Klarinet Archive - Posting 000090.txt from 1994/05

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Clarinet blow out
Date: Wed, 4 May 1994 16:14:36 -0400

I have no strength left to reargue this issue. Everything I have had
to say on the subject has been said.

Clark Fobes writes that "many players have come to me with very
similar complaints about their aging instruments." Not surprising.
One finds what one has been told to find in aging instruments and
most people pass the story of blow out from one to the other, so
that is exactly what Clark should expect people to come to him with.
If the traditional wisdom of clarinets were that the pitch goes
flat on the bottom and sharp on the top after 25 years, that is
what he would be told by his customers. It proves nothing.

Also the fact that Clark has played more than 1,000 instruments
(and that is undoubtedly not only true, but probably a conservative
estimate) also proves nothing. I think he is reinforcing in his own
mind what he believes to be true. When he has played 50,000
clarinet he will believe it more strongly and then he will use
the number 50,000 to show the truth of his assertion.

But for all of you out there in clarinetland, be aware that a not
insubstantial number of people think this entire business about
blow out is nothing more or less than a manufactured story to get
you to buy a new clarinet when you really don't need one.

And the reason why the matter came up in the first place was that
Clark's note said that "Dan Leeson and I are in agreement on
clarinets blowing out" when what he meant to say was "Dan Leeson and
I are NOT in agreement on clarinets blowing out." This was about
4 days ago and I'm going back to sleep now, thank you.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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