Klarinet Archive - Posting 000287.txt from 2005/11

From: Bart Rogers <drkevin2b@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Clark Fobes Eb clarinet extension
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 14:00:31 -0500

Thanks for the info.

Where did you order it? I can't seem to find it
anywhere.

--- KEVIN J FAY <kevinfay3020@-----.net> wrote:

> Bart Rogers asked re Clark's Eb extension:
>
> <<<Has anyone tried it?>>>
>
> As it happens, I'm trying them out right now. He
> sends you 3, you get to
> pick one and send 2 back. I've just finished
> picking the one I'm going to
> purchase, assuming it does OK at tomorrow night's
> rehearsal.
>
> <<<How long is it?>>>
>
> About an inch and a half, maybe two inches.
>
> <<<How many vents and keys does it have?>>>
>
> One tone hole, no keys. The long B and low E are
> vented by the tone hole
> and not the bell.
>
> <<<Does it really work?>>>
>
> Ah, this is the rub. Depends on what you mean by
> "work."
>
> Does the sound come out of the tone hole correctly
> pitched? Certainly. The
> sound quality is different that with the bell,
> perhaps even less consistent
> to the notes around it than with the bell alone.
>
> . . . but that's not the purpose of the thing. To
> my ears, the extension
> "takes the edge off" across the range of the
> instrument, making all of it
> less strident. To some this is a good thing - this
> would be me, and the
> poor piccolist that has to play with me in the wind
> ensemble. It's not a
> mute, but seems to increase the resistance over the
> entire range. This
> makes intervals a bit easier, too.
>
> I like it - it should allow me to worry a bit more
> about musical things and
> a bit less about keeping the little bugger quiet.
>
> <<<Does it work on only Buffet eefers (which is what
> Clark uses)?>>>
>
> I don't really know. My Eb is a Buffet, and it does
> the described above
> quite nicely. Since the Yamaha design is a
> derivative of the Buffet, I'd
> expect it to work there too.
>
> I've played a bit on an older Selmer (Series 9, I
> think) - not sure that the
> Selmer design has been spiffed up until lately w/
> the Recital. IMHO, you'd
> be better off selling the Selmer and using the money
> to get a Buffet or
> Yamaha rather than trying to improve the Selmer with
> the gizmo.
>
> I've never had any luck at all with Leblanc Eb
> clarinets - to me they're
> just terrible. I doubt that the extension would
> make them any less bad.
>
> Bottom line for me is that it helps - a bit. It's
> not going to make you
> able to play anything that you can't play already.
> It might make it easier
> to play with other people and sound good, which
> after all is the point, no?
>
> Is it worth the money? To me yes, but I'm not a
> struggling student. If I
> was short of cash I'd get one of Clark's Eb
> mouthpieces first, as it would
> make a bigger difference.
>
> Since I already have a drawer full of mouthpieces,
> several of which work,
> this seems like a good addition to the arsenal.
> YMMV of course.
>
> Happy eephing to you,
>
> kjf
>
>
>
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