Klarinet Archive - Posting 000047.txt from 1994/06

From: Jeff Bowles <jab@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Why aren't electronic woodwinds popular?
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 14:21:00 -0400

``Why aren't electronic woodwinds (Lyricon, Windjammer, etc) popular?
They've been available for over 15 years, so they've had plenty of time
to catch on.''

I saw an electronic clarinet in Sam Ash (in NYC) about four or
five years ago, and it was interesting: it was a MIDI
instrument which was shaped/blown like a clarinet, and the
chameleau register was fingered exactly the same as a
Boehm-system clarinet. The register key was actually 4-5 keys:
each key corresponded to an "octave" key of some sort ('up one
octave' was one key; 'up two octaves' was another; 'down an
octave' was another.)

It required a synthesizer to produce sound - a synth and
speakers/headphones. And who wants to use electricity when they
can use real wind? Asking for a 110 volt outlet to make music
seems to be quite a hurdle when combined with learning a lot
of alternate fingers for the clarion register....

I'd rather blow the money on an E-flat clarinet. It's far more
interesting [for me] to spend my time fingering out how to
play one of those beasts in tune....

Jeff Bowles