Dan Higgins Tearing It Up
If you don’t know who Dan Higgins is, then now is time to get acquainted with him. You have probably heard him before….on movies, soundtracks, everywhere. He’s like the 1st on call guy in LA.
Andy Firth Plays Sing Sing Sing
Great jazz clarinetist from the land down under!
H.N.White “Silver King” clarinet
I am not a clarinet player, but have acquired a Silver King clarinet.. mid 40s vintage with a sterling silver bell. I am told that these were thought to be good jazz instruments. I intend to sell this or trade for a good trumpet, but need to know more about it, what type music it is good for and how much it’s worth. It seems to be in very good to excellent condition. Thanks.
Micing Clarinet for Live Applications
I am playing in a duo here in SE Asia, accompanying an acoustic guitar player, playing through some pop and blues tunes. When I’m not playing clarinet, I am picking up the bass guitar or playing the cajon. I would really like to do my clarinet justice, but the sound is currently only ‘acceptable.’
I now have an AKG dynamic mic (the little one with the adjustable gooseneck ) clamped onto the bell, and a Shure SM58 around the middle pointing toward the tone holes in front. I also have a Shure Beta 98, but lacking phantom power, will have to wait until I get a pre-amp.
Any stories of applications that have worked for you in the past would be great!
Crystal Mouthpieces and Reed Strengths
So I am currently trying out two new mouthpieces – an M13 Lyre and a Ruby (medium) Pomarico crystal. The M13 has amazing response, but it doesn’t sound very different from my old 4C Yamaha. The crystal sounds a lot more distinct, but the problem is that it’s so closed, and it’s not even the most closed model they offer. I use 3-1/2 to 4 size reeds, and I think that that’s the reason. I’ve heard crystal requires a lot more softer reeds to play on; I’m coming to you guys for advice. Would a softer reed ruin my tone and/or my embouchure?
Bare in mind, I play about the same amount of jazz and classical/concert.
Fox Clarinets
Theres a company building clarinets after suggestions of the famous physicist and clarinet player Benade who modified the common polycylindric bore to get perfect intonation. Stephen Fox uses Boehm keay with 2 modifications. Here is the link.
Anybody out there ever played these clarinets. Whats your experience?
While that sounds interesting, I know of no one playing them. Or even have heard of them before this post. Kind of like Jim Schmidt and what he does with instruments. They look and sound kinda cool….but…..who plays them?
Finger Tension
“Hi everyone. I’m new to the site. I played clarinet in high school but gave it up after college. It’s not 15 years down the pike and I picked it up again to study seriously about 6 months ago. I was classically trained but I’m learning jazz.
Anyway, I have always been plagued by bad finger tension, especially in my right hand. It really impedes my technical ability. My right hand becomes almost like a rigid claw in just a few minutes of scale workouts. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to maintain a more relaxed posture/fingers when playing?”
You might consider stretching exercises for your fingers, and maybe getting one of those grip master things as well. Fingers have muscles, and the muscles need stretching and stuff. And frequent breaks. And doing something other than “assuming the position”. Ask pianists. Or guitarists. There are lots of things on the net too. But, I’d start with trying to stretch the fingers first, and your wrists.
Old Clarinet
I was wondering if someone could tell me what clarinet i have. I’ve been trying to figure out what kind it is for the past five years. Been playing for 12 years. My grandfather passed it down to me a year before he passed away when i was 10. Information on the instrument that i can tell you, its a selmer and has NO serial # on it anywhere!! I know he bought it in paris before WWII, sometime in the early 30′s. This really interests me as he was a very proficient player and used to have a band that actually played a couple times on the tonight show!! My grandmother knows nothing about it, so hopefully there is someone out there who can help me identify it. I can send pictures of it and the only symbol, the selmer one, which is on the bell. Thank you
Albert System Clarinets
Does anyone use an albert system clarinet for jazz? I’ve already talked with a couple of players who swear by them. (And, moreover, I was impressed by the projection without a mic over a crowded dance floor.) It’s pretty easy to find a cheap fixer-upper on ebay, so I’ve been thinking about taking the plunge. Any thoughts?
Why Do my Posts never go up?
“Can anyone explain to me how the “pending” thing for posts works? I can never get a post up.”
E – Basically, I need to approve them. And your “posts” were kind of either already answered in previous articles (ie: is the E11 good to learn on…..any clarinet is good to learn on), or is $80 good for a B45 (dunno, check ebay?).