Klarinet Archive - Posting 000043.txt from 1995/06

From: SCOTT MCCHESNEY <scmcchesney@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: D Clarinet
Date: Sun, 4 Jun 1995 23:43:13 -0400

>I bought an E-flat clarinet that has a low written E-flat on it. When I
>was living in Paris I went to Buffet and Selmer and asked if either would
>build a full Boehm E-flat clarinet with the extra half tone at the bottom
>end. Buffet indicated that they would not make such an instrument. But
>Selmer did and I still have it. On those very rare occasions when I need
>a D clarinet (Mahler 5 is such a case) I transpose it on E-flat clarinet
>knowing that I have the extra half tone should it every be needed. It
>never has been but I sleep better at night.

>The Till Eulenspiegel solo is, of course, for clarinet in D and I once
>learned it by playing it as written, that is, without transposing it
>and just as if I had a D clarinet in my hands. I didn't, of course, but
>I got the feel of the part in the original key and, frankly, I found it
>much more easily played than in the E-flat transposition.

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

This is the kind of thing I'm asking about. Mr. (Dr.? I can never
remember) Leeson has solved his problem of not having a D Clarinet by simply
extending the Eb. I saw another post which said that a few people do have a D,
but it's hard to find a good D Clarinet. Yet it is NOT HARD (relatively
speaking) to find a good A Clarinet.
I'm not looking to get a matched pair of Eb and D clarinets; what I'm
wondering is why do people settle for fixing the Eb so it can play the D
passages (such as the Strauss mentioned above), or just play them a half-step
higher? Why not get the D? Why does no one make a "good one" anymore?

-- Scott

   
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