Klarinet Archive - Posting 000724.txt from 2003/08

From: Dan Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] The standard for professional clarinetists
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 13:11:01 -0400

Forest Aten wrote:

> Dan,
>
> I don't tell my students, "You must have a Buffet to be really with the in
> crowd."
> I'm not sure that it's a good thing for you to imply that David and I are
> indoctrinating our students (you say, "And a statement such as yours and
> that of David Blumberg says to every impressionable kid"), rather than
> educating these "impressionable" kids.
>
> I go through a very careful set of selection criteria with my students as
> they select a clarinet. I also make sure that the parents are involved. If
> they choose something besides the Buffet...so be it.

I am sure that you do do this thing. You would not be such a
well-respected teacher if you did not. And you can assert that Buffet
is the most popular clarinet in [name the geography] all you like,
provided that some evidence is given in support of the assertion. This
is a flash point statement not because it is necessary false, but
because it is has never been established as being true, though lots of
people believe it because they were told this in an uncritical fashion.
Clarinet players do a million things on the basis of a tradition
passed on from previous generations (such as dark sound, French sound,
German sound, this reed, that reed, plastic reed, etc., ad infinitum).
I, like many people, try to put out the "best clarinet" forest fire
whenever I see smoke.

Nothing personal, just a desire to create an environment where players
will think for themselves and not perceive the first step in great
clarinet playing as equivalent to requiring a particular clarinet brand.

Dan

>
> I qualified my statement about my observations and made it clear that these
> observations were only "local". No real science here.
> But.....data gathered from "personal experience", when gathered the right
> way, can represent a reasonably compelling body of evidence. But you know
> that already.
>
> How many professional clarinet players (do you know or have talked
> to)....are we talking about in Russia?? I assume that you know about how
> difficult it is for any player in Russia (and many other 2nd and 3rd world
> countries) to find/buy any kind of quality clarinet. These players often
> don't have the opportunity to "pick and choose" the instrument(s) they would
> like to play.
>
> Forest Aten
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Leeson" <leeson0@-----.net>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 10:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [kl] The standard for professional clarinetists
>
>
>
>>Forest, I do not mean to minimize your own perspective of the situation,
>>but your personal experience does not constitute evidence. In both
>>Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, you will find almost no Buffet
>>clarinets. Nor will you find very many in all of Russia, or the entire
>>eastern block. In Russia, the Boehm instrument is currently the most
>>popular and every time I see a Russian orchestra and ask about the
>>instruments, I'm told that they, in the main, are Selmers.
>>
>>But my analysis is no better than yours. Using a gut feel to make a
>>universal statement is just bad logic.
>>
>>I have (or had) a number of excellent Buffet instruments. I liked them,
>>but did not base my opinion of them on what other thought. , "You must
>
> have a Buffet to be really with the in
>
>>crowd." And that is nothing more than doo-doo!!
>>
>>Dan Leeson
>>
>>
>>Forest Aten wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Dan,
>>>
>>>All of the studio and jazz players I know use Buffets. All of my old
>
> school
>
>>>buddies from North Texas, doing show work....use Buffets. I know it's
>
> not
>
>>>more than a local sample...but it's easy to check around and find out
>
> what
>
>>>the active professional players are using.
>>>
>>>Forest Aten
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Dan Leeson" <leeson0@-----.net>
>>>To: <klarinet@-----.org>
>>>Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 9:35 AM
>>>Subject: [kl] The standard for professional clarinetists
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>David Blumberg wrote:
>>>>
>>>>"Buffet is still the standard for Professional Clarinetists and
>>>>probably always will be. Sure there are others but put em all together
>>>>and they still don't equal Buffet's Industry Marketplace. The best that
>>>>the competitors can do is to demonize the Buffet to try to get their own
>>>>model sold."
>>>>
>>>>Dave, your preference for clarinets is your own business and no one can
>>>>criticize you for your choice. But when you suggest something about
>>>>what the industry marketplace has and does, you have to be able to
>>>>defend that statement other than by a smell test.
>>>>
>>>>What evidence do you have that jusifies such a bold statement? Isn't it
>>>>enough for you to say that you have Buffets and like them? What high
>>>>ground is taken when you make statements about an industry marketplace
>>>>without providing statistics that confirm you assertion?
>>>>
>>>>If you consider the world of professional jazz players, or non
>>>>Americans, I believe your assertion cannot be sustained.
>>
>>--
>>***************************
>>**Dan Leeson **
>>**leeson0@-----.net **
>>***************************
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Klarinet is supported by Woodwind.Org, http://www.woodwind.org/
>>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Klarinet is supported by Woodwind.Org, http://www.woodwind.org/
>
>

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

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