Klarinet Archive - Posting 000153.txt from 2003/04

From: "Russell Harlow" <lharlow@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet sound
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:31:30 -0400

I find myself close to this subject of sound and thickness of instruments. I
have played as associate principal with the Utah Symphony for 32 years and
for 29 of those years played a 106,000 series Buffet (1969). When it finally
would play no more I tried out over 40 instruments and came away with an
R-13 and a Festival and sold them within a year. I could not find the sound
and colors I could get on the 1969 instrument.

One of the main differences I noticed was the thickness of the instruments
made after about 1985. This led to a search back to older instruments and
the sound was there. The 22,000 series (1936-37) have a beautiful quality to
them if you find a lightly used one. I also came across a totally unused
Buffet A from 1902 and a Bb from 1907 that Mitchell Lurie and Kalmen Bloch
both said played better than their own instruments! Not only are they more
resonant due to the thinness of the wood but the weight is easier on the
hand and arm.

There are a lot of interesting questions to look into regarding this. All
makers, to my experience, are making thicker instruments except for the
"Elite" but it still has a "tight" sound due to the bore and the "Vintage"
is still thicker than the real vintage. For the last year I have been
working with Yamaha to create an instrument that has the resonance of the
older horns and they came up with a prototype just this week that is
beautiful. They took quite a bit of wood off the body and were suprised
themselves to find what it did to open the tone and color. Perhaps they will
make this model available as part of their line to those interested in these
qualities.

Russell Harlow
lharlow@-----.net

----------
>From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: Re: [kl] Clarinet sound
>Date: Sat, Apr 5, 2003, 3:15 PM
>

> Keith Bowen posted:
>
> <<<Clarinets made of the lighter boxwood, which does vibrate more than
> grenadilla, do sound different. I have a suspicion that the material is
> a significant contributor to this, but they are usually also different
> in so many other ways (tone hole lattice, bore, mouthpiece) that one
> cannot be sure. I don't know of real side-by-side comparisons between,
> say, a 5-key boxwood and a 5-key grenadilla or rosewood.>>>
>
> William McColl is the clarinet professor at the University of Washington
> here in Seattle - one of my teachers in both high school and college, a very
> fine player. (He also had a great collection of vintage, very old and
> really, really old clarinets and basset horns. Wow.)
>
> His weapons of choice for the last 30+ years have been Buffet instruments
> made out of boxwood. I have played them, and listened to Mr. C play my
> R-13s for just such a comparison. Did the blind test - hands over eyes and
> all that.
>
> . . . they *do* sound different. It could be because they are lighter in
> weight (lower density). It could be because of great porosity of the
> boxwood. It could be magic; who knows? Whatever it could be, it is; they
> sound different. Sorry, Dan.
>
> I also liked them simply becuase they weigh less. If Buffet (or Yamaha
> etc.) were to sell them, I would buy them.
>
> Bill also uses a Viennese mouthpiece on these things, handmade reeds and all
> of that. I've read on this list that it's impossible to get good results
> doing so - I suppose that it's about as impossible as it is in the
> apochriphal story for the bumblebee to fly.
>
> I wish I sounded like Bill McC.
>
>

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