 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dana J
Date: 2004-12-20 08:25
I am in the market for R13 eb clarinet, could you recommend any reliable stores in US or Canada?
Thanks.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2004-12-20 08:53
Woodwind & Brasswind is reliable, but call first to make sure they have what you want in stock. They probably have the biggest selection but sometimes things are out of stock. They are also very disorginized, and when they say the instruments were play tested, they probably mean they let a 2 year old play with it, but it is very likely to find what you want there.
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Author: mystery science dieter
Date: 2004-12-20 13:54
Especially if you are anywhere near NY. Mark Sloss, a BB regular who lives in New Jersey is the person to deal with. Best service and best prices. Besides the fact that Mark Sloss is an outstanding professional clarinet player himself, he works with Mark Nuccio (eflat clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic), who will hand select a new clarinet for you for a very modest fee.
That is where I would start. Even if you are not from near NY, it is your best bet.
Post Edited (2004-12-20 13:57)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-12-20 17:33
Eb clarinets are often out of tune. There's no substitute for going with a tuner to a place that has several of them and picking out a good one. If you can't find one in tune, walk away. Don't settle for something that will get in your way forever.
If you live near a good orchestra, ask the Eb player to pick out one for you, or take a couple of lessons to learn what a good player and instrument are like.
Ken Shaw
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Author: mystery science dieter
Date: 2004-12-20 20:19
Most clarinets are often out of tune. It because people play them out of tune.
If you find someone experienced in playing the eflat clarinet to select an instrument for you, that person will know what tendencies are acceptable in a new instrument. An inexperienced eflat player going it alone in an instrument search armed only with a korg won't know what to look for. Most likely they will all seem very out of tune.
If you want to play in tune, train your ears. Then your ears will inform you what to do with or to your instrument.
It is truly unbelievable how many people have this backwards. If told they are out of tune (they can't hear it themselves) they immediately start looking for equipment solutions. If you can't hear it, you'll never be in tune.
In addition, a tuner is only so much good in this situation. As someone who has played a lot of eflat clarinet, I can tell you that it is necessary not to have the needle center on every note, but to be able at any given time to move that needle all over the place depending on where you are in your range, what note of the chord you are producing and what instruments you are playing with. Playing in octaves with the first clarinet will require putting the 'needle' in a different place than playing in unison with the piccolo and no machine can train you to do that.
The key to good intonation on any clarinet is flexibilty, not putting the needle in the middle. Intonation problems are often exacerbated by equipment, but the fault rarely rests entirely on equipment.
Post Edited (2004-12-20 20:23)
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Author: Bradley
Date: 2004-12-20 21:59
I agree with MSD. RIght now I've been using the school's Leblanc Esprit for about 5 months and the intonation keeps getting better and better as I get used to it. When I first started using it I thought it was more out of tune that it should be, and I wanted to get my own ASAP. Just a few weeks ago I went to the Tri State Band Festival at FSU and in my audition Dr. Kowalsky said "that's a great instrument!". He then asked me what model it was and etc.
With time and lots of listening you can be surprised with what can be accomplished- so ask someone who has experience in this area and has been through all of this, provided you have not. It seems everyone has assumed you're not really that experienced on Eb, so maybe they know something I don't.
Bradley
Also, don't underestimate the power of a good Eb mouthpiece (if you don't already have one). I really like the Clark Fobes Nova I got, especially since it's not ghastly expensive.
Post Edited (2004-12-20 22:00)
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Author: William
Date: 2004-12-21 14:29
I do not play Eb clarinet very often, but when I do, I use a vintage Selmer HS** mpc with Bb reeds cut to fit. It allows sufficient flexability to tune fairly well in all registers.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-22 19:37
Although there are a number of excellent choices for Eb mouthpieces, the professional model by Ralph Morgan is superb.
They are a bit difficult to find due to the demand, but well worth it. If you get stuck, you could try contacting Ralph directly.
Normally I do not like duckbill type mouthpieces but the slope of the Morgan Eb mouthpiece is not severe and quite comfortable.
The intonation is dead on with my vintage Selmer Series 9 Eb and the coloration and response are quite impressive...GBK
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