Klarinet Archive - Posting 000177.txt from 1997/01

From: "Joie Canada , Jcanada713@-----.com>
Subj: Re: antique clarinet :-)
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 12:12:54 -0500

Hi Lyndsey,

I almost bought one of those myself--but I didn't really need another horn.

Those metal clarinets were made some years back for playing in bands that
worked in tropical climates and other rough outdoor conditions--they were
used, for instance, in military bands in places like Panama because the
material was not subject to cracking from changes in heat and humidity. They
were also made for schools that played football games and parades in all
weathers ( I would hate to take one out in a thunderstorm, but then again the
flutes and trombones....:-)

The metal clarinets sometimes ended up in Dixieland bands as did most
off-brand type instruments as they often ended up in pawnshops and some
Dixieland bands were a bit strapped for money and their instruments went in
and out of pawn on a regular basis--this was back in the twenties and
thirties.

By the forties, there were more "compostion" and plastic clarinets developed
that did not turn green and go crumbly like some of the early "hard rubber"
instruments developed to get around the fragility of wood in extreme
conditions, and the metal clarinet fell out of favor. I don't know if
anyone still makes them.

Elkhart, Indiana is a center of instrument making in the US, particularly for
large numbers of student instruments, so I would guess you have an old
military or school instrument. The reason the body is so skinny is that the
metal is thin so it doesn't weigh so much but the inside bore is the same as
a wooden instrument--it's just that wooden bodies are much thicker for the
sake of strength.

The old metal clarinets are not the best in the world, but they are tough and
unusual. There has been a long thread of discussion in the past about the
material of the body of the instrument making no difference in the tone of
the player, and if this instrument is in good adjustment, it should play
well. The one I tried out had some intonation problems in the upper
register, but no more than the average student instrument. If you get a good
mouthpiece setup and keep this instrument adjusted properly, you ought to be
able to have a lot of fun with it--and it will be nearly unique in current
playing ensembles!

Enjoy,

Joie