 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kride
Date: 2010-07-10 20:34
I started Clarinet 2 year ago (after playing sax for 30 years) to help a student of mine double. So I picked up an old Yamaha off of ebay for 50 bucks and did that. Then the bug got me, I find myself playing clarinet for over an hour a day (cuts into my sax time needless to say) and I can't seem to put it down. So, I bought a Bliss Leblanc from Kessler in Vegas for 700 and that was alot easier than the Yamaha so that was good for awhile. Then I saw a Cnet on Craigslist Yamaha 34 that was wood so I ran over and it sounded alot better than the bliss so I bought that. Now, last week I was getting my Mk 6 repaired at a repair shop and had a chance to play an old Conn Director Cnet. It wasn't as slick as the Yamaha for ergos but it has a better tone so there goes another 200. If I had a student on sax doing this piecemeal approach I'd tell him to sell all the low end horns and buy an older Buffet or Selmer C10. Anyway, I really like the tone on this Conn but it is alot more out of tune than the Yamaha. I'm just wondering if I should fight it out with the Conn and enjoy the sound/tone even if I can't get around the horn as well. Oh, yeah mouthieces. I went throught Van B45, Portnoy 1, Portnoy2, and now play a Clark Fobes CF + although I'm tempted to try out a Vandoran B5 which I used to trial this clarinet. I';m sure some of you guys have experience along these lines. Info appreciated. I am taking lessons from a pro who isn't into equipment so he just says Hmmm at the lessons and we go on to the work. thanks , I am really digging cnet even with the problems. I have been playing duets with a friend out of the Hite book, (Mozart, Crusell, Haydn) and thats a hoot. K
Ksaxman.com
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-07-10 21:20
As long as you like what you are playing, and it doesn't hinder you from making music, I say to enjoy it. There are so many vendors and makers of used or new clarinets who will be only too happy to feed your addiction to gear. Just have fun with it.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
Post Edited (2010-07-10 21:20)
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2010-07-10 22:31
I'd suggest taking your Conn back to the repair shop where you bought it for further regulation; they should happily assist you in getting a better setup for your needs. A $200 Conn Director prepared for resale may not have received the same degree of exacting care lavished upon a Buffet or Selmer, leaving key heights, pad heights, and other variables off-spec--with ruinous effects on tuning and response. Ask nicely for their techs to take a second look at your Conn.
Failing that, take it to another shop for a careful regulation.
Another thing to keep in mind is that barrels take a lot of abuse and over the course of many years, the dimensions of your barrel may have drifted out of spec--doing despicable things to the tuning. On both of my '50s-vintage wooden horns the barrels aren't symmetrically round anymore; looking down the bore reveals that they don't match up perfectly with the top joint anymore. Replacing these dud barrels with another that matches up properly instantly improved the tuning and response.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-07-10 22:43
Suggestion: STOP !!!!! Pick something. Stick with it for at least a year.
Also, I don't like the suggestion that pitch and timbre are two different things. Ultimately, poor pitch will be your undoing (or your audience's reason for walking away).
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: justme
Date: 2010-07-10 22:47
Kride said: " (cuts into my sax time needless to say)."
Thats a sin! Or it should be... ![[whoa]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie10.gif)
Justme
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2010-07-11 00:22
Paul is right--STOP! You have found a horn with the sound you want. Some players never really find one, but you've hit the jackpot! Give yourself a pat on the back for this accomplishment.
Go get the Conn as functionally perfect as possible, then find a mouthpiece and reed setup that works ideally with it--and learn to play the stuffing out of it.
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Author: Kride
Date: 2010-07-11 01:07
Thanks guys, appreciate it. I do like the tone on this horn alot and I found myself playing it for hours today and that I can't do on the Yamaha because it kills my right thumb. the tech is a good one, did a great job on the Mk 6 and I'll let him look at it next week. It has a leak in the right hand F, F# pad and the A is way stuffy. Both should be fixable . K
Ksaxman.com
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