Klarinet Archive - Posting 000374.txt from 1997/11

From: benevolent1@-----.com
Subj: Re: New clarinet recommendations
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 07:58:01 -0500

On Sun, 09 Nov 1997 00:22:45 -0800 "David S. Naden"
<dnaden@-----.net> writes:
>Sarah--
>
>With all due respect to your questions about selection of an
>instrument, have
>you not been paying attention to the messages on the list??? There
>has been
>much discussion about Selmer, Buffet, Leblanc, Yamaha and other makes
>of
>clarinets--and bass clarinets--on the list for weeks. The only
>concensus
>reached in all these messages is that the choice of a clarinet is
>personal,
>that you have to try them out, and that you have to select an
>instrument that
>is comfortable for you.
Mr. Naden,
Thank you for the information. I have been following the discussion, and
as I mentioned, I did have a lot of information on some of the brands of
clarinets. My basic question was whether I should consider another brand
than the ones I mentioned. I was just making sure I covered all the
bases. This is a big decision for me, and a large financial commitment.
I feel that I owed it to myself and to my ensembles to find a clarinet
that suits me best. I listed just those brands that I had information
about.
>As far as your suggestion about taping yourself, I offer the
>following: It
>would be preferable for you to take someone who knows the
>clarinet--hopefully
>your private teacher--and have that individual listen to you live.
>The
>clarinet is a difficult instrument to tape well if you have not had
>much
>experience, and the results may be affected. If you must tape, then
>play the
>same material and the same length of time on each instrument under
>consideration, AND use the same mouthpiece/reed setup. However, you
>must
>remember that most of us who have selected instruments in the past not
>only
>have tested different makes if that was an option, but several of the
>same
>make and model to select the best available.
>
>As far as your schedule, I would suggest that you do the following:
>
> 1) As stated previously, have your clarinet teacher present, and
>only
>tape if this is not possible.
> 2) Use one day to determine your basic preference between
>Buffet,
>Selmer, Leblanc, and Yamaha.
> 3) Use a second day to test the instruments of the make you
>prefer.
>
Thank you, as this schedule is very close to the one I had in mind, sort
of like a preliminary/finals format. I thank you for your time.

Sarah
benevolent1@-----.com