Klarinet Archive - Posting 000116.txt from 2002/03
From: "mlmarmer" <mlmarmer@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Interested in buying a new clarinet.
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 18:26:57 -0500
Hi Tom,
I saw Loren Kitt perform in Rockville, MD last January, with a bassoonist,
Dr. Arnold IrchaI. Professor Kitt performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto
and Dr. IrchaI performed the Mozart Bassoon Concerto. They then performed a
duet by Richard Strauss which has an interesting story line.
Both performers where great and the whole concert wonderful.
I did not know he (Kitt) was a teacher and a professor at University of
Maryland! Too bad the music department at Maryland doesn't get the
attention like the sports program does. Sports brings more money to
schools. But heck, I just ordered my Florida State and NC State
(homecoming) tickets for the football season! I guess I should get on the
mailing list for U of MD music performances, also!
Go Terps! Fear the Turtle! Beat Duke, again! National title? Sorry, got
it out of the system. LOL! Don't ban me from the list! I wont do it again,
I promise.
Mike Marmer U of MD, 1978, Marketing! Who didn't do marching band at MD for
one credit, three hours a day, and ended my playing days in clarinet!
Germantown, MD
----- Original Message -----
From: <Tski1128@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Interested in buying a new clarinet.
>
>
>
> This thread of conversation is one I find very interesting.
> I recently switched models of clarinets. I've played an R13s for years,
then played on a set of Custom Rossi's and now I'm playing the Yamaha SE-V.
In my opinion, the Yamaha has a much more flexible sound an amazing response
and as it has always been, more in tune. So I think it's a great clarinet!
Is anyone in a major symphony playing it? Maybe I don't know. Does my
teacher,( Loren Kitt) play one? No, he plays a set of Selmer series 10g's.
He played it (my Se-v in a lesson) and liked it. Do any of the other
undergrads at Uof MD play it. NO, they all play R-13s(Kitt doesn't insist
that they play a selmer). Did anyone in the US Army Field band play anything
different from an R-13? No, we always played what everyone plays. But in
fairness it's only been recently that there are a number of really great
professional Clarinets available.
>
> For some reason we (myself included) in this country suffer from equipment
anxiety, we think, that if we play the same brand clarinet that Marcellus
played, or use the same mouthpiece as Stotzman, or buy secret stashes of old
Austrian reeds that aren't made anymore, or worse yet spend $7-800 on a ebay
mouthpiece, we will somehow sound more like the greats. You can't buy game,
you can however, invest in good tools.
>
> We are in luck, more manufacturers are really trying to do it right. I
will say this, If you are playing a R13 and you pick up a different make,
you might be inclined to throw your mouthpiece and barrel on it blow ten
notes and say "hey this doesn't play like an R13," that's the point! Picking
a clarinet is a very personal thing, and it can take many days of playing
one to make a decision. I will always buy any clarinet from International
Musical Suppliers! Lisa will send you a bunch of great instruments and give
you really good amount of time to play them. As I live very close to
Washington Music, I don't buy any instruments there, the experience has
never a good one. There instruments are not in the same condition that the
ones from International are, they never have really large selection of
anything except R-13s, and most importantly they won't let me have 2-3
instruments to take home and try for a week. Can you buy a clarinet in an
Hour? Sitting in a room that doesn't sound good? I can't! The better the
instruments the longer it can take to pick. I need play a clarinet for a day
or two, see if it takes different reeds, see if my regular mouthpiece is the
ideal mouthpiece. I need to convene my quorum of clarinet buddies to listen
to them. I need to play it in a lesson. I need to sit a play something with
a recently tuned piano, and then I need to take them into a concert hall
that I'm familiar with. Play a kick butt, 50min Simcha Hora on them. Then
and only then will I buy and start the next process of learning to play
"that" particular instrument.
>
> So I will close with this, the Yamaha SE-V passed all my tests hands down.
On top of that it is really fun to play.
>
> P.S I've got a really awsome set of silver plated R13s if someone is
interested
>
> Tom Puwalski, former soloist, Principal Clarinetist with The US. Army
Field Band, author of the Clarinetists Guide To Klezmer.
>
>
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