Klarinet Archive - Posting 000661.txt from 1998/05

From: merlinw@-----.ca
Subj: Re: [kl] C Clarinets
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 09:59:09 -0400

On 05/12/98 17:11:11 you wrote:

>I happen to have a C. It's an old (circa 1900-1910 most likely) wooden
>Lafayette, Albert system instrument that I bought in pretty bad shape and
>reconditioned. I've never used it in public. (As Murphy's Law would have it,
>however, while I was fixing it up, I had two performances in a row where I had
>to transpose C parts. Both parts were probably simple enough that I could
>have used the C if it had been playable.) I bought it for four reasons: (1)
>I wanted an Albert system instrument to fiddle around with (still working on
>that), (2) I wanted a C clarinet, (3) I wanted an instrument to fix up, and
>(4) it was pretty cheap. I like its sound (but I'm biased). I've had alot of
>fun with it. I use regular soprano clarinet mouthpieces on it. The wooden
>mouthpiece that came with it (stuck in the barrel) is actually a good quarter
>inch LONGER than any of my other mouthpieces. I have yet to resore it,
>however.

This reminded me of my encounter with the strangest clarinet I've ever seen. I happened to drop in to Steve Fox's workshop one day, and he handed my a clarinet body with no keys. He asked me what was unusual about it. My reply was that it was clearly a C clarinet. He asked me what else was unusual. I looked a bit longer - it was Albert system! What else? This took a bit longer. Several minutes passed before I realized that I was looking at a LEFT-HANDED Albert system C clarinet!

Merlin Williams
merlinw@-----.ca
http://www.netcom.ca/~merlinw
(A member of the Sax Ring!)

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