 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2025-03-11 19:14
With age comes, so they say, wisdom. Unfortunately it often brings with it arthritis. Due to some spectacularly stupid moments in my younger days I managed to extensively damage my hands and fingers, and now the inevitable onset of osteo-arthritis is seriously limiting my ability to play.
To some extent I've overcome this by switching to a plateau clarinet and a Ton Kooiman thumb rest, but the mass of the instrument is still a major part of the problem. Examining a clarinet, there is a lot of material that actually appears to do nothing except to provide a tube on which to hang keys.
My question is, how much of this material is actually necessary, and would its removal affect the sound produced? Using CNC machining it should be possible to remove quite a lot of the body structure without affecting the functionality of the instrument, but what would the resulting sound be?
Does anybody know of any work that has been done in this direction? I'd be very interested to read it. If it can be done it will probably not benefit me as I'm way past my use-by date, but it might be of use to players who have yet to feel the twinges to come.
Tony F.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2025-03-11 20:36
Before going to such an extreme, have you considered getting a neck strap?
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren BD5 HD 13-series mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren #4 Blue-box reeds
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Author: ruben
Date: 2025-03-12 00:17
The keys don't actually weigh very much. It's the wood. I agree that a good neckstrap is the solution; or holding the instrument on or between your knees. Buffet made an ultra-light clarinet called l'Elite. It wasn't all that well in tune, but was a very interesting instrument. There are a few knocking around on used instrument sites.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2025-03-12 02:31
There are also a few attempts at a mostly carbon fiber body that is said to be much lighter. Also there are some 3D printed horns from Pereira 3D that would be much lighter as well.
However for those with physical limitations, I prefer the idea of some form of support: strap, peg, music stand hook.
..........Paul Aviles
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2025-03-12 04:04
I think of the metal clarinets in shape - fairly streamlined for weight reduction if a lighter material could be used. I always think they look like clarinet skeletons.
Surely some other material could be used. Back in 2013 or 2014 I was in San Diego and a gentleman approached me with a plastic clarinet a friend of his was hoping to market.
It sounded like a clarinet and was very light in weight. I didn't play it, but I would think someone must still be out there improving on such things?
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
[Edit: Clarification...the type of plastic I'm talking about is more akin to the pBone trombone than an ABS Plastic clarinet]
Post Edited (2025-03-12 08:06)
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