# My Recent Clarinet Story



## TennysonsHarp

I'm wrapping up my senior year of high school at this point (and boy am I happy to graduate!), and my band class is currently playing Holst's Second Suite in F. I love this piece to death, but I had a heck of a time trying to actually _play_ with the ensemble because for a few weeks I didn't have a clarinet to play!

My school's not exactly the most affluent (nor is the whole town where I go to school, for that matter.) Ergo, our music department isn't exactly top-grade, either. Most of the instruments are old, dilapidated, and sometimes pretty beaten up. I had to sort through a bunch of clarinets that were Frankensteined together, as if they had been stitched together. A Yamaha mouthpiece paired with a French body, chipped parts, missing keys, scratches, and whatnot.

The worst part of this, was I spent a few weeks going through a bunch of woodwind cadavers looking for the right fit. And when I did find a complete or semi-complete clarinet, it would often _refuse_ to play. Try as I might, moist though the reed be, no sound would come out, or it would be too squeaky to function right.

However, after about three and a half weeks of watching the rest of the class perform (and critiquing them and offering advice from the sidelines), my band director finally came back with a new clarinet, which had been waiting for repairs for a long while. I was pleased as Punch to finally get back into playing, and it's been going smooth ever since.

Anybody else have a story like this? Was it awkward, funny, or just plain infuriating? I'd love to hear more tales like this from fellow wind players!


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## Pugg

I am only a amateur piano player, nice read though, very spontaneous.


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## Jacred

Yes, you are right. It is sad to see the lack of care shown towards school instruments. My high school is the same; I had my fair share of dented flutes that weren't fun to assemble. Broken mechanisms, too, where blocking one tone hole didn't trigger the blocking of the other one that it should. I am in my senior year (yay!), and am currently using my own flute because I gave up on the school ones after 10th grade. :lol:

Ironically enough, not being a clarinet player was a big consolation for me in my earlier years at high school. Those people _did _have it tough...


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## Heck148

I taught for several years in New York when I lived there both public school and conservatory [community school].
Quality of instruments was a common frustration - students would come in using "Aunt Clara's clarinet", which had been sitting in an attic for the last 30 years - virtually unplayable - pads all dried out, warped, mechanism bent, frozen, etc...same with saxophones, and the bassoons, I won't even try to describe.
There was no way a child was ever going to succeed, or have a positive experience when struggling with such deficient instruments. If the student, and the parents were serious - they would acquire a decent instrument - either purchase or rental- one that was serviced, maintained and in good playing condition...
I used to ask the parents who had provided their child with one of these non-functional abominations - 
<<If you were going to teach your kid to drive a car - would you have him/her learn on a vehicle that had only 3 wheels?? or no steering wheel?? of course not....same thing with learning an instrument - give the kid a chance - get him something that will at least play>>

sometimes it worked, sometimes not...


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## fluteman

I was fortunate to have my own instrument in high school, actually two, one of which I kept there, and never had to try to play the school's instruments. But it took a long time, and money I didn't have when I was in school, to get a professional-quality instrument, and that didn't happen until the year after my college graduation.
Nowadays the money they want for top of the line flutes is simply crazy.


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## Heck148

fluteman said:


> Nowadays the money they want for top of the line flutes is simply crazy.


Be glad you don't play bassoon!!


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## fluteman

Heck148 said:


> Be glad you don't play bassoon!!


My cousin's kid is in Europe becoming a professional bassoonist so I well know what you are talking about. Traditionally the bassoon had long been by far the most expensive woodwind instrument at the top of the line professional level. But, news flash, Heck148: the flute has now caught up or even surpassed the bassoon. How is that possible? Somehow the makers have convinced all the pro players they need solid gold flutes, or at least gold headjoints if they can't afford an entirely gold flute. Not only gold, but high karat (i.e. more than 14 karat) gold. The high karat all solid gold flutes start at over $30,000, just like top of the line bassoons. You might get a 14 karat gold flute with silver keys for a mere $25,000. A top of the line silver flute might only be $13,000, and a wood flute slightly more, but add another $9,000 if you want a gold headjoint. And platinum flutes? Don't ask!
Don't laugh, someday everyone will tell you you're a loser if you don't have a solid gold bassoon!


