Klarinet Archive - Posting 000474.txt from 1998/08

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Clarinet Material Revisited
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 16:22:53 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.65
> Subj: [kl] Clarinet Material Revisited

> Just when I thought the issue was largely settled in the opposite direction,
> along comes my July/August edition of The Clarinet magazine,
with an article by
> Lee Gibson which opens with a blanket statement that the material of which a
> clarinet body is made makes a difference in the instrument's sound.

I know of Lee's work and when it comes to measuring things, he is
always right on top of it. He is very objective wherever the opportunity
to be objective exits.

But if he offers no backup data, then I would take this as Lee's opinion
and he has a right to have, hold, and offer such an opinion, even if I
think differently.

I remember reading Lee's doctoral dissertation and it was on Mozart's
wind music. What he did was to read all the important literature on
the subject and presume that it was correct. Nothing wrong with that.
A lot of it is. But a big pile is not and he did not argue with it.

I think that clarinet material falls into that bag. He has a
predisposition to believe that the material makes a difference in
character and he simply stated that as traditional wisdom.

But so what? Lots of people feel that way. The fact that some of
us do not believe that to be a valid technical position is just
business as usual.

>
> I'm confused by this article. He offers no
facts or references at all to back
> up this statement. He even goes on to say that
independent "blind" tests find
> no discernable difference between wood and metal clarinets, which is what I
> understand.
>
> So where does his premise come from?
Is he just furthering the myth? Is this
> wishful thinking? Or could Mr. Gibson have access to some as yet unpublished
> research results?
>
> (I meant that in a respectful tone, although I
fear it doesn't sound so. I've
> tried wording it several different ways. I apologize if I have offended.)
>
> --
> - Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
> Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================

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