 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DGRichmond
Date: 2015-03-19 07:02
I should start with saying that it has been many years since I last picked up a clarinet. Due to illness and numerous surgeries, I had to give up the instrument, and I switched primaries to piano to continue in music, selling my clarinets and mouthpieces to fund the cost of a piano.
It is now believed that I will be able to pick up the instrument once again without any damage to myself, but it's been such a long time that I don't really know where to start. I don't have a mouthpiece to pick a clarinet with, or a clarinet to assess different mouthpieces.
So I suppose the question is, where do I start? What has changed, if much, across instruments since 2007? And where do I go from here?
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-19 16:03
Before delving into such protocols, let me first express a hope and belief that those who believe it not only possible, but safe for you to try taking a stab at clarinet play again are board certified physicians who specialize in not only your conditions, but in the body systems used to play clarinet (e.g. Pulmonologist, Hand Surgeon, Internist, Otolaryngology.)
Since I am unaware of the specifics of your medical setbacks, it's hard for me to talk about exercises you might practice to regain proficiency, so instead I'll approach this from a hardware and study book centered approach.
First off, renting an instrument--better--borrowing one if you can might be wise initially. It's hard to judge whether your efforts at reintroducing the instrument will be successful, and at what cost (including exhaustion or discomfort.) I might go with a student mouthpiece that's relative easy to blow on, in addition to light strength [inexpensive] reeds initially, especially if you've faced dental or pulmonary setbacks.
And while it doesn't seem like you would have lost much ability to read treble clef, given your time at the piano while away from the clarinet, I might still suggest that you acquire some beginner's clarinet study guides first to gauge where you initially stand on the continium that describes your level of proficiency having returned to the instrument.
Other posters may have additional suggestions, and I suspect we'd all have more specific answers should you wish to share further relevant medical information about the obstacles you've faced, and the extent to which, if at all, you've been able to recouperate from them.
Good luck!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-03-19 16:55
DGRichmond wrote:
> So I suppose the question is, where do I start? What has
> changed, if much, across instruments since 2007? And where do I
> go from here?
It isn't so long a time since 2007. Nothing has changed enough to be really significant. One possibility would be to start with whatever you had and sold when you stopped playing clarinet. You didn't say what instrument and mouthpiece those were, but they'd be a familiar, safe starting point.
Not the only approach to take, but maybe a reasonable one.
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-19 16:56
Yeah, I agree with the rental idea. Get yourself back in shape with a decent mouthpiece (perhaps Vandoren 5RV Lyre, or M13) and some decent reeds (you may want to start a strength less than where you were "back in the day").
Once you get your 'chops' back in shape (maybe 3 to 6 months), you can think about investing in a horn (and how significant an investment that will be).
..........Paul Aviles
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Author: AAAClarinet
Date: 2015-03-19 17:50
I too had to stop playing due to medical issues. In the middle of getting a degree in oboe performance without warning I was suddenly unable to play any wind instrument, due to an issue with my throat that lasted 6 years.I am able to play again with only minor problems. I truly hope that everything works out for you.
AAAClarinet
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Author: DGRichmond
Date: 2015-03-19 20:34
They are board certified physicians with the University of Chicago, where I receive most of my medical care. The condition I suffer from [and which is still present, though far more under control than it used to be, thanks to new medicines] is Crohn's Disease. I had reconstructive surgeries at the area of the small intestine, and they also took out my appendix, part of the colon, and later due to unrelated infections, surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids, though that was less of an issue than regaining the ability to breathe on my own, and general concerns of weakness at the surgical site due to the pressure needed to play clarinet [and bass clarinet, which was my go-to instrument at the time, I could never afford one right now]. As time has gone on, that area has strengthened. I get exploratory surgeries to check the status of my condition yearly, and while on this new medicine, vedolizumab, it seems to have tapered off to a point where they feel comfortable letting me return to the instrument.
