Klarinet Archive - Posting 000118.txt from 2007/09

From: Margaret Thornhill <clarinetstudio@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Dan Leeson's used clarinets (was McGinnis)
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:42:18 -0400

Ok, this in response to Dan Leeson's provocation yesterday

I can think of numerous reasons for buying a used clarinet. Any of
these,plus #1, would be an adequate reason:

1. It sounds and plays great
2. It's a bargain compared to new
3. It's a rare and collectible item
4. It's hardly been used
5. It has sentimental value ("gosh--my teacher's instrument!")
6. It conveys a "touch of greatness" ("gosh--the instrument Ricardo
Morales played when he was a baby!")

Now whether or not an antique (let's say, a 57-year-old clarinet) is a
good investment as a tool of your trade probably depends --in addition
to the condition of the instrument-- on who you are: how much you play
(part-time or fulltime) and what you are going to use it for (community
orchestra or NY Philharmonic.) All other things being equal, it's a
different story and a better investment for a person playing clarinet 5
or 10 hours a week than it is for someone playing 30 or more hours a
week--as top young professionals do. Three to six times more wear and
tear with greater use--and for an instrument with a lot of wear on it
already, I think this is asking for trouble down the road, no matter how
well it has been rebuilt.

As an example of wear on instruments: my main instruments (that I bought
new over 30 years ago) now have a lot of wear, on the tenons
especially. Some wear on tenons can, as most of you know, be
compensated for by metal banding. Wear on the receiving tenon in the
center joint is a more serious problem. Hairline cracks can become a
serious problem. I have keys that have been swaged over and over again--
how much of this that can be done without talking about replacement keys
(for an old horn??) One older working professional here routinely
replaced all his keys every few years (presumably just to be sure he'd
have no problems.) Any well-used instrument that has been played a great
deal over many years is going to have a list of such potential issues.
And that's without any discussion of bores that warp and whether or not
bores "blow out."

One of the reasons middle-aged people like me (and no doubt Dan,in his
day) keep playing their old horns is that the instrument seems an
extension of the player; you know intimately what it and you can do
together. As long as you can keep it in good repair, the instrument
responds like part of your own body. If buying a used clarinet for
sentimental reasons, or my reason #6 (previously owned by a legend)
there's the hope that magic will transfer from the previous owner,but
lest we put too much trust in the unverifiable, I think we should
remember--any magic was in the COMBINATION of the instrument and the
player. For the legend who owned it, it was an old friend; for the
second owner it's just another "new" instrument that player has to
learn, and for whom the age of the instrument is not in itself an
advantage. The relationship that was built over the life of the
instrument is non-transferable.

Disclaimer: I say these things as a teacher who works with a great
number of adult clarinetists in all ages and stages of playing. Old
clarinets can be great, but if you are a cutting edge young player and
are planning to be hired by a major orchestra tomorrow, you probably
already know that you are not going to make or break your career on
instruments that are half a century old, even if they were once used in
that very orchestra. If on the other hand, you mostly play for the love
of it, or are a young player looking for a set you can take to college,
AND have access to a good technician, more power to you if you find
great old instruments.

Anyone who wants to argue with me about this further (I can't imagine
why) can contact me off-list, Dan,-- but you are probably not going to
get a prompt response, since I am prepping for a recital and have
students banging on my door.

Your OLDE (but good) friend,

Margaret Thornhill

http://www.margaretthornhill.com

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