 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Wayne
Date: 2001-06-26 06:01
This is a bit different.... My new job is work at home, with one 4-5 day trip per month. Great for practice while I'm home ! Can a clarinet be practiced while on the road ? Is there any kind of mute (homemade?) that allows for reasonable practice ?
I'd get a plastic horn (new) for when I travel - any suggestions on good, cheaper plastic horns would help. Hey, I like to play..... Thanks Everyone....
* I play on an old Buffet Evette that I really like alot !
WB
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2001-06-26 13:29
As far as mutes are concerned, there is no such thing for a clarinet for the simple reason that the sound from the clarinet emanates from the tone holes. And I suspect that stuffing something up the entire length of the instrument would not only be impractical, but affect the playability of the instrument.
I assume you are staying in a hotel while on the road. Hmmm...thin walls. But if you play during reasonable hours at volumes lower than one would play a TV, shouldn't be a problem.
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2001-06-26 13:51
Some one said a lot time ago that they went into churches while on the road to practice. If the music was right I think this would be a great idea. Look what happened to the "Little Drummer Boy" Make joyful noise to the Lord.
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Author: joevacc
Date: 2001-06-26 16:08
Practicing on the road is a real pain in the butt! When I first started taking my clarinet on the road I just let it rip! Not a good idea! I thought there was a drummer in the next room once but it was just a very disturbed guest! Having it on the road with me for a few years now, I have learned a very nice pianissimo. Sax players have a bag, Yamaha have a great electronic mute for brass with headphones but nothing yet for us red headed step children. If anyone invents something I will take two right away- one for the road and one for when the
children are sleeping! ;~) ;~) ;~)
Ciao for now,
-=[Joe Vacc]=-
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Author: Keil
Date: 2001-06-26 21:58
if you stay in a nice hotel where they have a ballroom you can ask explain to them your situation and i'm sure they'll be more than happy to let you use a ballroom that's away from guests rooms. The acoustics aren't the best but it's a quiet space where you won't bother anyone but the mice.
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Author: jerry
Date: 2001-06-27 00:53
"if you stay in a nice hotel where they have a ballroom...."
Hey! What an idea. You could put a hat outside the door and collect donations. Maybe a sign......"WILL PLAY FOR FOOD" or pay for the trip with,
"WILL STOP PLAYING IF THE DONATIONS ARE LARGE ENOUGH"
BG, try the latter in NO in order to make up for the last few bucks the trip will cost you. Gonna miss you guys there.
What fun this clarinetting..............
~ jerry
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Author: clarinet713
Date: 2001-06-27 02:21
has anyone ever done that? (played outside somewhere with a case open for $$) I've never seen a clarinet player do that before (just a flute). I would like to hear the stories!
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-06-27 04:37
I have never noticed a clarinetist as a street musician, but have seen many on flute, sax and trumpet. Many years ago there was a trombonist who would stand on the jettys (rock piles in the water) in Ocean City, NJ and play to the surf!
Atlantic City with its casinos and plentiful change laden visitors attracts enough street musicians that the government actually regulates them, limiting locations and hours! This began about 15 years ago after the city cited a severly disabled woman who was born without developed limbs. She played an electrionic keyboard with her tounge while lying on a gurney. It turned out she was making more than $100,000/ year doing this! Courts ruled that the city couldn't prevent her from performing, so... they began regulating it. Strange but true. The story had a tragic ending about 4 years ago, she was operating a motorized gurney on city streets, rigged to be operated with her mouth. There were no lights on the thing, and she was hit at night and fatally injured. I worked in AC at the time, and often had to avoid her while driving. Only in Atlantic City!
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Author: Suzanne
Date: 2001-06-27 05:29
I saw a clarinetist street musician in Wasserburg, a town in southern Germany. He played jazz. (I don't think he was making a lot of money, or Deutschmarks to be specific.)
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Author: jerry
Date: 2001-06-27 11:51
"Only in Atlantic City!"
Good story Jim. Who said that California was the only cereal state?
Sounds like a plan to me.
On to the street with my practicing -- very few will know the difference in my playing, right?.
Maybe I can drum up -- I mean blow up -- enough money to get a new CL.
~ jerry
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Author: Carl L
Date: 2001-06-27 23:40
Kiel's suggestion isn't so nutty! I've practiced my TUBA in many a motel/hotel ballroom/meeting room over the years. Just ask the front desk for permission. Explain you do this for a living, or are VERY serious about your playing. As far as practicing in your room, I find if I can check in early and get playing, say before 7:00 P.M., most people won't complain about the noise. I also ask for a room "away from others", and, of course, explain why.Often chains have empty rooms way in the back but they try to fill the front ones first. I've found they'll be glad to give you one of these rooms to avoid complaints....So...take your horn and practice, practice, practice!
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Author: clarinet_girl
Date: 2001-06-28 03:01
You could try to play outside on the street or something and make some money. I saw some people in Germany do it before and they made lots of money. They played classical music.
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-06-28 16:36
We had "The Clarinet Man" here in Burlington VT a few years ago. He was pretty bad, but the locals loved him. He moved to New Orleans to play on the streets there and died shortly thereafter.
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Author: Christoffer
Date: 2001-06-28 22:54
I just heard a clarinet playing street musician today here in Copenhagen. His playing wasn't too impressive, but the instrument was - it was clear (plastic, I guess) and with copper plated keys - and the performance as a whole was indeed; while playing, he was balancing three cocktail glasses and a wine bottle on top of each other on his nose.
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Author: John Gould
Date: 2001-06-29 18:52
While not a clarinet, I have found the Akai EWI 2000 (or the more recent models) is a fair subtitute. Same for the Yamaha WX series MIDI controllers. Both finger more like a sax or flute than a clarinet, but you can practice with headphones.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 2001-07-02 01:27
If where you travel has a decent sized college near the hotel, you could use their practice rooms, assuming you have transportation to get there. Many colleges leave practice rooms open till 11 or midnight. And sometimes all night.
Some say to put your student ID in the window, but rarely ever inforce it. And if someone questioned you, explaining the situation would probably clear with them.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-07-23 20:56
The agony of braces.
The ecstasy of playing in a good group.
The thrill of victory.
The agony of de-teeth.
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