Klarinet Archive - Posting 000575.txt from 1999/11

From: ShawThings@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] How young to start clarinet?
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 02:50:55 -0500

Thanks, Avrahm Galper, (15-11-99) for noting the BBC Music mag article on
Julian Bliss who started clarinet aged FOUR (!) and was "not from a musical
family" (which in some people's opinions, mightn't preclude possible
descendency from Sir Arthur Bliss (1891-1975 Master of the Queen's Musik,
1953-).
My own 3-year who fancies himself as a "performer" (=likes an audience) on
(my) clarinet when he can get hold of it without my noticing. (He can
actually manage a decent open "g"). Conventional wisdom here (Austyralia) has
it that you shouldn't start children on brass/wind instruments until they
have permanent teeth and that the intervening time is better spent learning
(e.g.) keyboard and music reading skills.
However, (depending advice which I may receive other from Klarinet listers),
I'd like to give him a chance to try to learn early, before he gets to school
and becomes motivated only by peer-group pressure.) This might also resolve
whether (a) he's genuinely keen to learn or (b) whether it's the show-off
aspect that's the real attraction. (Presently I suspect (a) is true,
strongly motivated by (b).
So, I have two questions:
(1) How young to start clarinet? - Assuming that a child is really
interested? (mine's not interested in preliminaries such as learning the
recorder).
(2) Where does one obtain a suitable instrument (e.g. "plastic Lyons C
clarinet with fewer keys but authentic sound" mentioned in the BBC article).
Any advice on either topic would be welcome.
Thanks in advance
Tim Shaw.

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