Klarinet Archive - Posting 000320.txt from 1996/03

From: David Blumberg <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: E-flat clarinet for tiny clarinet players
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 21:44:56 -0500

Walter,
I bought one of the clarinet's you speak of. (I got the first one availiable
to the public) It is called the Kinder Clarinet- Availiable from the Woodwind
Co
800-348-5003. It is really quite good for what it's purpose is- very easy to
blow,
(unlike a regular Eb Clarinet) and simple to finger.. The cost was under $300,
I think it was made by John Denman.
Ps. Don't even think about playing Daphnis and Chloe on it.
David C. Blumberg-Phila. Pa.

----------
From: Klarinet - Clarinettist's Network on behalf of
Walter_Quan@-----.CA
Sent: Monday, March 11, 1996 1:07 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list KLARINET
Subject: E-flat clarinet for tiny clarinet players

When I was looking to buy an E-flat clarinet a few years back, the folks at
the store brought out an interesting version of an E-flat...

The case was built into a nice-coloured knapsack-type of strapping system,
and the clarinet itself was a simplified-key version.. i.e. there were no
alternative fingerings possible for various notes - just one way to play
E-flat (no l/h ring finger key), and I think it was only possible to play a
'naturally-fingered' low B (i.e. middle finger, no r/h ring/"forked" key.)

The use of this version was apparently for Suzuki-style clarinet training -
what I saw was a prototype, I think, and was meant to entice someone into
getting a class of tiny clarinet players together. I think the maker was a
Japanese company (Yamaha, presumably).

I was intrigued enough to consider it as a cut-rate clarinet (the sound was
okay for a cheaper-student-model-plastic-tiny-beastie-with-missing-keys)
but decided I'd go nuts feeling for keys that weren't there...

I've never seen them anywhere else and don't know if it was an idea that
missed its calling, but the case was cute and it was an intriguing idea...

Walter Quan
Victoria BC