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.
Tag: clarinet
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?
Inauguration Performance Was Taped
From Yahoo News:
“Washington – Whether you loved or hated the classical music played at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, unless you were sitting within earshot of the celebrated quartet, what you heard was a recording made two days earlier.”
“They were very insistent on playing live until it became clear that it would be too cold,” said Florman in a telephone interview Thursday night.”
Yeah, I don’t blame them at all. It was a great John Williams arrangement though. Here is the actual performance.
Mitchell Lurie Dies
From the LA Times
“Mitchell Lurie, a world-renowned clarinetist and clarinet teacher who taught for many years at USC and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, has died. He was 86.”
Another titian of the Clarinet passes on.
R13, E13, Selmer, or others? Suggestions in picking the right clarinet…
I’ve been playing the clarinet on and off for seven years. I own a student Buffet B10 but I feel the tone quality and the feel of the keys have its limitations. I’m renting a wood selmer 10. The feel of it and the tone quality sounds much better than my plastic clarinet. Selmer has a richer tone and I feel comfortable with the keys. I’m thinking of getting a better wood clarinet. I’m deciding between a Buffet E13 or R13, considered Buffet makes the best clarinets. However, I still had some doubts since I did not have the best experience with my B10. I know it would be best to try them out, but I’d like to know if anyone can give me any suggestions of which brand or model I should go for. I also like to know which actually might sound better, the R13 or the Selmer 10. Or if there’s any great selmer model I could look for.
I basically play classical, but I also like to play some Jazz.
Doctor’s Products
The Doctor’s Products website is a great place to get clarinet stuff. Bore oil, etc, etc. The Klarinet list had a lengthy post from someone praising the Doctor’s new oil. Grenad-Oil®, from the product page, is
Use ‘Nature’s Way’ to oil your intrument with genuine Grenadilla Oil. Grenad-Oil® is absorbed quickly and completely into fine wood instruments and is the choice for the discerning musician that wants to add back exactly the same oil lost over time to their instruments.
Over the summer I bought a bunch of stuff from the good doctor, including his other bore oil, wood cleaner, and some other things. Oiling the bore of my clarinet was rather painless, but using the wood cleaner really scared me. It basically turned my clarinet a different color, light brownish I believe it was. In a panic, I put some of the bore oil on a rag and proceeded to oil the outside to get the clarinet back to a more “clarinet” color. Whew.
Anyhow, The Doctor’s stuff is worth checking out. So check it out!
Beats Beatboxing On Flute?
This video was making the rounds on various music email lists.
While its a great performance, it is still isn’t as cool, in my book, as Beatboxing on the Flute.
Rubber vs. Wood
Dubya writes “what are the differences in hard rubber vs wood for clarinets? I know plastic is the student model material, but I’ve seen pro stuff in both of the others. Is there a quality difference, or is it more up to preference? What would guide those preferences?”
I can’t think of any “Pro” clarinets that are made of rubber. Never heard of such a thing. There are clarinets that are made of wood, wood and carbon fiber (called Greenline by Buffet), or ABS Resin (Plastic). None of these are rubber. Wood is the way to go. If you live in an area where cracking could be a problem, or are playing in situations where cracking might happen, the wood/carbon fiber is the way to go. Plastic is for student models. Wood simply gives you a better sound, and the cracking potential is very low. So get a wood clarinet.
Blackwood
“Most people will not have knowingly seen blackwood but almost everyone will have heard it, for it is the premier wood of choice for fine concert-quality woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes and flutes, as well as being used in the manufacture of bagpipes. Blackwood is also the finest material available today for producing ornamental turning. In its African homeland, it is used to make intricate and highly detailed carvings, and plays a vital role in the ecology of the East African savannah.”
The Blackwood Conservation website has lots of information about where your favorite came from.