(no subject)
I don't update this ever, unless I want to say something or have no one to share with.
I'm home, so I have no one to share clarinet woes with.
Let me begin a few weeks ago.
I was experimenting with reeds, and after a couple of weeks found that I could not get a focused and clear sound out of them in the low register. Namely they were always airy (an indication that they are too hard and to try a softer size). However, the strength 5 reeds that I have in abundance (or I thought I had a fair amount at the time... to realize I only have 8... good enough to get me through a few weeks of aggravated playing which I knew was going to turn into a few months) work perfectly with very little work on them. Except they have the problem of not being able to play in the super altissimo register easily, which I knew about them before. That's why I was trying other reeds actually. So I go back to them, buy about $100 worth of 5s because I figure I always come back to them, they are a good investment for me. Mind you, we were having 70-80 degree weather and I was very happy with the results. In order to solve my high playing problem I decided to practice 3 octave scales from E up chromatically to C every day. I'd get the fingerings down, listen for intonation in various contexts, force my high notes to come out through manipulating the air, etc.
Fast forward to Tuesday. Suddenly it's fall, and those new reeds that I've been working on are getting honky and don't allow me to do a great dynamic range. So I pull out some more new ones to see if they work better. They are also soft.... I begin to kick myself. The temperature dropped, making all of my reeds softer. Well at least I have reeds for May... namely for China and then the beginning of grad school and summer practicing.
I put on the Rue Lepics and the Black Masters that I had been working on. They are now the perfect size and are not airy at all. I kick myself even harder because the high notes come out perfectly. I should have just bought a softer version of the Rue Lepics after all of that time.
Damn it all.
Then I went to put together my A clarinet today (you know... the one for the Nielsen, parts of Mahler, and parts of the Opera)... and the cork comes right off of the bottom joint. I start to panic. Luckily I've cultivated a good partnership with my local music store (btw the people at Midstate music are really nice and always take care of me. You should really shop there or suggest that others go there...) and they are able to get my A clarinet to me tomorrow before I go to Albany. Yay! I can practice the Nielsen this weekend and not die when my recital is in 30 days.....
The end of my music woes. That and I officially have 12 weeks in between my recital and my first audition.
Shit... I need to start practicing harder.