Klarinet Archive - Posting 000985.txt from 2000/12

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] The Mazzeo System
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 03:01:30 -0500

Mazzeo came to a CASS meeting at (I think) Manchester to speak about his
designs. He was asked about using resonance fingerings on the throat
A, and, if I remember rightly, seemed pretty nonplussed; he gave some
sketchy answer on the lines of, "Why should anyone want to *do* that?"
What was/is the difference between the "Omega" mechanism and
the S-K setup, by the way? When I last looked at Stubbins' drawing,
it seemed very similar to the setup on my single-register-key
Noblet bass.
Roger S.

In message <3A3E5B73.399BB087@-----.org writes:
> Dan,
>
> A Mazzeo Basset--wow! You're right, don't think anyone knew Selmer ever
> did it.
>
> I've always been interested in mechanical things. Woodwind instrument
> have particularly interested me because I am a woodwind player.
>
> I recall when Selmer introduced Mazzeo's mechanism. I tried several of
> the instruments, including some of Selmer's best. A friend of mine
> bought a matched set. He had several problems or issues related to
> clarinet, and in this instance, I think he was looking for a panacea.
> That's a whole different story.
>
> I called Rosie a few times. He was a most gracious man. He sent me
> documentation on his instruments. I was most interested in a mechanism
> that articulated the E/B to F#/C# at the bottom of the clarinet. (This
> is, or was, a feature of the Albert system clarinet that got lost with
> the Boehm system.)
>
> I sent Rosie's literature, along with an irreplaceable copy of an old
> 1950's publication called "The Clarinet" to a repairman, proposing
> having the articulated F#/C# put onto one of my clarinets. The US of A
> mail system shredded it in one of their machines. All I ever got back
> was half of an envelope.
>
> I know of three mechanisms that have appeared on clarinets to
> uncompromise the compromise of the Bb/register key. They are the S-K
> mechanism of Stubbins which was an added or auxiliary vent that came
> open with the register key to improve the sound of the Bb. No changes
> from normal playing were required with this mechanism. I have heard that
> people had problems with it not always opening with reliability. I've
> never seen one first hand and never played one. With modern synthetic
> materials and pads, it is too bad that it failed. It could probably be
> made to work now.
>
> The second system I saw was on a limited edition Selmer that came out in
> the early 50's, called the Omega. This mechanism was nothing more than a
> scaled down version of what Selmer has been putting on their Bundy and
> now Selmer USA bass clarinet for the last 50 years. This might have been
> the best of them all. Yes, they were subject to the same adjustment
> problems of the bass clarinet, but they gave a true Bb, and like the S-K
> mechanism, required no changes by the player or his playing habits.
>
> The Mazzeo mechanism gave a great sounding Bb, BUT the player couldn't
> use any resonance fingerings for any of the throat tones. Putting
> anything down in the right hand, or closing the bottom ring key on the
> upper joint opened the Bb key. NOT GOOD. The biggest problem I had when
> playing this clarinet was that when descending to A from the upper
> register, every finger had to clear the rings or a Bb blip would be
> right in the middle of it all. I guess one could get use to it.
>
> I have a Bundy Mazzeo that I bought as a collectors piece. The scale on
> it is only average and not unlike other Bundy's of the day. On occasion,
> I will pull it out and show one of my clarinet students.
>
>
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--
Real men DO eat quiche - with raw HTML

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