 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BobW
Date: 2014-04-04 01:37
I have been searching old posts
with not much success
Does anyone know how you can purchase an Oehler system clarinet in the United States ?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-04-04 03:10
Well........first I'd like to say that you will have a rough time of it as a "lone wolf." Think about this Board and how we have have a lot of spirited discussions over the minutia of Boehm clarinetistry. Now imagine NOT having that, or a ready supply of different reeds (Vandoren, Zonda, Fibercell, Grand Concert...yadda, yadda, yadda). This doesn't even begin to touch on finding a teacher who could help you (other than musical considerations or more general issues).
THAT SAID, I did it by getting an address (back in the '80s there was no Interweb) for Herbert Wurlitzer from a member of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble while they were on tour. Today you can look up any number of German/Austrian manufacturers online. Be advised they are expensive, usually $10,000 or more for a top pro-line horn and there is a wait of a year or two before you except delivery.
There is also the grab bag approach of searching the auction sites for someone wanting to unload one, but I honestly don't like getting used horns particularly something so esoteric.
My favorites right now are the (tried and true) Herbert Wurlitzer (and there is an actual US Dealer who posts on this site!!!!) and the Austrian made "Gerold." Honestly, since there are far more things to worry about switching systems, why bother with second rate?
.........Paul Aviles
P.S. perhaps I was a bit hasty, I would trust used from a good German dealer
thomas.reichle@holzblaeser.com
Post Edited (2014-04-04 03:15)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2014-04-04 06:30
Aw, come on now, Paul! I have an Oehler-system bass clarinet and play it regularly (such as at an orchestra rehearsal tonight), plus several Oehler Bb clarinets, all of which are perfectly interchangeable with my Boehm-system instruments and can use the same mouthpieces and reeds (except admittedly for the Oehler bass which has a much narrower bore than the Boehm version and requires a unique mouthpiece).
My point is, once you learn Oehler it's no different than being multilingual and switching effortlessly between languages, or being a competent woodwind doubler and switching between clarinet and sax, or being a competent orchestral bass clarinetist or bassoonist and automatically reading bass and treble (or bass and tenor) clefs. You learn it, you practice it, you use it in real-world situations, and eventually it becomes totally automatic.
BobW, please contact me offline if you have any questions or whatever.
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Author: donald
Date: 2014-04-04 07:19
Hi there,
first comment- when you say "Oehler system" some people may think you mean an clarinet actually made by Oehler- I know of at least one pro musician who collects them! When I first went into a high end German music store- clarinet specialist in Hamburg- and asked about the Oehler system, this was what was understood. I had to explain that I didn't intend to be quite that specific!
German system clarinet- there are many Albert/Simple system clarinet available that have very similar or identical fingering to a "Full Oehler" clarinet. Not really the same but have more similarities. These often work with a modern french mouthpiece and the bore seems to be more similar to a french clarinet.
For professional level German system clarinets- find the website for Schwenk und Seggelke and look through their used instrument section, this will give you a rough idea what is available and at what price.
dn
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-04-04 12:43
Dear David,
With all due respect (and I MEAN that), if you are playing the same mouthpiece from Oehler to Boehm then you are NOT playing the Oehler system. The entire package is necessary to achieve proper sound and style. You can talk to Greg Smith about the frustrations of the CSO clarinet section trying to play Wurlitzers with their standard mouthpieces and never quite achieving what they were looking for.
Then of course there is the whole "school of thought" (and musical style) that makes a player like Leister sound so "German." A German friend of mine once said, "you can't play like a German, you don't iron creases into the fronts of your blue jeans."
............Paul Aviles
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2014-04-04 18:57
Paul (likewise with all due respect) I am playing my Oehler INSTRUMENTS to achieve the sound and response I want -- not to emulate anyone's "system". I play these clarinets because I enjoy them, not for historical accuracy. I will never sound like Leister or Dieter Klöcker nor do I have any intention of trying to do so. 'Nuff said.
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2014-04-04 19:36
I haven't checked them out recently but WWBW used to have a line of Amati german system clarinets.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-04-04 21:12
My understanding from what I've read is Oehler system clarinets have the RH main action with the fingerplate for RH2 closing two vent holes at the side of the lower joint instead of having an open tonehole directly under RH2, which is considered German system.
For a comprehensive list of German and Austrian makers, see this list:
http://www.cs.ru.nl/~bolke/DuitseKlar/oehlerlistOld.html
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-04-05 05:23
Chris,
Thank you for this technical clarification. This is only an example though of how tough it is to carry on with non-Boehms in a Boehm world.
Dear David,
It has been my experience that about half the unique timbre of the Oehler clarinets comes from the uniquely smaller mouthpieces and reeds that they use. If you are not getting a fair percentage of that capability I just wonder what your attraction is to using this fingering system?
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: donald
Date: 2014-04-07 05:38
Schwenk und Seggelke usually have a fair sample of instruments for sale "used", but at the moment don't seem to have much. In the past (and quite recently) their website has shown Yamaha and Wurlitzer pro instruments.
Steve Fox had an Amati Oehler System clarinet for sale 2nd hand on his website last time i looked.
dn
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