a plastic bag with a two-way humidity pack, and then to the Vandoren Hygrocase (hygro?) for a while now, and I’ve been really happy with the Vandoren. The humidity seems to be more sensibly controlled, and once I’ve got a reed adjusted how I like it seems to play more consistently. I think the excess humidity of the ReedJuvinate was more of a problem than I thought. Just got a second one for my bass reeds. #clarinetproblems #bassclarinetproblems #clarinet #bassclarinet https://www.instagram.com/p/CB7RAb1BiSt/?igshid=18xxga4bp013a

The Voynich Manuscript for #clarinet #quartet! Search for the “reference” recording on YouTube, it’s totally great, and the crazy and weird Voynich Manuscript is a great hook for gamers and computer geeks. I’ve said it before, but imo the best original music for clarinet chamber ensemble is coming from Japan these days. I love how this piece blends minimalist techniques with a gorgeous middle choral section that takes full advantage of the clarinet’s nearly vocal sound and ability to blend. Working on the 1st part in winter is kind of hilarious though. It’s *constantly* going through clarion G# and throat G#/A#, keys which are notorious for getting clogged with moisture, so I can only work on it for like 10min before having to break down and clean the instrument. I’m sure it would be even worse back in Ohio. There is also a middle section (2nd picture) with a really tricky counting problem, various different-length triplets while the rest of the group is in 4. Super-fun piece, and it’s for 4xBb so I get to take a break from bass and play Bb! #clarinetquartet #clarinetproblems https://www.instagram.com/p/B79Ml32BTZO/?igshid=83c56v007faf

Sniff 😭. I adore my @backunmusical CG Crystal mouthpieces, which I play on both Bb and Bass #clarinet (still waiting for a CG for #bassethorn 😄). But this is the risk I guess. I’ve never dropped a mouthpiece in my life, but there’s a first time for everything. I went back to playing my old (very nice) ebonite mouthpiece, to see if I could get by on that - the CGs aren’t cheap - and it was just weird, it did not have the same great texture and feel. I’ve historically been really skeptical that all these different expensive mouthpieces make all that much of a difference, but I’ve become really attached to my CGs. #clarinetproblems #itmustbemonday https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XRcGEhHlr/?igshid=ct6skkomy0qx

I was so excited to get my own ALTA synthetic #clarinet reed (complete with ownership card and serial number) after trying one out and being really impressed ... but it just didn’t hold up to the pressure of the practice room. The sound is a bit thin and bright compared to cane, similar to the Legeres. The actual feel is much more similar to cane, so that’s good, but the sound just isn’t there. I’ve heard that they do seem to conform to your setup over time, so I’ll keep breaking it out regularly for a bit each day and see if it starts to feel better - it definitely felt a bit better after a short break-in period - but my enthusiasm has been dampened. I do continue to believe that in the not-to-distant future we’ll all be playing synthetics, but IMHO anyway we need one more significant jump in quality. #clarinetreeds #clarinetproblems #silversteinworks https://www.instagram.com/p/BtUEzHkhEPD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wrm5ceicfd1k

So for my music/#clarinet/wind musician friends, what do we think this odd and confusing direction means? It’s from Robert W Smith’s Ireland: Legend and Lore, (c)1996. Clearly we’re just humming for a bit there, but then it tells us both to “play” and to “Sing Ahh”. “Sing Ahh” is not the name of the song; wrong font (also: dumb name, but who can say). Being from 1996, it’s recent enough that it *could* mean to sing “ahh” through the instrument at the same time as you play the note. This is not a super-hard extended technique, and it isn’t rare, but it would be a bit odd in a large concert band context ... especially since a number of brass instruments have the same direction and I don’t know that they can do the same technique. And it doesn’t tell you when to stop (although this sort of notation error seems not un common). Anyone want to guess? I’m thinking it’s probably just to sing those whole note pitches and then to start playing the instrument after that, although I kinda want it to be the sing-while-playing thing ‘cause I think that would be fun 😄. #bandproblems #clarinetproblems https://www.instagram.com/p/BtT6WVhBDZm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=b3ky5oixgmy3

‪Sesto is injured *plays taps* #ripcork Shoutout to @corkgrease for not letting me gorilla glue that shit like a savage. Friends don’t let friends super glue their clarinets. 😅 #mandown #clarinetproblems #clarinet #music ‬