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## Manxfeeder

fluteman said:


> The high karat all solid gold flutes start at over $30,000, just like top of the line bassoons. You might get a 14 karat gold flute with silver keys for a mere $25,000.


Good heavens! And here I am bemoaning the fact that a classic highly sought-after professional-grade Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone is a "whopping" $6,000.


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## Heck148

fluteman said:


> But, news flash, Heck148: the flute has now caught up or even surpassed the bassoon. How is that possible? Somehow the makers have convinced all the pro players they need solid gold flutes, or at least gold headjoints if they can't afford an entirely gold flute. Not only gold, but high karat (i.e. more than 14 karat) gold. The high karat all solid gold flutes start at over $30,000, just like top of the line bassoons.


Top line Heckel bassoons are now selling for $40,000...I'll have to up my insurance coverage!! I wonder what the preference for gold is based upon?? gold is heavy, and it, like silver, tends to dampen the sound....I don't know how this relate to flutes, but for bassoons, a gold, or gold-plated bocal, for me, would have some rather questionable musical value.


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## fluteman

Heck148 said:


> Top line Heckel bassoons are now selling for $40,000...I'll have to up my insurance coverage!! I wonder what the preference for gold is based upon?? gold is heavy, and it, like silver, tends to dampen the sound....I don't know how this relate to flutes, but for bassoons, a gold, or gold-plated bocal, for me, would have some rather questionable musical value.


The whole idea of replacing wood with metal for flutes goes back to Theobald Boehm in 1847. It was ultimately tried with clarinets too, but that didn't catch on. As you correctly say, gold and silver dampen the sound and for example are not as resonant as brass, the first metal Boehm tried. But other innovations Boehm came up with gave the flute a much more powerful sound, and for most music, at least until modern times, the flute's sound is not supposed to be too loud and piercing, so the dampening qualities of gold and silver came to be seen as an advantage. The situation is much different with double reeds.


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## Heck148

fluteman said:


> The whole idea of replacing wood with metal for flutes goes back to Theobald Boehm in 1847. It was ultimately tried with clarinets too, but that didn't catch on. As you correctly say, gold and silver dampen the sound and for example are not as resonant as brass, the first metal Boehm tried. But other innovations Boehm came up with gave the flute a much more powerful sound, and for most music, at least until modern times, the flute's sound is not supposed to be too loud and piercing, so the dampening qualities of gold and silver came to be seen as an advantage. The situation is much different with double reeds.


Right about the flutes - wood gives a smaller, gentler sound. does not really project well enough in modern instrument woodwind section. Metal flutes project much more sound.


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## fluteman

Heck148 said:


> Right about the flutes - wood gives a smaller, gentler sound. does not really project well enough in modern instrument woodwind section. Metal flutes project much more sound.


And, ironically, the idea behind higher karat gold (i.e., more than 14 karat) or purer silver (i.e., more than 92.5 percent, which is sterling sliver) is to provide at least a little more dampening to compensate for the more powerful than ever modern metal flutes.


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## LarryShone

I really really want to try the clarinet, but I don't know anyone who has one I could borrow


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## Vox Gabrieli

I have heard the horror stories, but I never was keen on borrowing an instrument. My personal instruments are self-purchased to my liking, so I can't complain.


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## endelbendel

Clarinet corks and pads more frail than might be imagined.


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## TMHeimer

Yes I have a story. I taught band 2 years in a 7-12 school in Winnipeg where school instruments were given to all students (also, not the "richest" neighbourhood). My principal got me a sub for a day so I could go through all the instruments. Maybe 5 of the (who knows)-40-50 clarinets were ones I would ever consider practicing on myself--let alone using at a concert. OR--GIVING TO STUDENTS!!!
Not so bad with the brass- only so much you can do to bang them up.
I'll never understand the philosophy of giving old, overused and abused instruments free to students. Like giving someone a basketball that's only 75% inflated because they can't afford a good one. Is the frustration worth it?
New instruments for "rental-purchase" are (I think) way less costly (inflation adjusted) than when I was teaching. And most of them play way better. I just bought a new Selmer student clarinet to practice on for $150 CAD (about $110 U.S.). I've had it over 2 years now practicing on it nearly every day and have yet to even replace a pad.


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