Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-06-29 05:03
As my ageing ears gradually lose more of their high frequency reception, I find I'm spending much more time with the "Alto" and less with the soprano. My favorites are the "swan-neck" Leblancs, the near-identical Noblet 55 with the "slightly bent" neck, and a Linton (Malerne?) also with a straighter neck. Have a couple Kohlerts awaiting restoration, an Italian 'Chaminade' that plays fairly well,but have'nt found a french Selmer to try yet.
The Leblanc/Noblet horns have "plateau style" rings that suit smaller hands better than the other makes, that have more "open" rings, and a wider finger spacing.
The weight of the alto makes it possible to play without a neck strap for a short time at least, unlike a bass clarinet, and the 'wind' required is little more than a soprano. Seems like only half the 'wind' thats required to play a bass. An alto is a little harder to repad/adjust than a soprano, I suspect thats why so many don't play well. As others have noted, most 'school surplus' horns are likely to need a lot of TLC to be playable.
Clark G. Sherwood
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