The Clarinet BBoard

Hmm... getting a nice Tax Refund

Author: Ben Shaffer  Date:   2015-02-22 22:18 Well, I'm getting a pretty nice Tax Refund this year. I could discreetly buy a new Ridenour Lyrique 576BC... Interestingly the amount to be refunded is the same as the amount needed for such a purchase.... I wonder if I should take that as a sign ? I've got a Blackwood Normandy 4 and have a nice MP, ligature and Van Doren Reeds and you know it sounds pretty nice, no complaints. So my question is... would the Lyrique sound that much better and play that much easier or would I get Lyrique and realize it sounds and plays no better than the Normandy? :( I do like the idea of not having to worry about cracks and as I understand it, the Lyrique weighs less than most Blackwood Horns Just thinkin..... Post Edited (2015-02-22 22:21)

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Re: Hmm... getting a nice Tax Refund

Author: WhitePlainsDave  Date:   2015-02-23 00:31 Ben I won't condone the clandestine purchase of something others might have rightful say (e.g. a spouse) to a vote on. Instead let me talk gear. I have limited experience with the brand of clarinet you currently own, and don't know its state of repair, so its difficult for me to compare a new Ridenour clarinet to yours. What I can do is comment on the Ridenour, and talk about sound. Ben, (sigh) as you probably know, sound comes from within. Things like mouthpieces can certainly modify that sound somewhat, and I won't kid you, if your existing clarinet's on its last legs..yes, a new Ridenour will sound better, or perhaps I should better say, a new Ridenour will "work," ergo it will sound better. If you want to include intonation as a part of sound, Tom Ridenour has done great work getting his clarinets to approach and maintain proper tune when proper embouchure is applied to them. Their hard rubber construction not only, as you mention, takes cracks "off the table," but the instrument is less affected by the ambient weather conditions than would be one made of wood, helping it remain in tune. I'd like to say that, and by no means do I mean this as a criticism, Ridenour clarinet's "fight back." A Ridenour clarinet will "tell" you, "this is how much air I take buddy, blowing harder won't change things." This is how Tom Ridenour designs clarinets, and thinks they should be made: with an ability to hold pitch, shape and color in focus. The late and great Harold Wright talked of clarinet's "blowing out." It's somewhat of a nebulous term we've all come to share some common agreement on what it is, all while developing our own spins on it, I think. To my mind I think it describes a clarinet that just offers too little resistance as a result of too many years of play. Well long story short, I believe if Wright sat in front of a Ridenour and played, if nothing else, he'd say, "now this 'horn' is definitely not blown out." (Yes purists, a clarinet's not a horn...but you see those weren't my words, just my "character's" words ) If Tom's reading this I also suspect that prior sentiment just made him proud, given Tom's respect for Buddy Wright. Ben, you really can have your cake on eat it too. You can buy on trial and work out financing with Ted. I, and others as well,. could talk until we were blue in the face about its characteristics, but only you can determine if it fits you. Ignore all naysayers who say hard rubber clarinets don't sound as nice as wood. It's nonsense. Good luck. Oh, and you know what makes a clarinet sound really great?...a smiling spouse at the listening end of it who knows you bought the instrument with their okay. That may not be your situation...just sayin. (no affiliation with Ridenour, no tendency (I don't think) to support something just because I own it: I've bought my share of junk.) Post Edited (2015-02-23 01:05)

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