Klarinet Archive - Posting 000749.txt from 1999/05

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] re: blow out
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 11:54:39 -0400

Dan,
In fact, MANY obooists I have played with have mentioned the
phenomenon of blowout. It is a function of how much playing time an
instrument gets. E. Horns, Piccs, etc. don't get blown out because they
aren't played enough. Players justdon't play them for 3-6 hours per day
week in and week out. Don't forget, not all clarinets seem to get it
either. I suspect it is rather individual to the particular horn.
As for Bassoons, they are made of maple wood, not the harder
blackwoods. They don't seem to have this problem and a Bassoon repairman
(Holden McAleer) who rebuilds bassoons and works on nothing but bassoons,
has told me that he thinks it is a characteristic of the clarinet wood.
I'd be interested if Rossi has any problem with his Rosewood instruments
versus his Grenadilla ones.

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Fri, 14 May 1999, Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:

> > From: MX%"klarinet@-----.45
> > Subj: RE: [kl] re: blow out
>
> > On Fri, 14 May 1999, Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:
> >
> > > I have an opinion too. Blow out is a phenomenon suggested to exist by
> > > musical instrument manufacturers for the purpose of selling
> > > instruments; i.e., it is a sales tool which has come to be accepted by
> > > the clarinet-playing community as a whole.
> >
> > My goodness, Dan! You certainly are have your cynic's hat on today! ;-)
> >
> > Well, I have an opinion, too. It is that blowout does exist. However, I
> > have never been told this by an instrument manufacturer or salesman. I
> > have two sources of information on which I base that opinion. The first
> > is my own observation, based on playing some grenadilla instruments, very
> > old, but in very good mechanical condition, and then comparing them with
> > some newer ones, also in good condition. The second is from technically-
> > oriented people in the field of materials science, who know about and have
> > described the phenomenon known as "depolymerization," and who have
> > observed its effects under the microscope.
>
> And I am delighted to hear and learn from that opinion. But it is, in the
> final analysis, only that. It has no weight of evidence. There is nothing
> scientific or reproducible from you or I stating an opinion. And if there
> are technically oriented people in the field of materials science who
> know about this phenoment and can observe its effects under a microscope,
> then why have those who claim to have a blown out instrument simply take
> their clarinet into such a depolymerization specialist who will advise them
> to spend or not spend $3000 to replace it. All those who claim to have
> a blown out instrument do so on the basis of how it feels to them. Maybe
> a collection of testing sites (like car lubrication stores) can establish
> exactly how much blowoutedness exists on any horn.
>
>
> >
> > > The evidence for the non-existence of this problem is copious.
> >
> Ever hear of a bass clarinet getting blown out? How about a wooden
> flute or a wooden piccolo? English horns? I heard that there was
> an oboist who claimed that his horn blew out in about 12-24 months
> but except for this suggestion, you don't hear about blow out from
> many instrumentalists other than clarinetists. You are a bassoonist
> Ed. What about contrabassoons. Is it that the most expensive
> instruments don't blow out?
>
>
>
> > What is that evidence?
> >
> > > The evidence for its existence falls in the realm of urban legends.
> >
> Where is the scientific description of this phenomenon? What
> causes it. There are at least 6 different theories including vibration,
> modification of bore dimensions, swabbing, moisture saturation of the
> wood, and plantary motion around the sun.
>
>
>
> > I have a hard time regarding the knowledge and experience of the entire
> > field of materials science as "urban legend."
> >
> There is not any broad body of knowledge in this area. It is all
> word of mouth advertising. Please point me to the scientific and
> technical papers that describe, measure, explain, discuss, and
> understand it. I'll read them all.
>
>
>
> > > And the last way to win a technical argument is to suggest that "xxx
> > > says so!"
> >
> > Then, you will be pleased to learn that, while I remain willing to be
> > convinced that blow-out is only an urban legend, I won't make that
> > intellectual and philosophical jump based on the fact that you say it
> > doesn't exist.
>
> I don't suggest that you do. I'm simply stating another opinion, which
> in this arena is all that is given to state the contrary.
>
> And while we are on opinions, let me add that one respected (but somewhat
> crazy) repairman in NY, Harold Bennet, whose reputation was as big
> as Fobes', Hite's, etc. said that he could cure any instrument that
> supposedly suffered this disablement by a process known as
> "homogonizing." Lot's of people thought he was a nut case, but a
> lot swore by him.
>
> I'm not suggesting that he was right or wrong. Rather that this entire
> phenomenon is discussed as if its existence was a proven and unarguable
> fact. Show me the data that support that assertion, please. To me
> it is about at the level of scientific accuracy as the view that
> witches did not float in water. Everybody knew that to be true, of course.
>
> >
> > Ed Lacy
> > el2@-----.edu
> >
> >
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> =======================================
> Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
> leeson@-----.edu
> =======================================
>
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>

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