 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2020-03-15 16:54
Hi All,
Many of you will be spending a lot more time at home in the next few weeks as schools, businesses, and other facility close. For those that are accustomed to leading a somewhat reclusive life, filling up the day is much easier. For others, this may be a new experience.
So, since we are all musicians of a sort, what are the musical things you plan to do during the coming period other than just practicing? I plan to sort through a whole lot of my various mouthpieces, play them, and decide which ones need to find a new home via the Clarinet BB For Sale section. This is not all that creative an idea but perhaps you have a better one to share.
Cheers,
Hank
PS Secretly, I wish I still had a bassoon and some good reeds so I could get my chops back in shape.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-03-15 17:04
Dear Hank: I'll set a few poems to music. When you live in a flat, you can ony practice so much. There's always the danger of driving the neighbors crazy or enraged. Paris-my town-has shut down completely. I'd never seen the cafés closed: the life-blood of the country!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2020-03-15 20:27
With all my performing groups on hold for a while this will be a good time to record the clarinet choir version of my arrangement of a suite of songs from Bernstein's Candide. I record each part with a click track using Reaper. Keeps me playing.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2020-03-15 23:47
I only practice at home for 10 months over winter anyway. But am real concerned that our summer season with the Westchester Band in NY may be cancelled. And, I'm due to be a soloist again this year.
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-03-16 00:42
I write on the Clarinet Bboard! Also drink that Corona Beer made in Mexico to kill the Corona Virus...Yes a bad joke. But so far I haven't gotten the virus!
Burp - dang beer might make you burp a bit!
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2020-03-16 00:43)
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2020-03-16 11:08
Practice, teach lessons online - probably nothing but online by the end of the week the way things are going - take breaks, practice more!
I committed myself to practice during all the time I'd otherwise be commuting to and attending rehearsals and concerts. I will be a noticeably better musician the next time my colleagues hear me!
Anders
Post Edited (2020-03-16 11:10)
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2020-03-16 15:12
Would it work to play together over skype conference calls? Alternatively could you record parts in each of your houses and edit them together to make videos in the same way that this guy does?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3wSbLa2uGg
For myself, I expect to soon be home educating my son, so I have bought the grades 1 - 3 practical musicianship book from ABRSM and the aural tests grade 4 & 5 to work with him.
I'm also collaborating with a huge group of scientists online to try to 3D print a ventilator, but that's a separate thing.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2020-03-16 15:46
Since I started this thread, I've been thinking through a lot of other possibilities for myself and have come up on a very good one. Several years ago, I purchased a copy of Finale which I use quite often for small musical tasks. However, I have never used the platform enough to become very proficient. So, I plan to first work though the tutorials and revisit some of my earlier efforts and see if my skill level have improved. Who knows what will result but it most likely will be useful.
If you do not have Finale or one of the other software packages, there might be a 30-day trial version that you could download and learn to use during this extended confinement.
HRL
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2020-03-16 16:00
I've been using Sibelius Ultimate for the last 18 months for my orchestra admin job. It's absolutely brilliant and I enjoyed it a lot. I have just given up my orchestra job and put the Sibelius Ultimate licence on ebay.co.uk at the education price if anyone wants it. (Sorry I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say stuff like that on here.)
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Author: Luuk ★2017
Date: 2020-03-16 16:51
Our band has postponed all rehearsals until (at least) 1st of April. Additionally, we have replanned our current project (La Traviata, planned for April) to September. Next project, Carmina Burana, planned for June, is uncertain.
So, my wife, who is a member of the same band, and myself have rediscovered our pile of clarinet duets!
Regards,
Luuk
Philips Symphonic Band
The Netherlands
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2020-03-16 18:01
I've started excavating my "Gunna" cupboard, which is full of clarinets in need of TLC. I'm just about to send off an order for huge quantities of pads. All of the musical groups and bands that I play with are in temporary suspension and all the gigs have dried up, so I've run out of excuses.
Tony F.
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Author: Clarineat
Date: 2020-03-23 19:55
I am the host of the Clarineat Podcast which now has over 130 episodes of conversations with clarinetists recorded. I'd highly suggest checking some of them out there are conversations with artists like Corrado Giuffredi, Martin Frost, Ricardo Morales, Stanley Drucker, and numerous others.
Podcast: https://www.clarineat.com/
Youtube Channel: https://bitly.com/clarineatyoutube
If you have any topic suggestions or guests I should interview let me know!
Thank you,
Sean Perrin
Host of the Clarineat Podcast
Listen FREE at www.clarineat.com
hello@clarineat.com
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Author: Late_returner
Date: 2020-03-24 14:47
If ye have tears to shed.....
Just before we went into house arrest for 3 months and counting i had a small eye operation, where the surgeon has asked that for the time being i do not play clarinet or sax to avoid pressures inside my head ( i think). Also not keen on hunching forward for piano keyboard.
