Klarinet Archive - Posting 000369.txt from 1995/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Bill Parker and old clarinets
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 08:54:29 -0500

The issue of old clarinets has been done several times on this
list, to no definite conclusion. It is worth looking in the KLARINET
archives to see the range of opinions that exist on this subject.
Except for those who have no opinion (and that group is very small),
there are two views. One group believes that the effect of aging
on clarinets has never been sufficiently studied or reliably documented
and that comments about clarinets being "blown out" or otherwise
negatively affected by age are an exaggeration based on ignorance and
superstition. Further, people who perpetuate this perceived exaggeration
do so because they are swept away by the reputations of those who
state it to be true, not because of any scientific evidence that exists
which supports or rejects the hypothesis.

A second group is of the opposite viewpoint and this clearly includes
Stoltzman. These people accept the theories that are put forward not
only describing the phenomenon about which you inquire, but suggest
reasons why these phenomena are true. The reasons include, but are
not limited to, drying out of wood, the effect of years of swabbing,
the natural consequence of constant vibration on a media as fragile
as wood, etc.

Your inquiry will probably cause a reiteration of both views. But you
really should look at the volumes of comments made in past postings
to get an understanding of the lack of real scientific knowledge
about the aging of instruments.

When this list gets tired of this go around of the subject, everyone
will continue to go on believing what they now believe because no
new evidence will have been put forward during this round than in any
one of the past.

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

   
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