The Clarinet BBoard

Re: R-13 vs Festival

Author: ThatPerfectReed  Date:   2011-08-18 02:36 There's no shortage of posts and threads on the board regarding retrofitting such a lever. Here's a more recent one http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=351055&t=351055 As it regards which Buffet's have one, the best answer I have is the Tosca and Festival. The Vintage has one too, but from the best board members can deduce, only the Vintages marketed by Buffet in Europe, not the States. http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=354382&t=354382 That said, I completely agree with what everyone said above about learning the conventional ways of handing the lack of such a lever, including the use of facial grease (nose, behind ear) to make sliding easier. Acquiring or retrofitting such a level should not be any more a substitute for learning how to play without such a lever, as math concepts should avoid being learned simply because of the advent of the calculator. "Sliding" my friend is relative child's play. Wait to you get to situations where fast passages necessitate you playing the same note with first the right, and then the left pinky in anticipation of freeing up the right pinky (e.g. Sphor's 1st http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjSHuvcs0a4 around 2:28, or Messager's Solo de concurs, 1st phrase of the candenza http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG9D8JjlGow around 2:40, to name a few.) Unless someone has a financial backer, as you indicate you don't, here's my take on the situation in the form of a paradox "if you haven't mastered sliding yet, let alone the aforementioned "pinky swaping," you should consider yourself lucky to own an R13, let alone a Festival." I don't say that to be rude--I offer that as tough advice for becoming a better player. I assure you, sliding to make this passage , from the to the is light years easier than making this work by sounding the with the left pinky, and quickly switching over to the right pinky, to make the with the left pinky, to make the with the needed right pinky. This is the advice you need to hear: Save your money, put the passages you need to master on the music stand with a metronome, and practice doing them BOTH ways, slide and pinky switch, on a slow metronome pace, working your way up to the music's natural pace. In my humble opinion, left Eb levers are best left (no pun intended) to make virtuosic passages easier to play, not to ease the burden of learning how to live without them. Plenty of professionals have them, and then end up not using them b/c the find the lever's placement awkward. I'm sorry for the drill sergeant routine. You need to hear it, and you need to do it this way to become more proficient. I have you best interests in mind. There are many ways in the world of clarineting to spend money to improve your game, at least somewhat. This one's (the left Eb level) not high on that list.

Reply To Message

Re: R-13 vs Festival

Author: Katrina  Date:   2011-08-18 04:31 And of course, even with the additional Eb lever there will be occasions for sliding! Just think of anything involving clarion Ab going to other pinky keys!

Reply To Message

Re: R-13 vs Festival

Author: ThatPerfectReed  Date:   2011-08-18 05:14 I completely agree that the key SHOULD be standard equipment on clarinets, as is the to trill. Anymore than that aforementioned standard trill key can be a crutch to not learning the art of quickly spanning from to and back in scale work where the right hand needs to remain close the bottom half of the clarinet's tone homes, and said trill key cannot be used. Or, as mentioned, that "sliding" and "pinky swap" not form part of the essential skills simply because the left pinky lever does exist on a "horn"---much though that I totally agree it should be standard equipment. Bob: curious--had you known that no Eb left pinky lever would be available to you at this auction would you have practiced with sliding or pinky swap--or was the passage just too difficult to do for you without the left pinky lever? Would you have chosen another piece--assuming you even had the say?

Reply To Message

Avail. Forums  |  Need a Login? Register Here

User Login  User Name:  Password:  Remember my login:

Forgot Your Password? Enter your email address or user name below and a new password will be sent to the email address associated with your profile.