So i am reduced to doing interval recognition etc from apps. Only so long enthusiasm for this can last.
Looking forward to being able to moan again about why my reeds let me down.
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Author: jim sclater
Date: 2020-03-25 19:18
Attachment: bagatelle duets.pdf (185k)
In the event that some of you have a partner with whom you can play duets in house, I'm attaching my Bagatelles, three short pieces that I wrote for my friend Wilbur Moreland.
Enjoy and stay safe!
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Author: clarimad
Date: 2020-03-25 23:31
I've now stopped looking for gigs! See attached photo.
Seriously though I'm restoring a pair of Cabart clarinets, both A and Bb and on a personal note practising and looking back into the rather challenging exercises at the end of my Otto Langey that I've had since being a teen and that was 50 years ago - it's good to refresh on old studies and learning.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2020-03-28 07:14
Anyone ever have a beer then kinda burp while practicing? You get an interesting note bend though not playing jazz. Sorry, just trying to stay on topic-- "Stay at Home Things to Do".
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: hans
Date: 2020-03-28 18:56
If anyone wants to make hand sanitizer, I see that the WHO is providing instructions.
Hans
Post Edited (2020-03-28 18:58)
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2020-03-29 17:26
I am pounding scales every day. This is not all that happy an endeavor; it went best last week after raking leaves for an hour. Without performance opportunities, this is as good as it gets. Like everyone else, all my concerts are cancelled. The program for our community orchestra's May concert contained "Pictures at an Exhibition", "Sorcerer's Apprentice", and our concerto competition winner. I feel sorry for that kid, but we plan to make every effort to work with him and get his performance in next year. Those two orchestra pieces are particularly difficult for me and are still in my daily practice regimen. This has been enough of a daily challenge so far, but probably in another week I will start looking at new things to work on.
Our congregational music director loaned me an arrangement book of liturgical music for 3 voices and keyboard, and I have them all setup now for wind trio fl/cl/bn. Not sure if they will ever get used, but it was good practice familiarizing myself with Noteflight. Now she tells me they are 2 more volumes, but this will have to wait at least a week. I have spent a lot of time in front of the computer with multiple ham radios going.
My wife is a flutist and retired school music teacher. Even she is running etudes a couple of times a day now. A couple of other teachers we know who don't generally have a lot of practice time are doing so now, as well as posting Facebook Live performances, some playing with their cute children.
Yesterday Mark Dover accompanied his wife Lotte on Facebook Live doing “Someone to Watch Over Me” and I can’t tell you how great it was to see them making music.
Post Edited (2020-03-29 17:30)
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Author: eac
Date: 2020-03-31 19:03
On a less productive note: my husband gave me a clarinet lamp as a joke a while back. The upper and lower joints didn't align correctly so I took it apart and figured I could learn something about key work so I took everything apart and maybe be even try putting on pads. Maybe this would be a good time to put it all back together......
Liz Leckey
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Author: hans
Date: 2020-04-07 03:49
I saw a comment elsewhere today about a program called Jamulus, that enables musicians to play together without meeting in person. Has anyone tried it?
Here is the URL: http://llcon.sourceforge.net/
Hans
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Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-04-07 16:58
Oh great! As I’ve been feeling unwell the last few days, I’ve decided to get a test. Here in Germany, that’s no issue, especially when you’re medical personel (dentist in my case). Unfortunately, that means 14 days in quarantine either way this plays out.
Anyways, there’s been enough to do. A Yamaha CS that looks really good arrived today. 2 weeks ago I received a Z series Selmer alto, which seems to mechanically identical to the modern designs and I’m done overhauling it (had a nasty crack in the upper joint, so I applied myself in bore repairs - see photos). Then there’s a friend’s Bundy Bass waiting to get a full oberhaul and I feel like I can finally sell my RC, it might be time for something new (that being the Yamaha CS, I hope). Oh, and a Kohlert Eb needs to find a new owner once I’ve repadded it, too.
While the alto and bass clarinet are something I’ve really grown accustomed to, I still got a lot to learn with eefers. Pesky altissimo fingerings! The Bundy eefer seems to be a perfect tool for the job (overhauled that a while ago, nickel plating can shine so neatly!) but at times it looks like I’ll never get a clean e,f,g‘‘‘...
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Author: John G.
Date: 2020-04-08 11:02
Since I also do saxophone, clarinet and flute repair, I'm able to start catching up with the backlog of horns awaiting my destruction. ;-)
When (more accurately "if") I get caught up with customer repairs, I hope to finally get around to overhauling the last Selmer RI I picked up about a year ago now. It's in exquisite shape but has I'd guess 30-40 yr old pads in it, so I'll give everything a good clean, lightly oil the outside and bore, then proceed to do a basic repad.
