Klarinet Archive - Posting 000556.txt from 1999/11

From: "Jim Youngman" <youngman@-----.au>
Subj: [kl] My Bundy, was RE:[kl] Plastic Horns
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 16:22:52 -0500

Dee Hays wrote:
> The Bundy is a fine beginner horn IF it is in proper adjustment and a good
quality mouthpiece is used. It is one of the four beginner plastic horns
recommended by many of the people on this list.
>
> Student mouthpieces are generally very bad and don't allow the instrument
to sound its best. A mouthpiece upgrade makes a world of difference. If
one of common student mouthpieces were put on a pro horn, the pro horn would
sound like junk.
>
> Many beginners use cheap, crappy reeds and that also aggravate the
situation.
>

I am also an aging beginner using an inherited non-descript Bundy (student
model I think??). I guess I have the original mouthpiece. I can get a
goodish tone with Vandoren 2? reeds, but they take a lot of hard work from
the abdominals and lungs. Vandoren 2s are easier, but they don't sound as
good. Naturally my embouchure is far from perfect at this stage. Would it be
worthwhile changing to a new mouthpiece? I saw various, without corking, in
a second hand box at my local music store priced at $50 (approx. US$35). Is
this about the right sort of price?

In other correspondence on this list recently, I read that the keys on the
Bundy are difficult for any size hand. I notice that my fingers keep
slipping off the keys, and that with my right hand fingers correctly
positioned, my thumb is more comfortable some distance below the thumb rest.
My teacher adjusted the right first finger key (ring) which has helped that
one. I have noticed on other instruments, the key work *looks* much more
elegant. Any comments? I have large hands, longish fingers. Should I think
about trading in the Bundy at this early stage, before I develop any bad
habits?

> Students and their parents seldom know anything about proper maintenance.
Afterall they have never done this before. So students' horns will tend to
go down hill and this makes them seem to be poor when all they need is the
proper care. Also in purchasing used instruments, this problem is even
worse. Most of them need a fair amount of maintenance before they will play
right. Even new instruments may need checked out and adjusted a bit. Things
do shift during shipping.
>
> You can go a long way on that Bundy with the proper care and
mouthpiece/reed setup.
>

Beyond drying after use and gentle handling, which is all my teacher has
told me, what constitutes "proper care"?

Thanks for any advice.

-----------------------------------------------------
Jim Youngman
19 Portsmouth Street, Heathmont VIC 3135, Australia
Phone: +61 3 9893 1029 Fax: +61 3 9870 0636
mailto:youngman@-----.au
-----------------------------------------------------
teenei te tangata puuhuruhuru
-----------------------------------------------------

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