Klarinet Archive - Posting 000280.txt from 1996/03

From: louis elliott natkin <73551.632@-----.COM>
Subj: C clarinet ramblings
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 17:14:59 -0500

This note started as response to someone who had C clarinet questions... I
thought it worthy of a general post

Yes, Ken.... As I thought I tried to express....C clarinets have not been
around (popular) for a long time... It's kinda like the c melody sax...
they tended to be notoriously out of tune as well....just because it's a
Buffet doesn't mean it's a "good" one (or a bad one either).... (Just ask
some players about a Series 9 Selmer - some love them, some hate them)

Some explanation here - I recently bought a beautiful (until I played it)
VERY old ("HP" (High pitch) - they didn't mention THAT in the response to
my ad) alleged C clarinet over the internet. It arrived with fresh pads &
corks, a cute wrap-around octave key and the Original? wooden
mouthpiece...I eagerly took it with me to the community concert band,
GRABBED the oboe parts and began to play... when MUCH to my horror - I
discovered it was off pitch WAY off pitch....

the story now continues....

The story on my "alleged" C is that its pitch is just not c.... it appears
to be roughly f but only for some notes... it is a fun horn to play &
sounds GREAT though and I seriously probably wouldn't want to part with
it....but... to play written music with a group... no way!!! It just ain't
gonna work!

In looking for a useable C, I found that I guess that saying "you get
what you pay for" sums it up. The Woodwind currently had 2 in stock
earlier this week (new - Noblets) and did say to me that the cheaper (900
range) Italian one (I forget the maker's name) which they also sell was
inferior.

There are plenty of shops in New York which MIGHT have one....

If, as from your posts, you are thinking Klezmer, (as I have my own
group)...Go for a decent horn at a decent price... the hassle of a cheap
horn is similar to buying a Yugo auto...

I am really not so sure that the $3000 Buffet RC is worth the difference
from the 12 or 1300 dollar Noblet...though I have not played one.

I played several concerts on a borrowed Noblet "A" and found that it was a
fair instrument... it did not respond like a Buffet Prestige... but then,
it was a third the price...

The market is heating up for these things....used c clarinets are rare and
desireable....

An alternative such as when I played piano music (Fiddler - Sabbath
Prayer) with our choir was.... since it was in a different key than I
had played it & I had to do the odd runs... was that I spent $2 on a
blank music notation book & carefully and painfully transposed it so that
nothing was left to chamce.... transposing generally is not that difficult
...it builds character......and is MUCH MUCH cheaper!

P.S. I have had a standing post for 2 months and have not had one response
for my "I want to buy a C clarinet ad!"

Anyone out there have one for sale at a reasonable price?

Anyone interested in a $250 HP C clarinet lamp?

Louis Natkin