Klarinet Archive - Posting 000812.txt from 1997/11

From: Edinger/Gilman <wde1@-----.com>
Subj: two is company, three's a pain in the ears
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 00:30:48 -0500

Robert Reyes wrote:

"Hello everyone it's me Robert Reyes, the guy who started WWIII last
month."

Robert,

Not to steal your thunder, but we're way beyond the third WW on this
list. You're off by about a decimal point. But these "battles" seem to
be at least half the fun (at least when they stay reasonably civil,
which is most of the time).

And since the smoke hasn't cleared yet on at least one of those battles,
let me fire a shot.
Bands/concert bands/wind ensembles are the lifeblood of music education
in this country. My whole being has a direct emotional connection the
the band experience, and most of my successes in life can be at least
indirectly connected to the things I learned from playing music in
bands. And I'm a professional scientist! I still play in a band at the
age of 46 and I still come home from rehearsals pumped up and unable to
sleep because of what I get out of it (probably second only to sex).

That is why I feel no small amount of guilt in agreeing 100% with 90% of
what Michael Norsworthy said on the subject: I greatly prefer listening
to orchestras (and playing in them too). And the worst part is, I think
it's the clarinets that make me so prejudiced. Fifteen clarinets is a
woefully inadequate substitute for a violin section. Groups of
clarinets just sound thin, strained, and usually at least have the
suggestion of being at least marginally out of tune. And I truly love
the clarinet. I just don't like more than about two at a time (except
in Mahler symphonies, where there are at least six of everything
anyway). Sorry.

Bill E.