What I used at the time gear wise was an R13 Vintage in B-flat and A, and a 1193-2 bass clarinet. For the soprano clarinets, I had a Muncy barrel, a Kaspar style mouthpiece with a close tip made by Walter Grabner, a Chedeville style 1+ made by Gregory Smith, an Olegature, and a Kaspar ligature correspondingly for the two mouthpieces that seemed to pair well with them. The reed strength I used on both mouthpieces were Vandoren 4s.
Where I live and go to school [I'm currently in my MM in Composition], there aren't any horns for rental [one of my friends works in the repair shop] that aren't already used by either instrument tech classes for Music Ed, or by the music ed majors playing a secondary instrument for degree requirements. Is there a good place to rent a horn from that will ship out to nowhere? Would the 5RV or the M13 be a better place to start as a mouthpiece?
Thank you so much for all the help!
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-03-19 20:50
From your last post, it seems to me that a clarinet and mouthpiece setup requiring minimal air support is what you'd need to gently ease back into playing. Is this correct?
Post Edited (2015-03-19 20:53)
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Author: DGRichmond
Date: 2015-03-19 21:32
Yeah, that's probably the case, though if I can get away with it, I'd like to stay towards a darker sound.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-03-19 22:07
For a new clarinet, take a look at the Ridenour Lyrique RCP-576BC for a less fussy, easy to play instrument with good intonation and darker sound. Bargain priced.
I've seen the Backun Alpha clarinet advertised at a really remarkable price lately ...
Ditto on 5RV-lyre or M13 or maybe at 1/3 the cost, try a Fobes Debut. A good selected Hite Premier is nice (and cheaper than the Fobes) The Ridenour RE-10 is very good also, and you can get a discount if bought with the clarinet.
You might also consider trying the Legere Classic cut reeds. If you are out of shape, a 2.5 to 2.75 with the Fobes will work. The 5RV-lyre has more resistance, but might still work with 2.5 to 2.75 to start out ...
I have a couple of old Selmer Signets Specials that cost me less than $150.00 each, and they play pretty well after I fixed them up. One of them came with a Selmer C85/115 mouthpiece!
Lots of nice horns for a nice price ... and you can upgrade later ...
Keep going!
Tom
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-20 06:38
I'm glad your having positive results with vedolizumab, not to mention good insurance that covers this relative new med that probably hasn't gone generic.
Have you been working with a Incentive Spirometer to work up lung capacity? If so, do you mind sharing how high you can make the device go?
Might a device like the Wind-O, https://www.thewind-o.com/, ONLY WITH MD PREAPPROVAL, help you build capacity?
And although I don't wish you to share 1 scintila of information more than your comfortable sharing, are you also facing mouthsores not uncommon to Chron's patients?
While I am normally a huge Ridenour clarinet supporter, oddly enough it is the paradox of the quality of their instruments that actually causes me concern here.
To wit: Ridenours IMHO aren't the easiest of clarinets to blow. (They hold pitch and shape: do see this as a feature.) I am concerned that you might fair better with an easier blowing instrument.
The yearly exploratories...are we looking at evasive procedures each year that will set you back pulmonarily speaking, or are they, shall I say, to be politically correct, more consistent with a colonoscopy's methods of body entrance? I'm sorry, but it's relevant to know what you may be up against going forward, that may affect clarinet play.
I'd try a M15 like mouthpiece with no more than strength 3 reeds.
Can you afford the rental? Can you get into Chicago?
Whatever instrument you get, play crazy attention to its hygiene, especially if you are on immunosuppressants and/or corticosteroids, both entirely inconsistent as you may know with treating flair ups.
This is key for any immune system disorder like Chrons, but especially while on either class of the aforementioned meds, and while being treated with vedolizumab.
(Disclaimer: not a physician, wife is, having done residency at Sinai in NY, a huge gastro school where disease was first catalogued in US.)
Stay healthy Daniel. Do not share instruments with others.
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Author: DGRichmond
Date: 2015-03-20 07:16
Good insurance has always been a must for me, and I'm very fortunate, because vedolizumab was only approved this past August, and its cost reflects that characteristic.
I did work with an incentive spirometer that went up to 1200 and I was able to max it out.
I've never heard of the Wind-O, and would have to consult with my gastroenterologist for his opinion, as he coordinates my case. I can get into Chicago, though I'm out at Western Illinois University, so it's a 5 hour drive each way when I need to head that way.
