After all the things I did yesterday, including spending a fair amount of time getting a batch of things photo-ready, including some high voltage capacitors, I actually got around to getting the new clarinet out and starting in on the band book.
I learned C below the staff, the D above it that dangles just below the staff, the E that's a pinch (left hand first finger and thumb) F that's thumb only, and G that's nothing.
I also learned how to make some insanely cool very high-pitched notes, easy to get if I put too much of the mouthpiece into my mouth. That stuff is fun!!
I'm using a 1-1/2 reed which according to the folks on r/clarinet is all kinds of bad, not stiff enough to teach a good embouchure, yadda yadda. Well, I got a few 1-1/2's to start on and will soon get some 2's and work up from there.
I also intend to get the Fobes Debut mouthpiece and Rovner ligature I've mentioned, the mouthpiece because those are universally recommended for beginners, and the Rovner if nothing else because the Fobes site sells them, and they're easier to fiddle with than the standard 2-screw type.
If I can get the practice in, I can actually see myself getting out there busking at least for some Christmas carols.
Even just starting out, with my "toy" 1-1/2 reed, I can see that some good tone is possible. I can tell I'm going to get a lot of music out of this thing.
Now, how is the dang clarinet going to fit in, in Hawaii? Well, a guy I took the odd lesson from, Mark Sowlakis, told me when he went there (playing clarinet and sax) he always came back with more money than he'd left with. Hawaii's always had a jazz scene, and probably more of one than San Jose here. This boring town does not set a high bar.
I went to Menlo Park to do some business, it's an easy 1/2-hour train ride there/back, and the only thing was that I'd chosen a Friday, and a Friday that's the last one before Christmas so the place was a bit of a madhouse. People buying presents I guess. I got what I came for and got outta there, then tried to find a place not inundated with high school students as it was late afternoon. Starbucks was out, for instance.
I found a deli that's large, the old-style place with plenty of coffee drinks and pastries, but also sandwiches and wine if that's your thing. And it was bustling enough that there's no code for the loo, just go in. That was a relief, and then I felt obligated to them, and got this big tri-tip sandwich which was nice and juicy like Carl's Jr. hamburgers used to be. So that was my big meal for the day.
I got back on the train and rode my bike from Whole Foods where I'd left it, over to the Amazon place for some bubble mailers and then to Nijiya for a couple things. They're not giving out their trademark white plastic bags any more. Booooo! It's paper ones now. Walmart is doing that too, these days.
Traffic is nuts out there and it was good to get back here in one piece. It's cold out there and just as importantly, very damp which makes it feel colder. I really don't feel like being out doing things once it gets dark, which is pretty early this time of year.
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