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Re: Review rant

Author: antaresclar
Date: 2021-01-11 18:47

Mr. Liberson writes:

"What I have unfortunately seen here - and from some of my own students over the years - is their gut and rash reactions to a gushing (perhaps undeserved?) review. And, just as unfortunately, it often costs them big $$$. Perhaps if that desired added context was present in these reviews, some forethought might also be present before those so inclined would part with their money!"

I have seen the same thing over the years as well...A student turns up with a $20,000 set of clarinets with gold keys not having a single concept of what they consider a clarinet sound to be and/or why they should or should not spend that amount of (usually their parent's!) money.

This brings up the subject of adverting/marketing and our susceptibility to blindly follow it. Most "reviews" are simply advertising in disguise.

It is important to remember that all of the clarinet manufactures, reed companies, and especially private mouthpiece makers can not be in business without the amateur market. There are are not nearly enough professional clarinetists in the world to sustain the business of any of these companies. So the flowery descriptive terminology that these companies and reviews use gets professionals, who have a lifetime of knowledge, irritated by what they read. And I would say rightfully so. The amateur however is sucked in by these "reviews" or simply by the publicity. And of course in this era it is not just the amateur, we are all influenced by advertising and marketing.

A very well known clarinet maker realized many years ago that clarinetists, and most especially amateur clarinetists, care much more about how a clarinet looks then how it sounds. The rest is history....We are all paying much more for clarinets by every maker now because of this revelation...

GZ

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Review rant new

lmliberson

2021-01-02 20:23