Klarinet Archive - Posting 000522.txt from 2002/11

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Technical truth via the democratic process
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 23:55:50 -0500

William Semple wrote:
> To Dan:
>
> I have a corollary questions. I don't exactly understand your point, to be
> truthful.
> Are you saying "dark":
>
> 1) Cannot be used to describe the sound of the clarinet
> 2) Can never be used, if it can be defined with the same precision that
> apply to other relative words describing sound (fortissimo vs. pianissimo)
> 3) Any description, however accurate, still would not be useful in teaching,
> learning, or understanding the clarinet
> 4) None of the above
> 5) All of the above.

The answer is 4, "none of the above." Obviously the word "dark" can and
is being used to describe sound character. So it would be foolish of me
to say that it cannot be so used, or can never be so used. To take that
position would require me to travel around the country with the "dark
sound" police, arresting everyone who used it. I would call them "dark
sound" communists. I don't know what that means either, but it is close
to being politically correct, or used to be, so the people will get
arrested and jailed until they learn not to use that term. I don't
think that is going to work, but every basset hornist in competition
with me will definitely be arrested and I will get their gigs.

My position is much simpler and deals with words using color to describe
sound character. Only when I see a clear, unambiguous, and mechanical
way to achieve a certain sound character that is universally agreed to
as having that color, will I agree that use of such terms has value and
purpose. Until then, I consider such terms about as useful (forgive my
graphic analogy) as teats on a bull.

I lay out the conditions needed to change my mind: one has a student;
the student wishes to achieve a dark sound; explain the mechanical ways
that this dark sound can be achieved by the student using any of the
elements of clarinet playing that I can alter; this includes my body,
and any of the mechanical elements of the clarinet including mouthpiece,
reed, ligature, instrument, elbow patches on my tuxedo jacket, and the
screw hole on my basset horn designed to hold a lyre for when I do
marching band gigs.

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**Dan Leeson **
**leeson0@-----.net **
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