 The Ethnic Clarinet
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Author: Electrokate
Date: 2005-03-19 01:42
Hi,
I am new to the list, thought I would introduce myself...
My name is Kate Breimayer, I haven't seriously played clarinet for years but am getting back into it. I really want to play Greek clarinet but also Klezmer, Balkan, Arab, Turkish... you got a minor melody? Odd key? Bizarre time signature? I want to play it... preferably with a skilled dumbek and accordian player at my side. (: I played strange noise improv for a few years in Portland OR, irritating audiences for about 3 years until I gave that up. It was fun as an alternative to high school band, but it got old. Never had much interest in classical.
Recently bought a Vito plastic bass clarinet which is a lot of fun, have a Selmer Paris wood E flat alto from 1949 which is a real pain to play and I think I should get rid of it. All I have for a B-flat is an old Bundy with problems.
Hence my next question: are any of the cheapo clarinets on the market good? I think as I primarily want a specific sound that rather than getting a b-flat cheapo band instrument I maybe should look for a vintage albert system horn and fix it up. Opinions? I can repad and oil myself and have done really well on ebay so far...
If you want to see what is wrong with my Bundy aside from the fact that it is a Bundy check this out:
http://www.fotolog.net/electrokate/?pid=8632597
And my final question: anyone in Olympia playing anything even sort of like the music I want to study? I could use but can't afford a teacher, at least having some people to play with would be nice. Presently am playing to recorded music and my parrot. The parrot likes it, especially when I squeak.
Thanks to all of you for the great forum, I have really enjoyed all the excellent info and resources you provide. Finally decided to join in!
Thanks,
Kate
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2005-03-19 15:22
You probably already know about the East European Folk Life Center's camps. They're quite big on the west coast. http://www.eefc.org. some of the people associated with that may or may not be in the Portland area, I don't know. I think Margo Leverett once lived in Portland, but not now.
The Bundy -- was it a high school kid's marching band instrument, judging by the paint job?
Have you considered getting the parrot into your act?
Steve Epstein
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2005-03-19 15:23
Oh, you live in Olympia, now, not Portland. Well it's still the west coast.
Steve Epstein
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Author: Electrokate
Date: 2005-03-19 18:21
Actually I didn't know about the folklife camps, thank you. The only people I know around here doing anything similar is a couple who do traditional Lithuanian dances in Seattle, but they dance to recordings. Sort of socially isolated here (:
The bundy was my grade school instrument, I played it til the thumbrest couldn't be attached anymore as we kept tightening it and using bigger screws til the holes were ruined. Made a new thumbrest out of "cool melt" hot glu blobs shaped to my thumb and actually that works a lot better. Not something I would do to a fine instrument though. After it seemed unplayable I started gluing stuff to it, liked it again and repadded it. It plays most of the notes, one pad got too much glue on it and needs to be replaced. I had a good Selmer B-flat but traded it in for credit toward the alto which is very hard to play. Oops.
I used to live in Portland, would love to get back there.
The parrot refuses to cooperate. She sings in operatic tones but only major key melodies, and prefers when I squeak rather than play the notes as they are supposed to be heard. Parrots are fun, but not when you are trying to make a home recording.
Kate
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