 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DMK
Date: 2003-07-21 18:08
For those of you in marching bands (esp. college ones), do you know what the most preferred brand/model of clarinet is?
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-07-21 18:35
No offense meant to your question, but it's sort of like asking, "What's the best dishwashing liquid for cleaning my dog's bowl?" -- the point being that anything that gets the job done will do.
Having said that, don't use an expensive wooden clarinet out there on the field and in the elements. A plastic Bundy, Vito, Yamaha or Buffet will do fine -- something inexpensive, durable and playable.
Oh, and a cheap generic dish soap will get your dog's bowl just as clean as he cares for it to be, just as a $100 Bundy that plays decently will please the people in the stands who care more about football than the band.
Good luck..
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
Post Edited (2003-07-21 18:44)
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2003-07-21 19:40
hey there,
Like Ralph said, basically, any plastic clarinet would work. I actually wouldn't suggest bundy though, cause their clarinets are so out of wack they don't play even after a repairman's looked at it a thousand times. Try out a few different models that are out there, and see how they feel. Make sure that they're easy to blow though, because walking and playing at the same time isn't the most simple or comfortable thing in the world. I wouldn't worry so much about the clarinet as your hands freezing up in the wicked cold November games!! Make sure you wear gloves with some holes put into them!!
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-07-21 20:15
I don't mean to take exception to your statement, Gretchen, because you may have a very good reason for not liking Bundy instruments. I've found, however, Bundy and Vito clarinets to be pretty dependable players as well as durable. I've also found the intonation to be consistently acceptable, especially for marching situations. I know many frequent players who are quite pleased with them for outdoor and, not infrequently, indoor performances. In my estimation, you either got hold of a severly trashed horn or you need to visit a different repair tech.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-07-21 20:50
Hi Gretchen,
IMHO, I do mean to take exception to your statement "I actually wouldn't suggest bundy though, cause their clarinets are so out of wack they don't play even after a repairman's looked at it a thousand times." Bundy clarinets are just fine for most student situations as well as for marching band.
I have a Bundy Mazzeo as my outdoor clarinet and it plays perfectly. When I was a band director, over 50% on the clarinets in the jr. high and elementary were Bundy; we never had any problems. In a blindfold test of clarinets that we did for fun one day, none of my assistant directors could tell the difference between a Bundy, an R13, and a Selmer Series 9 on a short 8 mesure, mid-regsiter passage with me using the same mouthpiece (in several situations, the Bundy was selected as having the better projection). When I was teaching a lot privately, Bundys were used by many of the students and I can not remember one that did not play as advertised.
Vitos have keys that are not as easy to bend if an adjustment like the bridge key is needed; they are very nice student horns. Could you have over-stated your anti-Bundy claim just a tad?
HRL
Post Edited (2003-07-21 23:26)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-21 22:36
Gretchen, afraid I disagree with your contention also.....Perhaps your experience is not the norm.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-07-21 23:27
My first clarinet was a Vito and I also used it as a marching clarinet . . . Good horn, has the feel of a "real" clarinet. I also tried a student Yamaha and couldn't stand it. It didn't have as full of a sound, the action was sluggish, and the pressure difference between registers was very pronounced. (Of course, it could have been the specific one I tried.) I've never tried a Bundy, but the specs are similar to that of the Vito as far as bore size and such goes, so I'd think it'd be similar to play.
Find what you like, get the most open mouthpiece you can stand with the softest reeds you won't squeak on, and get out there and be heard! ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-07-22 01:36
I won't kick anything made by the "Big 4" or any of a few other makers. However, as is known by almost everyone who cares (no doubt a rather limited coterie), I commonly play a Vito V-40. To many, it is a cut above most plastic instruments, and while most others would be okay for marching, the V-40 also is a quite satisfactory Clarinet for outdoor concerts. A used one might cost fifty bux more than the usual student-type plastic Clarinet, and many think it's well worth the difference.
On the other hand, if you are playing in any situation where you might choose to use your Clarinet in trying to brain some obstreperous nincompoop (it happens), a lesser instrument should do quite as well.
Regards,
John
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Author: DMK
Date: 2003-07-22 03:12
Benni - any reason you suggested using the softest reeds possible?
(the entire woodwind 'thing' is new to me; i'm originally a trumpet player and still have a lot to learn about the world of clarinets! so i'm sorry if these questions seem a bit obsolete...)
and thank you to all those who responded with advice above! greatly appreciated!
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-07-22 03:24
"brain some obstreperous nincompoop" - you're a most cunning linguist, indeed, John LOL
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-07-22 04:14
Yes, surely. Hey, diz, a Clarinet makes quite a cudgel. Jimmy Dorsey had to replace at least one because he'd broken it over the head of an overactive reveler. Dorsey, of course, played Albert... d'you think a Boehm would do as well? (Probably good for the recipient that Jimmy wasn't holding the alto sax in his hand at the time.)
