Klarinet Archive - Posting 000592.txt from 1998/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] real subject: breaking in my R-13
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 02:09:20 -0400

At 08:06 PM 9/15/98 -0400, Ben Stutzman wrote:
>I wasn't very clear in my original post. I'm not really concerned about
>my clarinet cracking. I do swab it thoroughly and clean out the tone
>holes. I was never planning to oil it. My REAL question was breaking
>it in. My teacher seems to think playing so it doesn't crack is not an
>issue. Who cares if you can play the crap out of a horn and it doesn't
>crack. It has to be broken in correctly - tuning in mind. The wood has
>to get use to vibrating and making sound. Playing altissimo from the
>beginning is NOT how to do this. I asked her about playing altissimo
>and she said, "No, no, don't ruin it." Start in the low register and
>add time/notes as you progress. This is what I think she means. Maybe
>she's crazy. Maybe I'm crazy. I don't care, I just want an awesome
>clarinet.
>
Sounds like witchcraft to me. You may find it useful to slowly break in
your EAR to the particular tonal and intonational qualities of a new
clarinet. But I don't think the wood can learn anything, much less be
damaged in that way. It's vibration is MUCH less important than that of
the air column inside, anyway.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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