 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 1999-07-14 07:38
Has anyone had any experience with Patricola clarinets? They seem attractively priced (under two grand) for professional level horns. The clarinet in C in particular looks like a good deal (about nineteen hundred).
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Author: John
Date: 1999-07-14 14:20
I bought a Patricola A two years ago. It was reworked by Charles Bay in Los Angeles. It has a nice consistent sound through the registers and plays remarkably in tune for an A. Mechanically it is fine with no problems.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-07-14 19:48
I don't particularly care for their Bb and A clarinets, they have all either been bright or stuffy. They have a very nice sound and a good solid feel, it's just that they don't really work comparing to what most American clarinetists play. It would be pretty hard to blend with a Buffet (which is what a majority of pros use. I haven't heard the new C clarinet or had a chance to try it. I hope they'll have a booth either at TMEA in 2000 or i will try them at the ClarFest in OK next year.
I drool over their Eb clarinets every time i see one. I try them out at every convention where there's a booth that has them. They have the best projection of any Eb i've played and the sweetest sound. I anxiously await the time when i'll have $2000 and can have Stephen Fox make a Patricola Eb clone with a few tuning adjustments.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 1999-07-14 20:34
Since I would be getting a C clarinet mainly to play fiddle tunes (Irish, Scottish, Appalachian, Southwestern, etc.), and maybe some Klezmer, I wouldn't have to worry about blending with Buffets (or LeBlancs or Selmers) in an orchestral setting. I'd really like to get the LeBlanc Opus in C as I am a LeBlanc guy (LL and LX) but I think they are asking too much for this horn (list price $5750.00--ouch!--or $3445.00 from the Woodwind and Brasswind--still ouch!). Anyway, it seems as if it would be worth my while to check out the Patricola.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-07-14 21:50
Oh, then in that situation, i think the Patricola would probably be just fine. From time to time some Boehm C clarinets come up on eBay.. they wouldn't be as good as a Patricola but they'd probably play well with a little fixing up..
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 1999-07-17 16:51
I just got it a few weeks ago. I'm not really qualified to give you an "expert" opinion, as I am a complete adult novice; I played in high school (did have private lessons, though, as a kid), then took up clarinet again a year ago. But I do not have a rigorous practice schedule, play just when, where, and what I like. I too am playing with some folk-type groups and wanted a "C" instrument.
I tried out both the Patricola and the Leblanc Noblet C from The Woodwind and the Brasswind. Both, with the Woodwind K 10 M mp supplied with the Leblanc (the Pat. didn't come with a mp - but it has two barrels) sounded and played identically to my ears (as I said, I'm not a qualified expert; an expert may have felt differently). But the LH C#/F# key seemed out of adjustment, needed to be pushed down too far. Of course, this could have probably been adjusted, but this made me really look over the Pat.'s keywork and it looks so much more intricate than the Leblanc's! I ended up buying the Pat. Now, I notice that I can't get the two first fingers Bb/Eb to sound right when the RH trill key works, and vice-versa; seems like a position problem with the center joint, or there's not enough cork under the trill key lever to "stop" it from lifting other keys (hope I'm making sense; the instrument is not in front of me). Didn't notice it before, maybe it's a temp/humidity metal expansion problem. If it persists, I'll send it back for an adjustment.
Otherwise, I love the instrument. Actually easier to play than my old Bb Evette-Schaeffer. Bought a Woodwind K 10 M mp to play on both of them.
Hope you find this helpful!
Steve
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 1999-07-19 07:29
It's nice to see that other people are getting interested in the clarinet as a "folk" instrument. It has always been a basic component of Klezmer and Eastern European folk music but has never caught on in the British Isles or the U.S. Maybe that's because of all those fiddle tunes in the key of A--a good key for fiddle but it puts the Bb clarinet in the key of B which with five sharps is a tough key. Of course the C clarinet eliminates this problem and with the growing selection of quality instruments available maybe we'll start to see the clarinet in traditional Irish bands like the Chieftains and other "folk" type groups from the British Isles and the U.S.
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 1999-07-20 04:46
There is a band called "Footloose" based in North Carolina which plays for contradances, and features a classical clarinettist (and music prof, I believe), named Dean Herrington. Bill Tomczak from Mass. is another clarinet player in several contradance bands. And there is a guy in "Swallowtail" who plays alto sax and bombard! Jay Ungar and Molly Mason have used clarinettists on their recordings, not just for klezmer-y and jazzy stuff, but also for hambos and other northern European things. All of these guys have classical music training.
I'll try to post some websites for these when I get a chance.
Steve
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