Reeds
Reed players, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
As performing musicians, we have to keep several reeds ready to go; not too hard, not too soft. Each reed has its own personality, if you will. Some like high notes, some don’t. Some sound great for 2 hours and then die, some sound like poop all the time.
Because each reed is different, we have to find ways of marking them so that we know how they behave and which reed is best suited for whatever piece we are playing. Some musicians mark their reeds with a number. I often mark with a star for excellent or an M for ‘meh’. My bass clarinet student, however, names her reeds. Each reed has its own name, and names never, ever repeat. Currently in the line up are Horatio, Horace, Bertha, and Ed.
