Klarinet Archive - Posting 000301.txt from 1995/06

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Bill Hall has an older Selmer
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 07:27:03 -0400

Bill, it is difficult for someone to draw a conclusion about the
impact of a new clarinet on their playing without making a serious
effort to try one out. On one hand it is very good to be satisfied
with the instrument you now have, a Selmer Series 9 from 1963.
But unless you have a basis for comparison you don't know if you
might be happier with a new(er) instrument or not. It could be
nothing more than a case of "not knowing what your are missing."

The Selmer Series 9 had modest popularity. I don't know why, but
I suspect that the Selmer line in general has been overshadowed
by Buffet for at least the last 30 years, maybe longer. I am not
able to discern if that overshadowing has been justified or is
simply a matter of social pressure. I played on Selmers for years.
I played on Buffets for years. I think both companies make
excellent clarinets.

In the bass clarinet family, Buffet, for reasons that completely
elude me, has been out of it for years. Selmer seems to be
riding high in that arena. I think that is also a case of
social pressure. I have two Selmer bass clarinets, one to low
C in B-flat, one to low E-flat in A. The LeBlanc bass clarinet
was always a fine instrument. Still is. But when you see
a Wurlitzer or Hammerschmidt bass clarinet, you become startled
by the beauty of the engineering.

If you are having cash problems as you indicated, and if you
like your Selmer, stay with it and don't let anyone intimidate
you with stories of playing on an inferior instrument. Anyone
who would say that is unlikely to be able to back up such statements
with anything more substantial than "All the pros play them" which is
both irrelevant and incorrect. Don't be ashamed of your instrument
if you like it.

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