Klarinet Archive - Posting 001133.txt from 2003/03

From: Elgenubi@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: C clarinet
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 17:49:18 -0500

Rebecca,
I'll give a try introducing you to the 'Dark Tone' issue. I'll
attempt to sum up what I've read here. We clarinetists want to sound
beautiful. Somewhere in history, some of us came to describe the beautiful
sound of a clarinet as 'dark'. This is not the only word that has been used
for a desirable sound. There is also 'warm', 'bright', 'cool', and I'm sure
many others. I think it has been almost concluded on this list that we can't
define these words, that we can't agree on what they mean, and that we don't
know how to sound in these ways. Not everyone agrees. Many of us
clarinetists also love to talk about equipment and we sometimes dream that a
certain clarinet or barrel or reed or.... etc. will make us sound in a
certain way. It has also almost been concluded on this list that the most
important equipment (after getting an adequate clarinet and mouthpiece and so
on) is our own conception of how we ought to sound. And we get that
conception by playing and listening to others. Not everyone agrees to this
either.
Bottom line? Zillions and Zillions of words have been written about
Dark tone on this list. Zillions more will be written. We all love the
sound of the clarinet, so it is inevitable we'll keep trying to talk about
it.

Oh yeah. What I've said pertains to getting a particular sound out of
a particular key of clarinet. In addition to the above, there is a lot more
discussion possible about the sound of an A vs a Bb vs a C clarinet. Dan's
note above summarizes that situation. I believe Dan avoided all of that kind
of word that you asked about.

Wayne Thompson

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