Klarinet Archive - Posting 000462.txt from 1998/10

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] re:French / German sound styles
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 02:08:04 -0400

There is a timbrel difference between the French, and German fingering
system. I hear the fingering played whether it is with the German system,
or French system - the timbre is different. A "C" scale on a French system
sounds different then a C scale on a German system. Michele Z. plays the
German System Clarinet because "it gave her luck", that is what she told
me. She never even had a lesson from a German system player on the
instrument (she studied with her dad, even for many years after getting the
L.A. Phil. job). She plays what feels good to her, and what she is used to.
Some German music lays quite well on the German system, and not as well on
the French. If a player on a German system played a high C, I may not be
able with one note to tell that it was on a German Clarinet, but if the
player played more then one note, I could hear what fingering was used to
get there. I think that a player will sound basically the same no mater
what system they play. It's much more the player then the instrument that
matters.
Dan Leeson a while ago, wrote a great article on playing styles, and myths
on the OCR. The web site is
http://www.sneezy.org/OCR/articles/leeson4.html
Check it out (and yes Dan, I do hear the timbres).
David Blumberg
reedman@-----.com
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Music/Blumberg.html

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