Klarinet Archive - Posting 000712.txt from 1999/01
From: Note Staff Unlimited <notestaff@-----.ch>
Subj: Re: [kl] Day at the Buffet factory at Mantes-la-ville (by Paris)
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 14:14:28 -0500
chr schrieb:
> Last Friday was a very interesting day for us.
>
> We are a family of clarinetists (age 40, 39, 18, 14 and 11)
>
> After 17 years of playing exclusively on Oehler (German) clarinets we are now playing Boehm system (again for the parents and first time for the kids). About two months ago we tried some Buffet, Leblanc and Selmer basset horns and Buffet and Selmer bass clarinets while staying in Luzern (Switzerland). We were very impressed by the Buffets as they seemed to naturally possess so much of the qualities (intonation, evenness and ease of dynamic and lyric expression) we have been fighting to attain in the Wurlitzer bass clarinet and Reidel and Mollenhauer basset horns we were playing. We decided right then that we would sell the bass and 3 bassets we have and obtain Buffets.
>
> - snip -
>
> After selling our Wurlitzer bass and Reidel basset and 2 Bbs (we still have a Keilwerth Franz Klein model Bb and A set, a Richard Mueller D clarinet, and 2 Mollenhauer bassets for sale if anyone is interested) we had some funds to go on with this undertaking.
>
> - snip -
>
>
> We are pursuing a two-track search in the mouthpiece area. On the one hand we are investigating putting German mouthpieces on the instruments (Bb and A) which from a tone perspective works remarkably well but somewhat flat in pitch. By using a "Clickbarrel" at its shortest setting this problem disappears.
>
> On the Boehm mouthpiece front we have a Pomarico 3* (Vandoren White Master reeds), 5RV (Rico Grand Concert), B40 and a Jerry Hall (Vandoren Black Master). If anyone of you have suggestions for mouthpieces with a rather long facing and narrow opening and perhaps angled sidewalls in the German tradition we would be grateful if you pass information along to us.
> - snip -
>
> Don, Cindy, Michael, Brian and Melissa Christensen
> Christensen Family Clarinets
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Hi Christensen Family,
Thank you for your fascinating report about your "conversion" (reconversion?) to French style boehm clarinets. The epic trip sounded like a pilgrimage to the Holy Place with baptising ceremony!
We met in Baden-Baden a few years ago when Brian (I think) played in an (excellant) clarinet quartet at the Jugend Musiziert competition a few years back. (He also played in the piano competition on the same day!) I had been to BYU music camp (1971) and had lessons with your old teacher, Dr. David Randall.
Did you also consider German (or Reform) boehm clarinets? Aside from Wurlitzer, Leitner + Kraus makes an excellant one (better than Wurlitzer in my humble opinion). Also, Luis Rossi tells me that he hopes to have one ready for the clarinet fest in Ostend this coming July. That's bound to be good as well!
Anyway, now that you have your Buffets and are looking for mouthpieces with a German character, I have some suggestions which you might want to check out.
1) Zinner makes a special German style mouthpiece for French clarinets. A former pupil of mine plays one of these and sounds quite nice on it. If you can't find it, ask me and I'll ask him again exactly what it's called. (Might ask anyway, come to think of it....)
2) Gregory Smith offers all models with either straight or angled (8 degrees) side walls and they sound really good. Two of my pupils play them on Buffets. Three colleages in the area that I know of play them on Buffet and Leblanc clarinets respectivly. One plays a version in wood (see http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Gregory_Smith_Clarinet/models.htm) .
I would be very interested in trying your Mollenhauer basset horns. I've played on a Mollenhauer from a colleage in Freiburg a couple of times and really loved it. I'm not too fussy about the fingering system. I can't help wondering why you would want to change from that to a wider bore Buffet basset horn.
Best regards,
David
David Glenn
notestaff@-----.ch
August-Macke-Strasse 4a
D-79400 Kandern (nr. Basle)
Germany
Tel. +49 7626 971609 or +49 172 762 6399
Fax +49 7626 971611
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