Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-01-03 22:37
Here's the issue. These are not "counterfeits" in that they do not claim to be some better brand. They are not technically "rip offs" in that they are not really over charging for them. One should realize that the complexity required out of the fabrication of a musical instrument would require some expense.
My chief complaint is that there may be students that move on to "other things" out of frustration with equipment that ultimately CANNOT function properly to begin with and most certainly will not perform even to its own precarious standards for any reasonable length of time.
I once worked on a budget horn of this ilk (I do not recall a brand name). The first problem was that the spring material was of poor quality and would not "hold" a decent opposing force. Many of them had to be "overly tight" or they would not "spring" at all. One flat spring broke as I slightly changed its shape and I had to replace it with a normal blue steel spring.
Then there is the pressure placed posts (referred to in the video). They can easily come loose, causing spring tension issues to get worse but also causing key and axle binding issues.
Yes, our hapless hero (Michael Lowenstern) can get a cheap clarinet to sound ok for a few minutes.......but that is about the maximum performance one could ever expect. It is NOT a less expensive option to a decent student horn (if that is what one can afford).
I hope that I don't come off as some sort of elitist. Clearly any specialized activity (sports, the arts, sciences) require commitment of time, effort and expense. It is up to parents to do their due diligence researching all that is required to launch into learning music (to include the cost and time of private instruction). I am sympathetic to parents who have a child starting their fourth (for example) extracurricular activity after brief, unsuccessful attempts at three others. But nothing ensures failure faster than coming into something below the minimum required effort.
This was the opposite of a sophomoric video. Sorry. I'm not looking to make advertising dollars off "hits" and "likes."
.................Paul Aviles
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The Clarinet BBoard
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