Klarinet Archive - Posting 000003.txt from 2001/07

From: <rkabear@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Re: [[kl] Starting a beginner]
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2001 04:09:02 -0400

Neil,

I just went through the same process for a student of mine at the same st=
ore
with the same models (maybe even a few more instruments of each brand, si=
nce I
warned Laurie and Jonathan I was coming in advance...lol.) I had very sim=
ilar
results when I *first* tried the instruments. I was wondering...did you t=
ry
the instruments out with the mouthpieces it came with or with other
mouthpiece(s)? If you tried the instruments out with other mouthpiece(s),=
what
mouthpiece(s) did you use for each of the instruments? Did you try all wi=
th
the one, same mouthpiece, all with a group of different mouthpieces, or a=

different mouthpiece for each instrument? I notice that you said you set =
up
the student with a Fobes' Debut, which was exactly how we finished up the=

purchase.

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds/Computer Geek
New York City

P.S. My e-mail account at usa.net is being cancelled, since it is going t=
o a
pay site at the end of the month. I have had problems with access with th=
em in
the past, so paying for a lackluster service is not an option. I will be
moving my klarinet linked account to another account in a week or so. I'l=
l
keep you all posted!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com> wrote:
> 'Had the pleasurable experience this afternoon of helping a new
> student pick out an instrument for herself -- no kidding, I ac-
> tually enjoyed it quite a lot. I showed up at the store (WW/BW
> on 23rd St. in Manhattan) 40 minutes early and had the staff grab
> as many as they had of each model I had in mind: Buffet B-12, Vito
> 7212, and the Yamaha YCL-20. By the time my student arrived -- an
> adult beginner, approx. 34 years old -- our practice room was popu-
> lated with 6 clarinets: 3 B-12's, 2 YCL-20's, and one Vito (no par-
> tridges in a pear tree, however).
> =

> I had her "mix up" the instruments for me and turn the brand stamps
> away so I couldn't tell which was which (although the matte finish
> on the B-12's made it kind of obvious in their case, not to mention
> the key design when I held them in my hands). One by one, she handed
> me an instrument and I proceeded to run up its range, one note at a
> time, the tuner showing clearly which notes were questionable. She
> found the visual feedback from the tuner very interesting and began
> to invest herself in the process, recognizing in her own mind that
> wide tuning variances across the range of the instrument were red
> flags. We were picking out an instrument, but it also doubled as
> her first lesson, and she never actually played a note.
> =

> The Vito was a dog from the start and we put it aside shortly after
> seeing the tuner needle jump twenty cents sharp between chalumeau Ab
> and A. It stayed 20 cents sharp up into the throat tones, and the
> twelths above were even worse, except long B to Eb, of course, which
> were much closer.
> =

> One of the B-12's, I'll call it B-12 #1, was a used instrument, and I
> thought, "Hey, maybe it's in good shape and she'll come away with a bar=
-
> gain." Unfortunately, the lowest trill key had been bent upward slight=
-
> ly. There was absolutely no evidence of trauma to the instrument, no
> metal fatigue in that area, no scratches on the keys, but it clacked
> against the next trill key up. It also clacked against the bridge key
> when fully depressed. I thought to myself, "I'll bet Jimmy Yan would
> bend this back into place for ten bucks," so I proceeded to check it
> against the tuner. It wasn't outrageous in any direction, but it
> was just a little inconsistent (i.e., not perfectly in tune with it-
> self). I was *very* impressed, however, with the 12ths on all three
> B-12's...the needle barely wiggled. I put this one next to me as a
> possibility.
> =

> Next was one of the Yamahas (I didn't know that, of course, but I
> looked at the brand stamp afterward). It was resistant compared to
> B-12 #1, and a little sharp in the lower chalumeau and clarion. I
> wondered to myself if a beginner would want to deal with that kind =

> of resistance built into the horn. This was Yamaha "#1".
> =

> The next B-12, #2, had remarkably good intonation, and I came back to i=
t
> repeatedly to make sure I wasn't adjusting to any of the other instru-
> ments' quirks while measuring *their* tuning. B-12 #3 had a problem si=
m-
> ilar to the Vito (albeit to a lesser degree), and I feared that maybe I=

> was losing mental focus and starting to pinch. So I immediately switch=
ed
> to B-12 #2 and the suspect notes were spot-on with this instrument. B-=
12
> #3 was simply sharp in the chalumeau, by a good 15 cents compared to B-=
12
> #2.
> =

> Lastly we came to Yamaha #2. It was everything Yamaha #1 was not: free=

> blowing, nicely in tune, with a slightly brighter tone compared to Buff=
et
> #2. It ultimately came down to a choice between these two in-tune inst=
ru-
> ments: Yamaha #2 vs. Buffet #2. They both had the most even resistance=
of
> all six instruments from low E up to high C (i.e., atop the 5th ledger =
line
> above the staff), with consistent tone quality between the three regist=
ers.
> Mechanically, they were equally well-adjusted, and (I was shocked with =
my-
> self) I actually found Yamaha's keywork and spacing more fluid for my t=
ech-
> nique, even though the Buffet was so "recognizable" to me compared to m=
y
> own R-13 Prestiges. =

> =

> I played a little Mozart, a little Weber, a little Brahms -- the same
passages
> on each instrument -- awaiting her feedback. After first playing B-12 =
#2,
we
> suspected the rest of the comparison exercise was a moot point, especia=
lly
since
> I kept coming back to that instrument for tuning comparisons with the o=
ther
five
> clarinets. Yamaha #2, however, was easily the Buffet's equal in all of=
the
basic
> areas -- intonation throughout the range, evenness of resistance and to=
ne
quality,
> mechanical integrity. Even the alternate fingerings were impressive on=
both
in-
> struments. I've heard a lot of bashing of mass produced instruments, b=
ut
clearly
> mass production has come a long way over the years. I swear I was not
compensating
> for any eggregious weaknesses in any of these beginner clarinets -- tri=
ed to
stay
> as consistent and objective as possible.
> =

> In spite of her own leanings toward the Buffet throughout the trial, sh=
e
ultimately
> favored the Yamaha. I had to agree with her. She commented that she
literally liked
> the Yamaha's sound quality better than the Buffet's, and that it had a
"ring" to it
> that the Buffet seemed to lack. I never used the word "ring" during th=
at
session,
> so she didn't get it from me. Despite what I felt were equally lyrical=
and
tech-
> nically well-executed excerpts, she said she could hear greater effort =
from
me on
> the Buffet, whereas she sensed greater ease on the Yamaha. I was actua=
lly
quite
> comfortable on the Buffet, so this subjective comment from her was valu=
able
in the
> decision-making process. They were both very good student instruments =
and I
would
> happily play either one in a pinch. The fact that she had a decisive
preference
> after the final comparison made the purchase decision an easy one, and =
I
suspect
> that she will be very happy learning how to play, knowing that she got =
what
she
> felt was the best instrument for her out of the six that we tried.
> =

> I have to say again: that was a lot of fun. After setting her up with =
a
Fobes Debut,
> Vandoren 2's, a Rovner (I'll let her futz with my ligature collection a=
fter
she has
> basic tone production down), and a swab (the instrument came with cork
grease), we're
> ready for her first "real" lesson next Thursday. In retrospect, I thin=
k I
should have
> pushed for a metronome too, but she'll have no problem springing for on=
e if
it comes
> up over the next few lessons. Now I need to go to Sam Ash and pick up =
a
method book.
> Any recommendations? =

> =

> Just kidding! :-)
> =

> Neil
> =

> Do You Yahoo!?
> Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail
> http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
> =

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