Regards,
John
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-22 12:13
diz; haven't heard that one for awhile! You are even cunninger.
John; years ago as a section leader I used my horn for "knighting"
offending talkers one of whom is now a well-known journalist.
All: Ah what bliss it must be to be able to afford a horn just for marching. Once upon a time when the economy was even worse than today we only had one to use rain or shine, cold or hot.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-07-22 15:21
DMK -
The soft reed and open mpc suggestion was to hopefully increase your volume . . . I know it's frustrating to learn all of the music and charts and then not be heard at all! I guess I should have qualified that you shouldn't sacrifice too much tone for volume, either (after all, you wouldn't want to be confused with the sax section  ), but as long as you are happy with your sound on a more open setup, you should be able to be heard in your section!
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-07-22 15:31
RE clarinets being heard in marching band:
I'm of the opinion that only [deleted. Sorry. This BBoard is not for the discussion of the worth or types of marching bands. It gets out of hand incredibly fast. So far the discussion has been limited to suitable equipment. That's about as far as I'll let it go. Mark C.]
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2003-07-22 15:58
Sorry if I offended anyone by not liking Bundy Clarinets. I guess its just my experience with playing a bunch of my friend's awful bundy horns and the negative opinions my parents have of them being music teachers that has affected my thought. Maybe I'll give them a second try someday when I have some students of my own.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-07-22 16:19
The University of Wisconsin Badger Band has it's own set of white LeBlanc Vito clarinets that they issue as "combat gear" for their marching clarinetists--which is not really a priority in the overwhemingly brass dominated 300+ member ensemble. They play reasonably well, and are practically indestructable.
BTW, regarding the contribution of "sound" to a marching band ensemble, their are some WI competative summer youth bands that achieve a remarkably balanced sound between percussion, brass and woodwind sections during their field and concert presentations and prove that a certain level of aesthetics in musical expression is possible on the marching field. It just takes special arrangements, dedicated/talented marching musicians, and many hours of practice.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-07-22 17:34
In the hands of a virtuoso clarinetist behind an audition screen, I'll bet you (or I) couldn't!!!!! And most certainly, the average audience member couldn't tell either--nor would they care if, if said clarinets were both played expessively and in tune by an expert. The order of importance is simply rhythum, intonation, musical expression and--lastly--individual instrument sound. Most auditions are won or lost by the first three criteria alone.
Your individual sound is mostly a result of your inner mental tonal concept, your oral configuration and your mpc/reed set-up. The clarinet( and it's components) being farthest from your brain, is the least important factor in determining your sound. I think that Larry Combs could sound the same on a Vito/Bundy clarinet as he does on his LeBlanc Opus. It would be just harder for him achieve his usual level of performance--but I'll bet he could, and most of us would have a hard time hearing (without seeing) any resulting musical difference.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-07-22 21:24
Clarinetbiter, was that for me?
The test was between a Bundy, and R13, and a Series 9. I was the performer and the assistant directors could not tell thedifference between thethree with any degree of certainty (statistically tested as well to the 95% confidence interval).
HRL
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-07-22 22:02
Re: Concerning the audible difference between plastic and wood clarinets.
There was a famous (well, not so famous) LP done by Donald McGinnis in the late 50's or early 60's of Clarinet Contest Music, where he used a Bundy resonite clarinet on Side 1, and a Selmer wood clarinet on Side 2.
To confirm my long standing conclusion, I listened to it again tonight.
To my ears, which amazingly are still relatively good after a few decades in the public schools, the two different clarinets sounded identical...GBK
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-07-23 01:35
William and GBK,
Stereo Review did a test on speaker cables and the expensive Monster Cables did no better against the cheaper, but of correct gauge. generic wire.
But back to the clarinet. The intonation of the Bundy ws not as precise across the board like the Series 9 and the R 13. I think the three of us are of a like mind though about this phenomena. Bernie Portnoy agrees also as you already know (I think that's where LC may have gotten some of his idea from).
BTW, the keywork was much more comfortable on the more expensive clarinet.
HRL
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Author: Clarinetbiter135
Date: 2003-07-23 01:54
I am not saying that I could. My question was not meant to be critical. It actually was asking could you not tell the difference, because I didn't know. The thought also comes to mind about why we invest thousands of dollars into our R13 when we could just play on our original Vito. Didn't mean to offend anybody. Just honestly curious if someone could or couldn't
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2003-07-23 02:15
Keep in mind that the better the player you are, the less of a difference it makes. In other words, for the ordinary student, there is a difference between a plastic and a professional clarinet. While a great artist can close that sound gap, for the average mortal there is at least some difference- sometimes a significant amount.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-23 11:48
For a number of reasons I'm in agreement with the sound equivalence tests mentioned above. As already mentioned by the posters,however, this does not mean that the instruments are equivalent in all respects.
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