 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2005-11-07 09:28
Does anyone know of manufaturers of a plateau key A clarinet? I saw an advert a few years ago for a pair of Noblet Bb and A plateau but nothing since.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-11-07 13:35
I have an old Normandy Bb plateau plastic, of the Leblance-Noblet lines. Complicated key structure, sim. to bass cls ! Dont know of A's, would need to be slightly diff. dimensions, and most A's are used by advanced-pro players, so would doubt. IMHO. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-11-07 15:20
Plateau key horns are used by youngsters or by oldsters with arthritis...neither of which would seem to represent a large market for an A horn. I've never seen one.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2005-11-07 16:41
I agree - but sometimes needs must - I am sort of in the latter category only neurological rather than arthritic. I usually play open ring B&H Emperors but when necessary I have a plateau R. Malerne Bb - but our jazz/dance band has some pieces for an A clarinet and the transition from Plateau Bb to A open ring is not always easy.
I am sure I saw a private ad. about 2 years ago for a pair of Noblet plateau. Anyway - I'll keep looking.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-11-07 16:56
I was going to mention old Malerne or Couesnon clarinets, but not sure if they did plateau keyed A claris.
My K series Selmer A has a plateau for RH finger 1 only, but all the others are rings.
It's only Leblanc that I can remember making plateau keyed LLs fairly recently, but due to lack of demand they've probably axed them.
The only one I've worked on recently was a lovely old Jacques Albert - the wood was top quality, and the keywork was unplated - it felt very comfortable to play - a bit like an oboe or cor anglais.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-11-07 17:01
Chris,
I've seen and/or worked on many Malerne and Couesnon Bb/A clarinets, but have never seen one with plateau keys (though that doesn't rule out the possibility, of course!).
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Author: DressedToKill
Date: 2005-11-07 17:17
Perhaps you could have your existing clarinet customized? There must be some technicians who can make modifications, such as the following,
http://www.musicare.cc/store/images/semiplateauclarinet.jpg , to make your playing experience enjoyable and long-lasting.
Best of luck!
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-11-07 19:28
A friend of mine bought a new Noblet horn as recently as five years ago, so they were still being made as of that date. I have never seen a plateau A horn offered, but someone who "really, really, REALLY" needed one could have one made by modifications to the key work plus milling down the bushings in the tone holes. Costly, perhaps, yes, but well within the realm of possibilities.
This sort of thing isn't common (and it certainly isn't cheap), but it's been done before to accommodate injuries and the like. (I've had modifications made to sliver keys on my sopranos, for example, the better to clear my ham like fingers.) There was a lot of this sort of thing done post-World War I, when most European musicians "of a certain age" found themselves in the military (and not in some cushy band slot, either). I recall the story of one French clarinet player who had extensive modifications made to accommodate his injuries to his hand and arm, and I'm sure there were others.
Sax players like plateau horns since they've been flopping their fingers down any old way from the very get-go, and it's hard to change old habits. This is one area where we clarinet folks have a leg up on them.
If I were making the transition as a sax player, I'd go back to the woodshed on the clarinet for a couple of months, playing scales and arpeggi until I turned blue in the face. This is one area where endless repetition will serve you well. And, playing a few thousand scales at varying speeds won't do you any harm in any event.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-11-07 21:01
If you're willing to pay, I'm sure Stephen Fox will whip you up a plateau A clarinet. He offers plataeu clarinets as an option via his website. But it WILL be a custom made clarinet, and will cost a pretty penny relative to most A clarinets off the shelves.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-11-08 12:38
The Couesnon plateau clarinet belonged to my old sax teacher - this one had pearl touches on all the plateau keys, and there was an elderly sax player (who played a Selmer Adolphe tenor) who owned a Buisson (Malerne) plateau clarinet - and just today I saw a brand new Noblet 40 plateau Bb - the action was heavy (and it was bought by a player who uses a Vandoren 5JB) - it was in for the barrel to be shortened to nothing (from 66 to 61mm, so I bet there'll be some intonation issues as a result) and the LH levers lengthened.
The top joint cross Eb/Bb key stuck up at a ridiculous angle as well (it was just bent up rather than shaped), and got in the way more then normal for me.
It was only fairly recently I found out what a 'Queno' or 'Quaino' clarinet actually is (sounded a bit South American) - I was doing a concert where the other clarinettist had a B&H Imperial Bb, I asked him what make his A is and he said 'It's a a 'Queno'" - I've heard this name mentioned for years (a bandleader mentioned 'Never buy 'Queno' saxes, they're crap!') but it only dawned on me that Couesnon is pronounced 'Que'-noh' after seeing the name along with hearing the proper pronunciation - and not 'Koos-non' as I've previously thought - and I'm not the only one.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2005-11-08 12:54)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-11-08 13:03
Thanks Chris, I also never knew the correct pron. Now when I show anyone mine I'll sound like an expert.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2005-11-08 13:44
I have an old GLeblanc catalogue - probably from the 1970's - which shows the LL "Special mechanisms" for Bb, A and Eb and includes Model 200 "Plain Boehm system with full plateau keys". It suggests these were stock models for each (Bb, A, Eb) - so maybe there are still a few around.
I have a Bb Malerne (bought from a retiring Sax player in UK) which is very robust but easy to play - the tuning is a bit out but then it has a short barrel (61 mm) - improved with a standard B&H 66 mm barrel but they are not a good fit (too long a tenon and too loose fit).
Anyone know where I can get a longer Malerne barrel?
Post Edited (2005-11-08 13:45)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-11-08 14:34
The Howarth student clarinet from the '80s was made by Malerne - maybe their barrels will work - or a Selmer Sterling barrel.
Bit of a coincidence I suppose, but the elderly sax player with the Malerne (though branded 'Buisson') plateau Bb was called Malcolm, and didn't use the original barrel either - he had a rosewood one made for him, and back in the days before exotic wood barrels were commonplace.
I'd like to see the Leblanc Eb plateau model - I remember Bill Lewington's very comprehensive list of all Leblanc LL keywork possibilities, now there's only two - 17/6 or 18/6.
I had a Leblanc catalogue from the mid '80s (I don't know where it's gone now, but it's a good source of referrence) - and this pictured the entire range from BBBb Octo-contrabass to Ab sopranino on the cover, and all the various LL 'Special Mechanisms'. Only I don't remember seeing the plateau Eb in there - maybe that had been axed by the mid '80s
Yep, I'm still kicking myself for passing up the chance to get a pair of full Boehm LLs for around £800.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-11-08 14:58
I think that one of the reasons that the plateau horns have lived on so long in the Leblanc line is due to their heavy commitment to the support of high school marching bands. Some groups like the uniformity of gloves on all players (which presents an obvious problem with clarinet playing), and instead of cutting off the fingers (as I have seen in some of these groups) the use of Leblanc horns with the plateau keys allows the players to wear gloves and still operate a clarinet.
Mind you, the utility of clarinets in a marching band is questionable (Sax had the right idea there with the saxophone family), and in many cases there are just there as "files" to be used to fill out a formation. But, you have to give points to Leblanc for trying...
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2005-11-08 15:37
Chris P, the Leblanc catalogue I have does not actually show the individual clarinets in the "special mechanisms" pages just the key layout.
Model 176 17/6 (this is the regular LL); 177 17/7; 186 18/6; 187 18/7; 197 19/7; 199 20/7 (full Boehm); 200 = full plateau. I thought there was some logic in the numbers at first but it goes wrong for the full Boehm which is model 199 but the logic would have said it should be 207 20/7 !! The LL 176 model was available in Bb, A, C, D, Eb and Ab. Where have all these variants gone?
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