 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-13 00:03
Over the years I’ve used several types of barrels. First of course I used the standard Buffet barrels that came with the horns. Then I used a custom Buffet barrel by Murray Snyder, old timers may remember him, then I used the Moennig Barrels, then a Rovner experimental barrel with a rectangular bore, don’t laugh, it played very well and I used it on both my Bb and A for about five years. It never went into production though. Then I went to the Chadash-Buffet barrels, his reversed bore barrel and a custom barrel for my A clarinet and finally ended up with the Backun barrels on all my instruments, Buffets and my Selmer after trying out several for each. I’ve tried some others over time but rejected them for any number of reasons. Recently Allan Segal, he advertises on our Bboard, asked me to try some of his. Well I’m here to tell you that I’m impressed. He has now sent me three to try for my Selmer Signature Bb. They are all crafted beautifully and all three played consistently well. The intonation and smoothness over the throat tones and break as well as the altissimo register are at least as good as my Backun and in some ways perhaps even a tiny bit better. I am keeping one of them and will probably switch off with my Backun depending on the reed I’m using. The Backun plays a little bit darker with a slightly freer reed and the Segal feels slightly better with a little more resistant reed but they are oh so close. I have a feeling that after a while I may use the Segal barrel exclusively on my Selmer, only time will tell. Hard to believe he is a retired medical doctor. He does beautiful work, but so does Backun. If you're looking for a new barrel I'd certainly recommend that you at least try a few Segals.
ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2011-01-13 12:12)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-01-13 10:11
Yes, I second the Segal barrels whole heartedly (using a ringless 'fatboy' version on my CSGs). There seems to be something intoxicating about the extra vibrations one gets with ringless barrels, and Dr. Segal brings the addition of some truly great craftsmanship.
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2011-01-13 12:49
hmmm I've heard people sometime use different mouthpieces to fit different reeds but not two different style of barrels to fit different reeds.
Next it might be the Buffet R-13 for some reeds and the Selmer Signature for others.
Sorry I just don't get it.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2011-01-13 13:38
Thanks for the kind words.
Iceland, things can get wierd: This weekend I am resorting to a stock barrel to do the Moz. clarinet quintet at a coaching session with a local advanced amateur (primarily) string group. I feel like "the cobbler's shoes" situation.--they have holes in them Alas, I have none of my own A-barrels to use myself. Go figure.
And now to --once again--shovel snow. Sigh.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2011-01-13 15:40
I use Ridenour 'fat' ebonite barrels most of the time and they 'seem' to darken the tone a little but mostly I use them because they look nice. My own opinion of barrels is that they are the short bits at the top end of the Clarinet that you pull out or push in for tuning.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-13 17:49
Ice, there have been many things in the past that you didn't get so I'm not surprised about what I wrote. Though I must admit you've been a lot more understanding this past year, good for you. I'll try to explain it. Changing mouthpieces for different reeds to me is an extreme, I fit all my reeds to play on one mouthpiece because that's what's most comfortable for me. If this case, once my reeds are broken in and playing well one might be just a tad bright, or dark or covered or whatever than I would consider to be "perfect" yet it's as good as I can get it, why not try a different barrel? A reed may be good enough to play anywhere as it is but if changing the barrel to one that I like equally as well and am equally comfortable with yet makes my tone just a tiny bit more to my liking without chancing ruining the reed why not? It's about the simplest switch I can think of. I used to do that with ligatures but found it unsatisfactory after a while, I've never used more that one mouthpiece at a time, that's me, so changing the barrel to achieve my goal to be a tad more perfect, it's a no brainer. As I said, after a while I may stop doing that finding it impractical but for the time being, why not, I love them both. ESP
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2011-01-13 18:13
Ed, you'd probably know as well as anyone would, how much (if any) truth there is to Genussa's reputation of refacing mouthpieces, sometimes on the stage during a rehearsal, to suit the reed he was playing. I've heard this from lots of people, some of whom knew him, I think, during his heyday in the Baltimore SO or later in the Reading Symphony. I think you must have played with him. Did he really do this?
(Sorry for the tangent - not really what you first posted about, but certainly related.)
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-13 20:08
Hi Carl, yes I played with him as our principal for about four years. He didn't actually reface his mouthpiece, I never saw or heard about him doing that, but he did open the bore at times gradually with sandpaper on a bore tool. One time he had to go the Hans Moennig to get the bore shrunk back. He was quit a character but had a beautiful tone. There are a million stories, I could write a book. ESP
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-01-13 22:05
Ed -
Iggy said that one day he was playing particularly well and asked a student to bring in a cassette recorder. He used to hand out copies (I have one), on which he played nearly every big clarinet solo passage, segueing from one to another without pause. On the second side there was a Debussy Rhapsodie and a couple of other solos, ending with an aircheck of the solo from Fingal's Cave, which is the finest playing I've ever heard.
What a pity that he made no commercial recordings.
If you have a list of records with him as principal, I'd like to know.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-13 23:18
Ken, any BSO recording prior to 1967 is Iggy playing but none of those have been transferred to CDs. Another story, I was playing second to him and at the end of the concert he didn't swab or take off his reed or anything. I said Iggy, aren't you going to swab, his reply, I'm paraphrasing, Everything sounded great tonight, all the molecules were just right so I don't want to change a thing. Yet he was a beautiful player, just a little weird. So I guess having two barrels is not too bad heh? ESP
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-01-14 04:55
I got to study with him for a number of years. One time at a lesson he couldn't find a decent reed. He was so upset. I never saw him act so sad. He had me run over to Ted's Music, behind Peabody, and get a few boxes. It didn't help. It was one of those nasty days, weather wise, when nothing works. He said he was feeling sick because of the reed situation and went home to York, PA. He was a very emotional person and played that way; a lot of emotion in his playing.
Ed, I wish I had the chance to sit next to him in the BSO. Must have been fun! You should write a book about him!
I have his mouthpiece from the BSO days. It is a Ched and he broke the tip. I was able to mold on a tip for measurement purposes. It's an interesting mouthpiece. It is shorter then your standard MP's with a weird bore.
He had 2 reamers for the bores of the MP's. These reamers actually helped play the throat tones in tune. I had a machinist copy them for me. I was kind of lucky. Gennusa wasn't known to give out his tools and information.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2011-01-14 05:01)
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