Klarinet Archive - Posting 000185.txt from 2004/05

From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?ferengiz=E2de_dani=EAl_shawqy?= <rab@-----.de>
Subj: [kl] Re: sound--character ([kl] Walterh Grabner New Mouthpiece)
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 20:01:48 -0400

Dan,
funny you say that, because (honestly!!!) I often think "what bleeding
instrument is that" if I hear someone playing a Boehm-system clarinet; it
just does NOT AT ALL sound like a clarinet to me. I don't recognise it.
Sounds like a kazoo or ill-serviced oboe. But even with Austro-German or
"early" clarinettists, some of them (like Kloecker in case you have heard of
that guy) simply sound like anything BUT a clarinet. Even worse, when I put
on a less then ideal reed (like these ghastly ready made one's) or tie it on
with a less then perfect Blattschnur (reed lace? twine?), the sound that
even the most cylindrical, authentic Kruspe Clarinet emanates can hardly be
recognised as that of a clarinet. I am not saying this in order to provoke a
flame war or anything, it just startled me to read your comment because my
chief experience with clarinets (I do have some collection) is: they all
sound totally different and the true clarinet sound is somewhat of a
messianic anticipation rather then granted by merely buying and blowing
something that the seller fancies to call a clarinet!
Best wishes,
danyel
(auld fail Europe)

P.S. (I think Mezz Mezzrow was in fact worse than Pee Wee Russell...)

----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Leeson
To: klarinet@-----.org
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 8:04 PM
Subject: RE: [kl] Walterh Grabner New Mouthpiece

...I want to comment on your use of the word clarinet "sound." It's
a subtlety to be sure, but what I think that what you like in
Walter's mouthpiees (or anyone else's for that matter) is the
"character" of the sound that you achieve with it. No matter
what you do to a clarinet, it is going to "sound" like a
clarinet. That is what clarinets do; i.e., they make clarinet
sounds. A B-flat clarinet sounds like a clarinet as does an A,
as does a C, as does an E-flat, and as does the basset horn for
that matter, or even the contrabass. They all have a common
clarinet sound. Even Pee Wee Russel, the old time dixieland
player with the worst sound character I ever heard, still sounded
like a clarinet. No one would have ever said, "What is that
instrument he is playing?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org