Does your finger lock up? Mine does

I have these weird thumbs that flex all the way back and double jointed fingers and knucle joints. I had a lot of trouble getting my fingers - especially the third finger on my right hand and the third finger on my left hand to ben correctly. They would sort of lock up and become stiff, making me have toi stop playing and unlocking them.

Last year I was told about a place that makes splints for this, and I just got reminded of it. I don't think I'm going to buy one right now, but they look cool . . . http://www.silverringsplint.com/

Popkin Camp starts this weekend

The thirtieth Popkin/Glickman bassoon Camp starts this coming weekend. I (brian) will be there, and if you're coming - well, say hi!

SUMMER BASSOON EXTRAVAGANZA

My good friend Shelly Unger mentioned that there are still a few openings in her amazing camp . . .

SUMMER BASSOON EXTRAVAGANZA
June 22-28, 2008
Atlanta, GA

Summer Bassoon Extravaganza 2008 (June 22-28) is a week-long, stay-over camp hosted by Emory University. This intensive, fun-filled week features master classes, reed-making, bassoon choir (and more) and culminates in performances by faculty and participants. Highly-regarded professional bassoonists/educators lead the week. Guest artist/clinicians include members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

SBE is ideal for middle and high school bassoonists.

Faculty includes:
Roger Soren
Marita Abner
Jennifer Brinson
Michael Dicker
Shelly Unger
William D. Davis
Juan de Gomar
Laura Najarian
Carl Nitchie
Dr. Scott A. Stewart

Check out the SBE web site at Emory at http://music.emory.edu For additional information contact Shelly Unger at 770.861.6062, shellybassoon@gmail.com To download a registration form http://music.emory.edu/concerts/SBE2008.html

"As a former member of the faculty of this camp, I highly recommend it." Christopher Weait

Patrick McFarland English Horn Master Class 2008

I wish I had gone to Pat's Master Class this past April 14th, 15th and 16th. Check his website to see when the next one is. It's sure to be good. Pat is a wonderful teacher, and a funny, funny guy.

My first teacher, pictured below, was Merrill Greenberg, who was a student on Long Island, New York when I was a kid, long before he went to Israel to play EH with the Israeli Phil.

Here are some photos from the Master Class, courtesy of Marsha Burkett.







Merrill Greenberg, Lou Rosenblatt






(Bill Fetcher), Merrill Greenberg, Pat McFarland, Jan Eberle, Tim Clinch






(Mary Abbott), Merrill Greenberg, Pat McFarland, Jan Eberle, Tim Clinch, (Kathy DiCola)

I'm a Blogger...?

Jennifer here.

Well, Brian said I should blog about something. So here I am. My first blog post. I really have nothing very interesting to share in my first post. But this is a start.

I have been working here at CDRC for 7 years 5 mos. Back then, when I was told about the job opening, it was described to me as an office worker for a wind instrument company. AWESOME! I love weather! I really dig anemometers! I love going to the top of the highest peak in the northeast and leaning into the wind! Great! I get be part of a scientific company! So much for that thrill. While I doubt I'll ever learn to play (nevermind learn to read music), it turns out that oboes and bassoons are pretty neat too.

I see websites that have a "chat with a representative" feature and feel like we should offer that here. But those cost money and why not use something free and simple to use. Less direct, but free and uncomplicated.

I have created a Yahoo Messenger ID so interested double reeders can contact someone here via IM. Maybe there is a burning question that needs an answer (related to oboe or bassoon, please). Or an ordering question or concern. I'm not sure how popular this will end up being, but I thought it was worth a try.

So anyone interested in IMing for double reed related issues feel free to add charlesdoublereed to your Yahoo IM list. Please do not contact us through the Yahoo mailing address as it will not be checked regularly.

I'll post something more interesting soon.

Happy New Year

It's been a while - I'm sorry. The move is complete and was easy, though the process is always - shall we say - "stimulating"?

It's a quiet week here in the double reed world, but the snow is falling fast and furious. Another 8 inches expected tonight! Great skiing - really. Come up and see!



A happy New Year to you!

The move is in phase two or three

The hardest physical days are over, and now we're setting all the systems up again. There's so much we've gotten used to that will now be analyzed and evaluated for function. It's a golden opportunity for change and growth. Of course, the flip side is that it is emotionally draining and uncomfortable.

We were up and running on Monday afternoon!

Moving

It's going well so far. As usual, John Cotter is a one-man tornado working beyond the level of mere mortals. Jen and Ty and Zach worked hard all day and we were joined by good friends Mona L'Heureux and Ian Cruickshank, she my student, both of them past climbing guides and just plain fun. Maury McKinney, well known climbing star and competitive swimmer was a big help as well.

It's good to have strong friends!

We intend to have everything operational on Monday...

A Little Move "Across the Street"

We're moving to a new location this weekend. There should be no interruption of business.

Our new address is:

2988 White Mountain Highway
PO Box 2120
North Conway, NH 03860

It's about a 3 minute drive from the current shop. Among the nice things about this new space: more light, easier to find, nice retail space up front.

Sorry I haven't blogged in a few months! When we settle in, I'll be back in the groove.

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August Vacation

My wife Sarah, son Theo and I just returned from an extended weekend on Hermit Island, Maine. In my old age (I turned 50 last week), I've taken up rock climbing, as evidenced here with Theo patiently waiting above.

Repair as a Metaphor

I like repairing instruments. It's like taking a lonely friend out for a breath of fresh air and some fun. Starts out challenging and ends up inspiring on so many levels.

