 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: steve
Date: 1999-11-16 19:03
Does anyone play albert system horns?? I'm told you get a more "authentic" sound when you use this horn to play early New Orleans jazz and blues, as well as Klezmer music....can a player with good facility on boehm system make the transition without dislocating fingers??
regards, s.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-11-17 18:36
I have a few oldies but dont have much time to play on them so cant help much there. You should have little trouble with fingering, particularly if you also play sax and maybe oboe as their systems are quite similar to that of the Alb-Mul 's, with some "fork" fingerings. Some of the fingerings improve the tone character and some detract. I suggest posing your questions on the Onelist - Early Clarinet E-mail site as there many who are knowledgable about the oldies. Don
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Author: Mark P.
Date: 1999-11-18 02:02
I have a 15 key Conn Albert that I bought on eBay and had overhauled by my repairman. My biggest problems are with throat F/F# and the low B/Bb which are opposite between Boehm and Albert. Other than that it's not too bad. Tone and intonation are pretty good and close to my Selmer 9* when played with the same mouthpiece. I find some dixieland passages easier to play on the Albert actually.
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Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 1999-11-18 07:44
Well, I'm playing the 'german system' (and only the german system) - 17 keys up to oehler.
When you study the fingering tables, you'll find a 'common chromatic scale' with 8 exceptions within the first 3 octaves. Exceptions are 'thumb only' and 'left hand plus right hand index finger' and their neighbours, also c<sup>3</sup># .
The problem is: How to tell your reflexes, which system you're actually playing? One oportunity could be <a href=http://www.keilwerth.de/clari.htm>Richard Keilwerth's</a> jazz clarinet with plateau keys and mouthpiece for alto sax reed (when I remember correctly) - nevertheless this clarinet is quite expensive (No. 7b at the 'Preisliste', and the index/middle/ring finger section of the lower joint is like boehm, thus only 4 differences to boehm in the basic chromatic scale).
I hope, this helps a little,
Arnold (the basset hornist)
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Author: ron
Date: 1999-11-18 23:14
Hi, Steve -
I've played the Albert system since my high school days back in the '50s. Played in Air Force bands after graduation, then went on to do lots of gigs, from 'trad' jazz to country western (doubling on tenor sax) after discharge. Finally postponed the activity to earn a decent living and raise a family for a long time, eventually retired and took up the horn again a couple of years ago. The old Albert system has been good to me. Whether it's any better for certain kinds of musical styles has been open to much discussion for a loooooong time on this and other BBs. I guess it depends on what you're used to and what you want to accomplish. I, personally, don't find any exceptional differences (I have played both systems) though I admit to being partial to the Albert(Oehler or 'German', IMHO, is even better) because I'm more used to it. Boehm or Albert, there is no 'perfect' horn. After all, the instrument is a tool and some are better constructed(quality) than others - it's the performer who makes it work for better or worse. That's where authenticity originates. Depends how much he/she devotes to practicing the craft.
I've never heard of a player dislocating fingers by practicing sensibly (smile).
Ron
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Author: John Kelly - Australia
Date: 1999-11-19 05:56
There is a lot of diverse discussion on this topic. I can't say that there is any tonal differences [I play Albert]but there could be - there are better players than myself who swear that the Albert sounds different to the Boehm.
I guess, because of the different fingering, that phrasing could be different. I have about 5 or 6 Albert/Simple system instruments and some have more keys than others and this certainly does affect the technique and the ability to execute particular runs from one instrument to another.
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