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Re: Resistance across the clarinet family

Author: Ray
Date: 2007-09-15 00:36

Tobin,

I respectfully disagree with your comments about alto clarinets.

I currently play soprano in one band, bass in a second band and both soprano and alto in a choir. I have two altos, a Pedler and a Buffet. They both play with ease and with no sign of stuffiness anywhere. The Pedler has an automatic double register key and the Buffet doesn't. They both perform very well and have nice sounds. I prefer the intonation quirks of the Buffet over the Pedler.

I have two bass clarinets, a Malerne and a Yamaha YCL-621II. They both have almost no resistance, as do the altos.

I believe the band director is a brass player.

(I brought a silver clarinet to a rehearsal before Memorial Day. I thought it would be nice to play an American-made clarinet for that outdoor concert. My band director (Guess what he plays?) said, "I don't want you playing that thing indoors. Its too bright." And this was as I was assembling it. The other players in the section agreed that its sound was indistingushable from wood or rubber or plastic.)

Some people don't know squat about clarinets.

To answer the poster, no, I don't think it makes any sense. Resistance in a soprano clarinet or in the setup is very valuable, as Tom Ridenour describes. But I have played three brands of alto and four brands of bass and I can't notice any resistance at all in those instruments. My impression is that the tubes and holes are just too big.

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