Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-03-21 13:35
Just a thought:
A long time ago, when I was a student of Herb Couf’s in Detroit, he introduced me to a fine old repairman, Cass Burris. Cass was legendary in the Detroit area, and did fine work for all the professionals in the Detroit Sym., and also worked on kids horns.
On one of my many trips to see Cass, I asked him to quiet down and perhaps replace the metal screw in my “A/G#” key to make it play and feel better.
His reply was similar to Peter Spriggs, “I’d just as soon take the damn thing off all the clarinets I get, it’s just a nuisance, and no one adjusts it correctly anyway.” He showed me his old, very old, clarinet that did not have the adjustment screw, with a nice little cork, making the action and feel smooth.
I told him that as the pads change, or for whatever reason, I need the flexibility to be able to adjust the “A/G#” at will. He reluctantly replaced the little cork under the screw, mumbling something under his breath.
So, by way of this distant memory of wonderful Cass Burris, I still recommend new improvements that I have found helpful in my professional life of clarinet playing Most of my students make the modifications I recommend, some don’t. The adjustment screw on the bridge-key mechanism I described earlier, is a fine improvement on a troublesome spot on the clarinet. I think it should be included on all professional horns, as those players know how to handle the delicate adjustments necessary to make it work properly. In the wrong hands, there might be problems, so a kid’s horn doesn’t need the improvement.
I believe change is good, and experimentation is necessary if we are to keep our old “acoustic” instruments alive. Some changes will be tried and fail, others will improve our instrument and benefit all. Let’s keep up the dialogue and good ideas.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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The Clarinet BBoard
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