Klarinet Archive - Posting 000051.txt from 1994/01

From: "Dr. Ronald P. Monsen" <RPMONS00@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Tom Ascher's comments
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 09:23:28 -0500

Greetings from the Bluegrass. I really must enter this one--I have played
with an outstanding oboiest for years. One day quite by chance I discovered
that one of his Loree instruments had an upper joint made of Delrin. Loree
charges more for this but they don't crack. I also have a wonderful Bb sop
metal Selmer (Paris) five piece jointed clarinet with a Selmer thin metal
mouthpiece made for this clarinet. It was manufactured in December of 1935.
It is in every way a pro instrument. So is the sterling silver clarinet made
by Haynes of Boston (I do not have one). So why was Selmer dropped from the
catalog? The perception amongst players that only student clarinets are made
of metal and bad. Remember all those one piece plus barrel metal dandies?

I have attended lecture demonstration given by Arthur Benade in Toronto
in 1978. He had done extensive research into accoustics and the clarinet.
Was a faculty member at Case Western Reserve. I'll dig around and get you
all some references so you can read his material. His instruments were varied
being of wood, plastic and I am not sure about metal. Anyway, when he finished
working on them they all played like real top clarinets (OK we can discuss what
that means later). Of course the instrument has to be proper-bore, undercuttin
g keywork, phrasing of the tone holes, etc.

How does the player feel about the instrument he is playing? How much do we
listen with our eyes and not with our ears?

This list is starting to become addictive. I am in the first week of classes
and trying to get all the soprano players, Eb sop folks and the lads and
lasses who play upon the BBb TREES sorted out. But I will make time in my sche
dule to discuss and chat.

Ron Monsen
Above read OBOIST don't know how to go back and correct typos. Sorry!