Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-08-10 18:55
Many good and valuable comments here! I'd like to add a thought: There is a LARGE variance in playing qualities from individual clarinet to clarinet, even within the same brand and model. For example --- try out 5 or 10 Buffet R-13's, and you'll probably find one you love, some you like, some you don't like, and one you can't stand! (Kinda like a box of Vandoren reeds, huh?). I remember years ago trying out nine Selmer Mark 6 tenor saxes -- they all played differently from each other (and I ended up buying a Couf anyway, even thought the Mark 6 was and is probably the most-hyped sax of all time, analogous to the Buffet R-13 hype that exists). Over the last couple of years, I've had the opportunity to extensively play a bunch of old, "off-brand" clarinets (that is, none of them were from the Big 4 of B___, L____, S____, or Y____). Some of these were from old, out-of business French and American brands nobody (except maybe Don Berger!) has heard of, and guess what? A fair percentage of them play very well, at least to my ear, some of them every bit as well as the fabled R-13's I've tried! The point is, instruments are like mouthpieces and reeds, every single one is unique and MUST be judged on its own merits, by thorough playing (and checking with a tuner under various conditions). I would venture that what makes a particular brand/model ostensibly 'superior' to another is the higher PROBABILITY of getting a good instrument, compared to an 'inferior' brand or model. In other words, you are probably more likely to get an excellent R-13 or Selmer Signature or Leblanc Opus, say, than you would a Jupiter or a Bundy (please pardon my examples --- no slights intended). Nonetheless, you will still find dogs amongst the top brands (I used to own a truly mediocre R-13 soprano, and have recently played another very average one as well as a very good one), just as you can find gems amongst the lesser-regarded or lesser-known brands (for example, I've had wonderful clarinets from Penzel-Mueller, Couesnon, Kohlert, Thibouville Freres, and a few others recently, and I'd put them up against anything currently on the market today. OK, call me an eccentric!). I suppose the moral of this rambling story is: Keep an open mind, don't purchase solely on the basis of the opinions or advice of others, and try everything you can get your hands on! If you're really fixated on a particular brand, STILL try a whole bunch of them. Ultimately, of course, it's the player, not the setup, that makes the beautiful music; but the instrument should assist you in this quest, not hamper you.
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
