 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rapidcif
Date: 2009-11-04 18:36
hi guys. My name is Jimmy and im wearing Jeans today.
I have two questions.
1. Clarinets are classified as beginning, intermediate, and professional level clarinets. Beginners are strongly advised against playing professional model clarinets. What exactly is the difference between a professional and beginner clarinet that would make a beginner want to start out with one over the other?
2. i've played for 4 years without a thumbrest and i have this HUGE pink bump on my right thumb. Anyway to cure this? lol.
Thx for all ur help as i always have a bunch of pesky questions.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-11-04 18:59
Rapidcif wrote:
> 1. Clarinets are classified as beginning, intermediate, and
> professional level clarinets. Beginners are strongly advised
> against playing professional model clarinets.
By whom? I've never heard that.
I've always played on professional-model instruments (since I started playing at age 9), and I turned out OK.
> What exactly is
> the difference between a professional and beginner clarinet
> that would make a beginner want to start out with one over the
> other?
The price.
> 2. i've played for 4 years without a thumbrest and i have this
> HUGE pink bump on my right thumb. Anyway to cure this? lol.
The only way I know to do this is to give up playing the clarinet and visit a dermatologist.
But why would you want to do this? I wear my thumb callus as a badge of honor. 
Actually, it is reported that Benny Goodman, when he decided at age 40 to study classical clarinet with Reginald Kell, had his finger calluses removed so he could start over building his technique under Kell's tutelage--I assume that included his thumb callus, too (that's the only callus I have due to clarinet playing, anyway--I have other finger calluses, to be sure, but they're of the guitar and violin variety). I don't know why he or Kell thought it would be necessary to do that, but that's the story. Maybe Goodman developed calluses the rest of us don't have because he had bad playing habits our teachers didn't let us develop--I have no clue. Kell apparently rebuilt his embouchure from scratch, too. Anyway, you can find a citation to this story in Goodman's biography on Wikipedia.
By the way, I think when you said "thumbrest" you really meant a thumbrest cushion, not the thumbrest itself. The thumbrest is the piece that is built into the clarinet. I'd be surprised if you've been playing for 4 years without one of those.
Post Edited (2009-11-04 19:07)
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2009-11-04 19:58
__ "Rapidcif wrote:
> 1. Clarinets are classified as beginning, intermediate, and
> professional level clarinets. Beginners are strongly advised
> against playing professional model clarinets.
By whom? I've never heard that. " --
The golden rule is 2 years on beginning, 2 years on intermediate and 2 years on professional.
You then repeat this cycle ad infinitum or until somebody hits you on the head with a blunt instrument.
Steve
PS The person who made the golden rule is doing fine and the nurses say that he will soon be able to feed himself without assistance, and he has promised not to invade France this year.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-11-04 20:19
Hey, not a problem. Someone has to invade France every few decades, anyway! ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif) ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
Jeff
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-04 20:30
Oh my gosh, another strange theory. The reason most beginners begin with a "beginners" clarinet is because their parents don't want to lay out the big bucks if their kid is going to quit in a year or two. Once a student becomes serious they should own the best instrument they can afford. It's nonsense about stepping from one to another unless it's a monetary. As far as your thumb goes, that's perfectly normal but you might want to get a larger thumb rest or use some type of cushioning material. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2009-11-04 22:11
Two years on a professional instrument?? I've had mine for eight years. That must be where I'm going wrong...
Peter Cigleris
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Author: pewd
Date: 2009-11-05 01:00
lets make dang sure you meant thumbrest 'cushion' and do not really mean you play a clarinet without a thumbrest attached.
and yup, i've seen a kid do it that way. he removed the thumbrest and threw it away... didn't know what it was for. held it with the bell squeezed between the knees. had a moron for a band director.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2009-11-05 12:46
I play my classical clarinets without a thumbrest. They didn't have them back in the 1780s. It's quite possible to play the modern instrument without a thumbrest.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: Rapidcif
Date: 2009-11-06 19:37
"Once a student becomes serious they should own the best instrument they can afford."
hi Mr.Palanker. You said "best instrument." So can u(or anybody) explain to me what EXACTLY makes an 3000 dollor R13 better than an i don't know, some $600 plastic clarinet? Is the tone better? Improved intonation? thx for the help.
And yes folks, i meant a thumbrest *cushion* lol.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-11-06 20:05
The wood costs more to make and requires longer time to bring to season than composite materials. Th tolerances are usually much tighter on pro instruments. he keywork is better, and often plated with silver or other more expensive metals. More care goes into making the clarinet more evenly resistant and more consistent in tone ant tuning.
Look at Tom Ridenour's site for an explanation of why some clarinets cost more (for other reasons).
Jeff
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Author: allencole
Date: 2009-11-07 09:09
__ "Rapidcif wrote:
> 1. Clarinets are classified as beginning, intermediate, and
> professional level clarinets. Beginners are strongly advised
> against playing professional model clarinets.
I would agree with that advice on the basis of instrument care. Some students start really young, and I hate to see what would happen if they aren't good about swabbing, greasing the corks, or other assembly/disassmbly issues.
Marching band as a fact of life for most student players is the other reason. I think it's a lot better to have a plastic instrument than a wooden one on the field--particularly in light of cold & wet weather conditions. Start on a plastic horn (which can be bought on rental-purchase). If you become serious, get a pro horn but keep the plastic one for playing in conditions where you don't want to take a nice one.
> 2. i've played for 4 years without a thumbrest and i have this
> HUGE pink bump on my right thumb. Anyway to cure this? lol.
[initial response edited - I reread your response to that question] My only remaining response is that clarinet players are probably not destined to have sexy right thumbs. <g>
Allen Cole
Post Edited (2009-11-07 19:05)
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