I was hoping to announce this a week ago, on the anniversary of the ReedCast™’s debut, April 1, 2015,but things got a little delayed. Anyway, you can now get your guaranteed-accurate, highly scientific ReedCast™ on your Alexa device. Check it out!
You can, of course, still get your classic ReedCast™ on the web.
A couple of years ago I introduced my Reedcast™ tool on this site, which uses my proprietary software code to predict reed quality for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone based on environmental factors:
I have spent the past few months compiling and studying as much research as I could gather about environmental factors’ effects on woodwind reeds, and developing an algorithm to process this information into reed quality “forecasts.” It’s not perfect, of course, but so far I have found it to do a surprisingly satisfactory job.
Today I’m pleased to announce the release of version 2.0. Reedcast™ is now more accurate than ever before, and has a polished new look as well. Go try it out, and have a great reed day!
A handy “panflute flowchart” from toothpastefordinner.com. Read More “Need a panflute? Woodwind doubling gear woes”
See also: Stuff my students say (original flavor)
| What my students say | What my students mean |
|---|---|
| I’m sick. | As you are aware from my prolific and detailed Facebook updates, I was up very late last night making poor health choices, and now wish to be excused from established course or lesson expectations. |
| I’m not sick. | I’m very sick, and by the end of this hour, you will be, too. |
| I have to go to the registrar/bank/doctor/store, and this is the only time I can do it. | For some reason, even though I’m enrolled in your class during this time, I think this is a “time I can do it.” |
| I have a family/fraternity/church/extracurricular thing that I have to go to. | I wish to make choices but not suffer consequences. |
| I’m going to be honest: I haven’t practiced, so I don’t want to waste your time. | I believe that honesty, rather than being seen as a baseline expectation for civilized conversation, should be considered a noble enough gesture to excuse my failure to meet expectations. |
| Did I miss anything important in class? | I think your class is mostly time fillers and stalling, with the few “important” things scattered throughout the semester. |
| I have something I have to do for another class. | My other class is too important to blow off, but yours isn’t. |
| Don’t worry, I already know the material. | Expect me to crash and burn, hard, at the exam/jury. |
| What my students say | What my students mean |
|---|---|
| I was too busy to practice this week. | My choices this week did not include practicing. |
| I can play it perfectly when nobody is listening, I promise! | When somebody is listening, I’m suddenly painfully aware of problems with my playing that I ignored in the practice room. |
| I can play it, just not with the metronome. | I can play the correct pitches in the correct order, but not with enough fluency to put each note where it belongs in time. In other words, I can’t play it. |
| Right now I’m just trying to get the notes. I’ll add in the dynamics and articulations later. | I might eventually get the “notes,” but don’t bet on me ever observing any of the other markings. |
| The thing is, I’m just not good at _____ (rhythms, high notes, low notes, technical passages, lyrical passages, dynamic contrasts…). | I wish to be excused from improving my playing. |
| This _____ (etude, repertoire piece, technical exercise…) is boring. | The way I’m playing it is boring. |
| I practiced until I got it right! | I played it wrong 99 times, then right once. Guess which will happen in my lesson, rehearsal, or performance? |
| You’re mean. | I’m unprepared. |
If you frequent any of the various woodwind-related Internet message boards, forums, or listservs, you have undoubtedly encountered some of the wildlife I will describe here. Remember that they can be dangerous creatures, and that it is often best not to attempt interaction with them.
One of the most common animal behaviors witnessed on the message boards is the exchange of gear recommendations. There are two primary families of wildlife the participate in this ritual: the askers and the answerers.
The askers all share a common behavioral trait: a proclivity for asking total strangers to blindly recommend instruments, mouthpieces, reeds, and other items. Their calls are varied.
Some prefer to remain hidden in the underbrush, offering no clarifying details:
hey guys first time on this board what reedz should I use lolz Read More “Internet forum field guide: gear recommendations”
