Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2011-07-26 13:56
....that is the question--pardon the Shakespeare-like speak.
Or maybe better stated:
In professional clarinet purchase, (pre-)professional players, I strongly suspect, pretty much want to test any instrument prior to purchase, even if they have solicited the help of a 3rd party, trained in picking out good instruments.
And of course the reason for this pretty much boils down to the fact that one player's dream instrument may be another's nightmare
And yet, in the internet age, the idea of trying out a fair number of instruments, in the virtual studio of shipping and insurance costs, makes good argument for the pre-selection of a couple of instruments by just such a 3rd party, in proximity to the brick and mortar site of an internet music store, prior to the prospective buyer trying them by mail.
So, the questions become,
* When (at what age in our playing) should we rely (completely) on a teacher or 3rd party for instrument selection?
* What, if we pick out the instrument ourselves, is a good list of criterion we should be checking for?
* When, if at all, is using a (paid) 3rd party instrument tester a waste, if not also a hindrance to clarinet selection? When has it proved a life-saver that some players would never do without?
* Should we in fact buy instruments using the "buddy system," if for no other reason to get second opinions, particularly as it regards an instruments long distance acoustics?
* And finally, what are all the criteria, even (or maybe especially) the nuancical ones that good players use--even brand specific ones.
Let me try to get the basics--at least some of them out of the way. I hope people will add to them, and then embellish them with the aforementioned nuances.
* The blow and suck tests of the left and right hand pieces, separately, for air integrity.
* The examination of keywork, pads, corks for function and quality.
* The confirmation that the instruments plays in all registers, with at last basic integrity of intonation and keyword response.
I hope this thread to be a good reference we can all refer to, or refer others too. I can't seem to find (maybe its me) a truly comprehensive single place on the board where this has already been addressed (if it has, please let me know) or where it's comprehensively discussed on Youtube.
...so..I'm interested in hearing about the person who says, "on Buffet R-13's I always try G6 to C7 and back--works every time when selecting a horn, and here's why."
Thanks. Happy clarineting!
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
