Anybody know anything about clarinet?

[2112]

 

[neuman]

Easier to march with than a sousaphone.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Clarinets are a horrible instrument.

There's some nice clarinet on Eilen Jewell's album Letters from Sinners and Strangers - I'd never heard clarinet in that style.

 

[tpaul]

I played clarinet in the elementary school band.

Why? I have no idea.

 

[aekisz]

I string mine with flats. It's a fretless.

 

[PWRL]

I know not to bother Squidward when he's practicing on his, or gets awfully upset.

 

[dpaul]

I am a band instrument repair tech. Sounds like a Chinese import, which means it is a starter instrument which are usually inexpensive. They are practically disposable, as most techs would advice that they are not worth putting any money into, and to seek out a better, brand name instrument such as a Yamaha or Selmer.

 

[TreySonagras]

+1 for what he said^.

Not trying to brag, just adding context... I too am a band director (high school level) and have never heard of this brand. If I may add that if this company has a $100 product on amazon, the likelyhood of them also having an expensive model is very low.

HOWEVER, clarinets are one of the hardest instruments to find value on, just because there are so many different brands and so many clarinets floating around. I occasionally look on OfferUp for those rare gems that ppl don't know they have. If it will only take a few minutes, looking up the brand and model number/name is worth doing. I've found that Reverb often has an accurate price tag on "refurbished" student models and the like. But purchasing from Reverb is a risk of its own...

We really try to educate our parents about instruments before they order something online. It's hard for them to pass on a 100.00 clarinet off Amazon when a higher quality one might be 1000.00.
One thing I have found...if it comes with white gloves then RUN AWAY. LOL

 

[Bunk McNulty]

28 posts and nobody's said it?

"An ill wind that nobody blows good."

 

[GoesThump]

28 posts and nobody's said it?

"An ill wind that nobody blows good."

I'd heard that one as an oboe joke originally... speaking of oboes:

Many moons ago when I taught at the conservatory in Toronto, they used to take the more advanced kiddies to the see the TSO. After ages of avoiding it, the director finally roped me into being one of the chaperones for a concert. The kids were in the 9-13 range, and were generally really great musicians.

After tuning up, the kid sitting next to me - a promising young pianist of about 11 - leans over to me and whispers "Sir? Why do they tune to something that sounds so weird?"

GT

 

[MIMike]

Oh, it's also a great instrument to double on if you are a bass player.
So says Marcus Miller:

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Oh, it's also a great instrument to double on if you are a bass player.
So says Marcus Miller:

View attachment 4130062

My favorite sound on Bitches Brew is Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet.

 

[Ewo]

I know a guy who does restorations, repairs, and appraisals on clarinets. He's a good guy and a fine musician, himself.

THE VINTAGE CLARINET DOCTOR - Home Page - Winston Salem, NC. Vintage clarinet and saxophone repair, restoration, sales.

 

[Paul New]

If it will play, it's worth 50 bucks.

 

[Ostie]

I don't know nothin' bout clarinet, but I have a sax story. I was asked to clean out a house after an elderly person left it for senior living. My payment was I could have anything I wanted. I sold what I could, including a spinet piano that was hardly worth the effort. Another item was a tenor sax. I don't play, so I had it appraised. Turned out it was used in the movie "The Music Man" and the appraiser made me an offer I couldn't refuse. That turned a losing gig into a paying one!

 

[Steadfast]

I am pretty sure the inventor of the clarinet designed rickenbackers.

 

[dpaul]

I'd heard that one as an oboe joke originally...

Speaking of oboe jokes...

There's a dead snake and a dead oboist in the middle of the road, what's the difference? Snake was on his way to a gig...

 

[Bob_Ross]

Clarinets are a horrible instrument.

I disagree. But I totally get why someone might conclude that they are a horrible instrument:

Half-assed clarinetists are horrible musicians...and the number of musicians who are dedicated clarinetists -- aka, they're fully-assed rather than half-assed -- is a pathetically small subset of all the musicians who own a clarinet and bring it to a gig.

I love listening to a good clarinetist playing a piece that exploits the wonderful timbres and expressive devices that instrument is capable of.
I detest listening to a good saxophonist who had to double or triple on clarinet just so he could play the two or three cues from the "Woodwind III" book in their high school musical and then never had the foresight to abandon the instrument immediately after the show closed.

 

[Steadfast]

I disagree. But I totally get why someone might conclude that they are a horrible instrument:

Half-assed clarinetists are horrible musicians...and the number of musicians who are dedicated clarinetists -- aka, they're fully-assed rather than half-assed -- is a pathetically small subset of all the musicians who own a clarinet and bring it to a gig.

I love listening to a good clarinetist playing a piece that exploits the wonderful timbres and expressive devices that instrument is capable of.
I detest listening to a good saxophonist who had to double or triple on clarinet just so he could play the two or three cues from the "Woodwind III" book in their high school musical and then never had the foresight to abandon the instrument immediately after the show closed.

.
I was being tongue in cheek. Lolol. But your post is excellent. Bob Mintzer on bass clarinet is worth a listen.

the clarinet requires dedication to master. Reminds me of playing a fretless bass. One can think they sound good on it but in reality they probably suck. Lolol

 

[GoesThump]

Speaking of oboe jokes...

There's a dead snake and a dead oboist in the middle of the road, what's the difference? Snake was on his way to a gig...

Heheh... classic.

Another variant : There's a dead snake and a dead conductor in the middle of the road. What's the difference?

There's skid marks near the snake where the driver attempted to stop in time.

GT