Klarinet Archive - Posting 000144.txt from 2006/08

From: "Christy Erickson" <woodshome7@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] clar pricing
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:35:26 -0400

Kurt, I certainly can't top the bread and water story Kurt but I did use
money from summer jobs while I was in college to buy my R-13. I now have a
Buffet Eb clarinet, a Buffet A clarinet and a Yamaha Y62 alto saxophone.
I'd love a bass clarinet but I'm still working on that one. I also have a
Yamaha grand piano, a Roland digital piano and a Yamaha 76 key digital
keyboard. My daughter has a VERY nice violin and a Buffet Bb clarinet also
and she just returned from a week at music camp. I've made music my
business but it is also my passion and one of my first priorities in the
budget. My family was NOT wealthy-more like lower middle class and yet they
provided me with private piano and often clarinet lessons as well during my
childhood years, not to mention music camp and all the clarinet reeds,
mouthpieces, etc.. At one point in high school, my parents were all set to
purchase a Selmer Paris Bb for me (my first professional instrument) and it
was a very sad day indeed when I had to go to the band director to tell him
Mom and Dad had to delay the purchase, since our washing machine had broken
and our family needed a new one. I did eventually get that Selmer Paris and
it was my pride and joy at that time.

I'm fortunate to have a spouse who loves cheap vacations-we just returned
from a backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains. The scenery was
absolutely unbeatable and we're now in better physical shape to do the same
trip over again next week with our children's scouting troop. I can't
remember the last time I saw a movie in a theater, we don't drink or smoke
and I don't get obsessed about how perfect the lawn looks-no herbicide or
pesticide use here and who needs to fertilize and water the lawn to make it
grow faster anyway?

I have some very talented students who unfortunately, have parents who don't
see the need for a good quality instrument or even to tune the piano they
paid thousands for. In some cases, they paid little to nothing for their
piano but can't understand why anyone would want it to sound good-least of
all their own children. The same people sometimes have new homes, and
plenty of money for their own hobbies and vacations, etc... The provision
of a good quality musical instrument for their children is unfortunately,
somewhere on the bottom of the list and those kids may never have a chance
to understand the difference. They do definitely notice the difference in
the pianos, since they play my piano at lessons but they often play the same
old poorly maintained clarinet or saxophone all the time and really have no
idea why they are struggling with it. My most talented student currently
has a Mom who recently told me, "she isn't going to make music her life's
work anyway" and I'm NOT going to spend thousands on a piano!" They really
wouldn't have to if I could simply convince them their current piano needs
to be taken out of the damp basement of their home and tuned but they are
not willing to spend even that amount. Hmmmm, it could explain why I can't
get this kid to practice piano!

Christy

----- Original Message -----
From: <kurtheisig@-----.net>
To: <klarinet@-----.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 1:19 AM
Subject: Re: [kl] clar pricing

> We saxophonists don't change horns to play in an easier key---we just play
> anything writtten.
>
> As to the cost of buying a second, third, or ninth clarinet, some of us
> just sacrificed.
>
> Well I remember being in college, and eating rice and water, or bread and
> water for 3-4 months every year. Many months at a time I would walk or
> ride my bike. I had patches on the patches on my pants and changed the
> cardboard in the soles of my shoes. I went without a new tv until about
> age 30, and then got the cheapest portable. Today I have a couple of
> lovely A clarinets- a Selmer and a Buffet R13, a couple of fabulous C
> clarinets- a Buffet R13 and an Amelotte (Robert??), a Selmer 9 alto
> clarinet and a Buffet alto clarinet, several good Bb's, and a Bundy Bass.
> I have several really fine Bb clarinets. True, I want a Selmer Bass and
> Contrabass.
>
> Scrimping and sacrificing and priorities will get us fine instruments. I
> did NOT buy them at the cheapest place either, though several were
> purchased wholesale as I am a dealer. I ALWAYS bought great instruments
> ONLY.
>
> Price was not the issue, but quality was.
>
> Along the way I dealt with relatives that stole from me or were drunks, or
> mentally ill, but the goal of good instruments was there, and I sacrificed
> for it.
>
> I am sure that is true for many on here. For one, I am much more
> interested in hearing of the person who FOUND A WAY, than of how terrible
> it is to have to pay for something important.
>
> (DANNY saw the DUMP I lived in so I could save rent money for horns!!!!)
>
>
> It might be VERY INTERESTING to hear stories of how people scrimped to get
> a horn----WHO BESIDES ME HAS A STORY OR TWENTY???
>
> Kurt Heisig
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: William Kelly <kell0786@-----.edu>
> >Sent: Aug 7, 2006 7:23 PM
> >To: klarinet@-----.org
> >Subject: Re: [kl] clar pricing
> >
> >Or, perhaps neither so much a need nor a luxury, but in some ways a
> >hindrance. I don't know if I have observed so much whining as I have
> >among
> >clarinetists because a concerto has a key signature of, say, 5 sharps.
> >
>
>
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>
>

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