Klarinet Archive - Posting 000182.txt from 1994/10

From: John Dohrmann <jdohrman@-----.COM>
Subj: First Survey Results
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 1994 02:21:12 -0400

First highlights of clarinet survey

So far I have surveys back from about 30 people and have complied
25 of them.

If you would like to fill out a survey about your playing,
instruments, mouthpieces, etc, E-Mail me directly and I will send
you the survey.

When I finish compiling stuff, we can see about putting the whole
thing up somewhere.

The survey respondents covered the spectrum from professionals
with up to 66 years of experience to newcomers of two years.
Some were honest enough to take out the 10 or 15 years the horn
sat in a closet.

Fifteen of 25 get paid to play at least some of the time. Six of
you played alone most often, followed by orchestras, chamber
groups, and pit orchestras.

Sax and flute (and piano, I think) were the most common other
instruments. I didn't separately list piano at first, have to go
back.

I got too many favorite clarinet parts to analyze yet.

Four people listed themselves as superior in skill, 7 as
advanced, 11 competent, and two intermediate.

The most common instrument alteration (just an extention of
changing mouthpieces?. is a new barrel - 9 of 25 people have at
least one replacement barrel. Several people pad their
thumbrests, one was relocated, and two people have neck straps.

Seventeen people oil the instrument bore, most with bore oil,
following by almond oil. Frequency is from very two months to
once a millenium.

And the overwhelming belief is that you don't overhaul a clarinet
on any fixed cycle. Replace individual pads or (when you buy a
used one) have them all done but only as needed. Sound like many
people are going to cork pads and other alternatives to the old
skin pads.

INSTRUMENTS

For the 59 Bflat and A soprano clarinets reported, 33 are by
Buffet (including Buffet-Crampton) and 26 of those are R-13's.
Then there are 4 LeBlanc and 4 Selmer Bflats, 2 Yamaha, and
singles of others. In A, 2 Yamaha and then singles.

Buffet also rules in Eflat soprano.

MOUTHPIECES

Sixteen of 51 mouthpieces are by Vandoren, as follows:
2RV 1
5JB 2
5RV 1
5RV Lyre 2
B40 1
B44 4
B45 5

Larry Combs and Selmer also appear more than once but it will
take me more time to make sense of it.

LIGATURES

I wanted to report this first since there was a recent question
to the list on ligatures. And the winner is: Rovner, with 8
picks, followed by Bonade with 7 and Gigliotti with 4. Only one
person reported routinely using a string although a second person
has tried it with good success.

REEDS
Because you gave me multiple reed choices for several instrument
sizes, I have 50 reed answers from 25 people.

Vandoren V12 is the reed of choice, 13 of 50 answers.
Overall, Vandoren was listed 34 times, including Black Master
(2), White Master (2), Hand Selected (1) and several entries
that didn't have the model. Strengths ranged from 2 to 4.

Other brands were Rico (5, 3 Rico Royal), Mitchell Lurie (4),
Steur (2), LaVoz (2), RKM (1) and David Guardala (1, Tenor sax
reed for Bass clarinet). One person admitted to making reeds
from blanks.

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>
John Dohrmann
Puget Sound Water Quality Authority
Olympia, Washington
jdohrman@-----.com