Klarinet Archive - Posting 000684.txt from 2000/08

From: rgarrett@-----.edu
Subj: Re: [kl] Plastic vs. Wood
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 11:26:24 -0400

Dan Leeson wrote:
>There is insufficient evidence to believe that the sound character of a
>clarinet is seriously influenced by the material of which the clarinet
>is made. The only significant advantage of wood is that it is an
>aesthetically beautiful material in the eyes of some. But if the amount
>of effort made in constructing a clarinet of wood were spent in
>constructing it of glass, plastic, metal, or any of a variety of media,
>there is little doubt that you could not tell the difference between the
>instruments in a blind test.
>
>What you believe is one thing, but what the facts are appear to be at
>odds with what you believe. There is a social pressure to play on
>wooden clarinets, but the source of that pressure is simply the same
>kind of thinking that says "Corn flakes bought on Rodeo Drive in Los
>Angeles are much better than corn flakes bought in Kearney, Nebraska."

I have changed my mind since first becoming a member of the list regarding
the audience perception of a difference between wood and plastic
instruments. I agree with Dan - there probably is no discernible
difference to the audience - certainly all tests that give us factual
information upon which to base a conclusion support this theory.

However (and there is always a however isn't there?), as a performer, I
feel a difference - both in terms of tangible sense (fingers on the wood)
and in terms of the resistance of the air through/against the material. I
can tell the difference between a Greenline and a Wood R-13, and I can tell
the difference between a plastic and a wood instrument - in terms of
blowing through the instrument. It is not surprising then that instrument
manufacturers and mouthpiece makers tend to support the notion that
materials do make a difference in some very important and significant ways.
Can such a perception affect a performance? Sure! Ask any major league
baseball player who prefers wood over aluminum to tell you why. The answer
is not that the evidence shows that a ball can be hit as well with aluminum
bat as with a wood bat - it is that the wood feels different - both in
terms of tangible sense (touching), vibration from the hit, the sound it
makes when it connects with the ball, and the resistance of the material
through the air. A level of confidence and assurance which transmits to
the performance of the ball player is a direct result of the material. In
terms of a musical instrument then, when a person gets to a particular
level in their playing, they can tell subtle differences between materials
that amount to much more than insignificant differences. Advanced players
can tell the difference between types of wood in fact (Rosewood vs.
blackwood for example). That there are no double blind tests that tell us
otherwise does not mean that those players experience no difference or for
that matter believe less - even for
materialistic/brainwashed/over-advertised reasons.

Would I buy wood over plastic again? Well - I think I would buy a set of
Greenlines before a wood R-13 again - I just don't like the hassle of the
cracking, and the difference I can tell in resistance would be acceptable
and adaptable. But I wouldn't buy a plastic clarinet if it was the one
that I was going to perform professionally on - I notice a difference in
sound (with the horn in my mouth) and resistance. I doubt the audience
would notice much if any difference.

All of this is, of course, my opinion. I have no hard evidence other than
the many wonderful players I have visited with about the issue.

Warm wishes,
Roger Garrett

Roger Garrett
Professor of Clarinet
Director, Symphonic Winds
Head, Recording Studio
Illinois Wesleyan University
School of Music
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
(309) 556-3268

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