Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-11 11:03
It's not only about resonance fingerings, it's about fluid technique which is hindered by having to play intervals with G and G# and upper register notes where keeping the necessary RH fingers (1, 2 and 3) down will make things much smoother. Like conservatoire system oboes, some careful finger co-ordination is paramount to avoid any accidental grace notes or blips.
On Mazzeos, throat A can be played just by putting any of RH fingers 1, 2 and 3 down as that opens the side Bb vent on the top joint to give an A on its own (as you can do an open G-A trill on a standard Boehm system clarinet).
The other problem with Mazzeo system is it was only fitted to Bb and A clarinets, so if you're accustomed to using Mazzeo fingerings, you'll be at a disadvantage if you had to play Eb or bass clarinet as they weren't available in Mazzeo form unless they were converted. So if you didn't have the means to have keywork alterations done, your playing if you were solely a Mazzeo system player was restricted to Bb and A clarinets.
Rosario Mazzeo had other pitch soprano clarinets with his mechanism fitted to - even a Buffet or two from what I gather, but Selmer who were the only company to offer it only offered plastic Bundy, wooden Signet and a few Selmer Paris Bb and A clarinets in both basic and full Mazzeo system (full Boehms with Mazzeo system had in addition to full Boehm keywoek a LH low Eb lever, articulated F#/C# and the Ab/Eb-C#/G# link). But no other pitche clarinets apart from Bb and A were offered going by their catalogue from the '70s.
If the system was more widespread and other makers offered Mazzeo system clarinets (if they were granted the rights to do so), then they'd still be made to this day. Like full Boehms and other extra gadgets that were more popular in the 20th Century, they've mostly been phased out over time as companies have streamlined their manufacturing process and most only offer the LH Ab/Eb key as an extra and some mechanisms borrowed from Oehler systems to bring the flat low E and F up to pitch (either manually or automatically).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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