Klarinet Archive - Posting 000216.txt from 1997/09

From: Jim Lytthans <lytthans@-----.net>
Subj: Clarinet Lamps
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 1997 18:35:28 -0400

On the subject of clarinet lamps:

Several years ago, while touring with a concert band, I brought back a
clarinet from Shanghai. The brand name is "Lark", and it is a Chinese
knock-off of a Buffet R-13, complete with adjustable thumb rest, a
wooden (!) mouthpiece, silver-plated keys, screwdriver and a box of
reeds, all in a nice case. I bought it brand-new at a music store in
Shanghai for, I think, $62.00. The keywork is primitive, but
satisfactory, and the wood looked pretty good. The instrument played
pretty well in China, but after a couple of weeks in the dry California
climate, everything changed. Several off the rings came off, the barrel
became a permanent part of the upper joint, and the posts moved so much
(because of wood expansion) that the entire instrument became
unplayable. What to do? Make a lamp out of it! Of course! No damage
has been done to the "Lark", so a some future date I could (not likely)
resurrect the beast. For now, It's a nice conversation piece, right
next to my woodpecker lamp (no, not a Buffet knock-off). Maybe we should
start a thread on how to change a lamp into a clarinet!

Jim Lytthans
Anaheim, CA

--

Jim Lytthans "Primo Arundo Donax!"
La Mirada Symphony Orchestra
Claremont Symphonic Winds
(http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/~dooley/csw.html)
My home page:
http://home.pacbell.net/lytthans/index.html