Playing-wise, like everyone else here, it's come to a complete halt, which to put it as kindly as I can.......sucks. I'm teaching about 7 of my private students via Skype or FaceTime and while it's going a good as can be expected, there's a definite learning curve for both student and teacher in using those formats.
I'm practicing more than I usually have time for, which is certainly a good thing and also finally getting around to transcribing some Artie Shaw Gramercy Five tunes that I've wanted to do for quite a while.
That pretty much sums it up!
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2020-04-08 18:52
Kalashnikirby , does dentistry as a profession make you really good at fixing clarinets too? I can imagine that it might be similar work. I hope you have the virus mildly, if that's what it is. I'm just getting over flu symptoms, but no tests here.
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Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-04-09 11:41
Haha, I wouldn't know. Sure, it's both tricky and you need to have an eye for the little details, but I can't compete with pro repairers. There are some parallels, like: You could spend dozens of hours with perfecting your technique with a certain material - for example, I've recently had to do a number of amalgam fillings (which really isn't the standard anymore) and figured that I needed to change quite a bit of my technique and processing time to get the best results. That was a rather steep learning curve, but I love getting all "technical" about a topic and try to find out what works well and what doesn't.
Anyways for me and some friends, the clarinet treatments I can offer seem to suffice
Also, the test came back negative. Phew!! SunnyDaze, where are you located? Tests are limited, even in Germany; the reason I was tested was being a medical professional for sure. I can get back to work after easter!
On another note: The Yamaha CS is in the works and I'm going to sell my RC.
If anyone cares, Hermes by Prestini (single) bladder pads SUCK. The instrument produced a strange, high pitched hissing when playing certain notes and I found the pads to be the reason for that; even though they seemed new and sealing well, their seat was a little "forced" and the bladders were way too loose Also, there wasn't more than a dab of shellac in the cups, which means the pads aren't supported.
Actually, that Selmer alto was supposed to overhauled, but had old bladder pads that needed replacing, too and despite being in a playable condition, their seal has gone bad. Both instruments (and a few more) got or will get leather pads; it has always seemed to me these last longer.
And that's pretty much the reason I do repairs myself: When you buy new instruments, especially Buffets, or "professionally overhauled" ones and you know you can do better, why not?
Post Edited (2020-04-09 11:52)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-04-09 13:58
Kalash: you're a dentist, so you're good with your hands. Who's better with his/her hands than a dentist?! Repairing a clarinet is probably a piece of cake compared with the work you do on people's teeth. PS: I agree that Prestini products are not very good (to put it politely). I feel bad about that, because Prestini is located in the part of the world I originally come from.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-04-09 17:49
Now you're really being too nice, ruben, I mean after all, you build clarinets? I certainly haven't gotten that far! I'm glad to take Inspiration from the great techs that post here!
So I suppose you're orignally from Italy? Or the US?
Fun read if you really got too much time on your hands (Prestini v. Pisoni during the 80s, when Pisoni apperently sold at an unfair low value)
https://books.google.de/books?id=u3DIGEN6nqcC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=prestini+pads&source=bl&ots=DmosQth3t0&sig=ACfU3U3UHAGxwYkzfXj01fvSaKf2sONClg&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwix5sTcudvoAhVHCuwKHWrcDps4ChDoATAAegUIDBCDAg#v=onepage&q=prestini%20pads&f=false
Prestini's Kangaroo pads are also crap though.
I've finally decided to let my RC go. The better register changes on the CS, like you need them in the 2nd movement of the Saint-Saens sonata were the final nail to the RC's coffin. Wow, surprising given the Yamaha cost me 600€ and is probably >20 years old!
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Author: Clarineat
Date: 2020-04-09 23:18
Hey everyone! I hope you are doing ok during this time. I wanted to update with a couple things I have on the go if you're still looking for things to do:
First of all, I've been doing some free live lessons for beginners on my YouTube Channel as often as time permits. I invite your students to watch and submit questions. I currently have over 122 people following along with my Scale Tracker worksheet. Subscribe to be notified when I go live at https://www.youtube.com/clarineat
Secondly, I work for Backun and they just released a free fingering chat eBook for download. It will help improve the sound and intonation of throat tones. Watch for more volumes in the coming weeks.
You can get it here: https://backunmusical.com/pages/alternate-fingerings-volume-1
Stay safe everyone!
Sean Perrin
Host of the Clarineat Podcast
Listen FREE at www.clarineat.com
hello@clarineat.com
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2020-04-11 02:52
Kalashnikirby I'm glad it was negative. That's great. I wish I could get a test too. I'm in the UK.
Clarineat I got that ebook too. It seemed like a great idea but the fingerings look hard. I think I will need to work up to those. :-) Looking forward to the next one. I love it when people take the time to write this stuff down so we can all have a chance to learn.
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Author: LGS316217
Date: 2020-04-11 23:12
It's maintenance time. Got several bores to oil, check screws and springs for anything loose, check for leaks, clean mouthpieces.
Amy Paul
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