The more I repair, the easier it is, and the more relaxing and stimulating it is. Sounds like a paradox - relaxing And stimulating? Maybe I'm getting old.

By the way, it's my 50th Birthday on the 15th of August. I so clearly remember feeling that the year 2000 was soooo far away, and I would be OLD then. Now it's 2007, and I still don't feel old. I gave myself a few "birthday gifts" in the past while. I quit smoking, I took up running and rock climbing, I dropped 50 pounds. It's taken close to two years to achieve these "presents", and I anticipate a few more milestones in the near future. Like running a 5K race. We'll see.

Anyway, as I repair my own self, I find that returning instruments to their previous granduer becomes an act of self-reliance, self-reflection and harmony. If all the parts work, AND they work in concert with one another, then the pathway to achievement has been cleared.

Winner of the Suggest-a-Caption Contest

We're pleased to announce the winner of our recent "suggest-a-caption" contest. Janet, whose entry is below, gets a $20.00 gift certificate good for any product or service at www.charlesmusic.com.
Congrats to Janet, and thanks to all who participated!



Janet said...
Poor Martha. She always wanted to learn jazz oboe but she never understood the concept of "swing".

P.S. If YOU are Janet, please contact us to claim your prize!

IDRS 2007

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

First Day of IDRS at Ithaca

About 800 pre-registered, which is pretty usual - maybe another 300 show up. The facility is very nice, clean, comfortable and the gym is great, too.

John and I got in yesterday, set up today and now we're looking for decent wireless access, which is hard to come by. Tonight's concert is the opening gala. Tomorrow, the displays open.

More, when I get good wireless . . .

Leaving Little Switzerland (last day of bassoon camp for me)

The last day of summer camp - melancholy, bittersweet....

This has been a very nice experience, with some standouts . . .

Getting to know people a little better, for instance:

Yvonne Kershaws album "Canciones" is my new all time favorite bassoon CD. She brought a pile with her, and I sold almost all of them. I can't stop listening to it. She chose great music for guitar and bassoon, including Canadian/Celtic folk songs, South American tango, American Spirituals and a little Vivaldi tacked on for good measure (pun intended). Yvonne is a very sweet and interesting person, which really comes through in the music.

T.D. Ellis (the fourth apparently), and I could possibly be long lost brothers. Who knew?

Mark Popkin is ailing in body - but his intellect and spirit are just like always. Mark was taken for some tests about four days ago, and the docs were a bit unhappy with some results, so he is not coming back for the duration of the camp, but rather, getting some medical attention. Being able to present him with a copy of his incredible book, "Bassoon Reed Making", which I was able to bring back into print this year, was a very special moment. I wonder what will happen next year, if Mark is in worse shape? I sincerely hope that the bassoon camp can continue without the daily presence of the master.

And then there's the book. I've been writing a few different books for about a decade now, and this trip was the place that one of them took off. Tentatively titled "Easy to Reed", it's about oboe reed making with a healthy dose of philosophy and poetry thrown in. I think I should apply to a writers retreat to finish it, there's something about being separated from daily chores, and having some spare time, that really got my writing going.

There are so many other memories, and not enough time.

I'm about to finish packing for the journey home to New Hampshire. I'll have four days to enjoy Sarah and Theo and the garden, and then John Cotter and I turn around and drag twice as much stuff to the IDRS conference in Ithaca. Rather than fly, I'm renting a van and it's road trip time!

Thoughts on Ithaca (the first one)

Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)

foreign correspondent?

It's my day two at Popkin/Glickman Bassoon Camp in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Back when I lived in NYC, this would have been an authentic vacation experience, however - I now live right in the mountains of New Hampshire, making this, while not entirely ho-hum, a rather familiar scene. There are the requisite black flies (though a lot less than my garden), and dirt roads winding up the side of lush mountainsides. Bucolic and serene, though the serenity is a bit interrupted by the sound, at 7:30 am as I write, of someone practicing contra bassoon nearby.

There must be around 60 bassoonists here, and most seem very experienced, very professional and very glad to be around fellow players. About 15 to about 75 years seems to be the age range, heavily weighted toward the younger side. Last night, I heard the sound of laughing crowds outside as I fell asleep at midnight. I am fairly sure these were not the 75 year olds.

I'm finally reaching the age that most people have always assumed that I am. At gatherings like this, where I know many by name, and usually only from phone conversations and emails, many think I'm an older gentleman, perhaps in his 50's or 60's. It's been that way from day one, when I started the company at age 26. I'm 49 this year, turning 50 in August. That's probably going to help remove the disconnect that many experience when they meet "the owner of the company", and he's just a kid.

If anyone has any questions about this camp, let me know. I'll post in another day or so. I'll be going to the IDRS next week, and write from there as well (or so I plan).

More later . . .

Double Reed Day Tattoos

Our double reed tattoos bring out a different side of double reed players at a double reed day at James Madison University. Pictured left to right are: oboist Kate Tennyson, bassoonist Leah "Right Hook" Shaw and oboist, Jodi Miller. A big thanks to Professor Michele Kirkdorffer for sending us this photo.

Suggest a Caption - Win a Gift Certificate

Tell us a great caption for this photo - - we'll enter you into a drawing for a $20 gift certificate from CDRC!

The winner will be announced next month. Good luck! Email or post as many captions as you like.



Everyone who enters, emails or otherwise lets us know a caption for this photo is entered into a drawing for a $20 gift certificate from CDRC!