Klarinet Archive - Posting 000010.txt from 1995/03

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Nancy Buckman and the E-flat clarinet
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 16:18:47 -0500

Nancy, the fact that one may be a very good clarinet player does not
necessarily mean that one is a very good E-flat clarinet player. It
seems to me that some people do very well on the high clarinets,
while others appear to favor the lower clarinets.

In my case, I do not play the E-flat clarinet well, either because I
have no talent for that particular instrument or because I play it
so rarely. But even when I played it a lot, I was always lousy at
it.

In clarinet playing, like in many disciplines, you have to discover
where your natural talents lie. I am not suggesting that you have
no talent for the instrument, simply saying that different people
play that particular instrument in ways ranging from spectacular
to awful, even while playing the traditional B-flat clarinet well.

Simply playing clarinet well is no reason to believe that one will
play all of them well.

I am also assuming that you have a satisfactory mouthpiece, a good
instrument, etc., etc. Maybe it's a mechanical or equipment
problem.

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