No mouthsores for me, fortunately, and I have never been prone to getting them. The procedures are less destructive as well, fortunately, with it being a matching pair of colonoscopy and gastroendoscopy on an annual basis [not that I couldn't do without that prep!].
My budget as I've set aside [including tax] is 7000 dollars. I do take ciprofloxacin, and I acknowledge it would be dangerous for me to share a mouthpiece I've used with anybody else without it being thoroughly cleaned because the drug does excrete through the lips and can harm someone who does not tolerate the medicine.
Ursa, I'm e-mailing you back now.
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-20 17:25
Daniel:
It is thoughtful of you to consider others given your ciprofloxacin use. But frankly, I am more concerned with you catching illness from others here.
I'm also glad your doing well with the incentive spirometer with 2 caveats:
* devices that go up to 1200 units are by no means the largest ones available, and
* the device tests your ability to take IN air, more than expel it. Granted, both are critical to clarinet play.
Are you cleared by your doctor to do things like blow up balloons or engage in aerobic activity? If so, do such actions cause you discomfort [still]?
While I am still in the camp that says you should try before you buy, I am also appreciative of the difficulty you may have renting an instrument outside of a more [sub]urban setting/population center, and your need to have a setup that is not shared by others.
Perhaps, given their trial policy, a Ridenour clarinet might be worth trying. Does your $7K budget include desire for an "A" clarinet in addition to a "Bb?"
Daniel, while I bear no fudiciary relationship with any of these products and vendors, for you, as a Chron's sufferer, "meticulous hygiene is your friend." It can not only help to minimize bowel flairups, but keep you from common colds and flus.
Further, I am not a supporter of the Reedjuvinante System as it regards any claims it makes to improvement of reeds or their longevity. But in your case, the sterility model upon which its based makes me interested in the product for immunicompromised clarinet players like you. (Please do not see this as disparaging. I simply seek to recognize and work around your Chron's obstacles.)
The canless air device might allow you to vacate your instrument of nearly all moisture after play. "Dry is clean, and clean is good" in your situtation.
http://shop.weinermusic.com/STERISOL-GERMICIDE-READY-TO-USE-8-OZ-SPRAY/productinfo/SGC8SPR/
http://reedjuvinate.com/
http://www.canlessair.com/
Yes, the prep for the minimally evasive oral and anal camera drops are, quite literally a pain in the rear, and require an at least 48 hour downtime, but themselves are unlikely to negatively affect clarinet play once the sedation leaves your system hours later.
Daniel: beyond clarinet play, and as you've probably already been advised, doing everything humanly possible to avoid exposure to opportunistic infection is absolutely critical. Cipro[floxacin], as you probably know, is often a drug of last choice when the more common stuff doesn't work, given the propensity for first line doctors to overprescribe it, and the more common stuff to patients with infections that will heal on their own [but who feel they need to walk out of the doctor's office with "script."] Resistance to Cipro's positive attributes can easily develop in patience being treated with it, as I suspect you know.
Stay healthy, so the biggest questions you'll need to come to the bboard with are alternative fingers!!!
Best of wishes.
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2015-03-20 18:53
You might want to contact a community band in your vicinity as it will have clarinet players who may have spare clarinets you can borrow or buy, and who will have information about clarinet teachers in your area.
http://www.community-music.info/groups.shtml may point you toward the right group.
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Author: DGRichmond
Date: 2015-04-03 12:49
Sorry about the delay between replies, but with the end of the break, the amount of online time has gone way down in favor of my classwork.
In the interest of thoroughness, I checked out an incentive spirometer that went up to 4000 and maxed it out as well. I am cleared to blow up balloons, go running, though after a mile or so of running, there is slight pain in the side. That could just be me being out of shape, though.
As far as opportunistic infections go, I agree that they are crucial to avoid. They are also a huge danger, as the hygiene of the average college student is mediocre at best, and many students show up ill.
Unfortunately, there isn't a community band here (the school University Band plays for the community) but I do have access to an excellent teacher in the area.
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