[Dixielandjazz] Tuning the clarinet

[Russ Guarino]

Steve,

Thanks for the info.  You are a master of resources.

When  Ridenour speaks of "professional" clarinetists, I have a hunch he is
thinking of those who perform in orchestras playing classical music.  In these
settings, from my experience, it is not necessary to play loud.  Instead
conductors want color and sometimes very soft passages about the strength of a
whisper.  I would not use a wide bore clarinet for such work. In this type of
setting, intonation becomes critical and loud and out of tune does not cut it.

When my friend from the Monterey Symphony played with my Dixie band,  he was so
soft and delicate, he could hardly be heard, aside from his struggle to find the
right notes.  The best technical clarinetists I have known have been classically
trained guys and, of course, the jazz headliners, Bob Draga, etc. By the way,
when I listen to Draga and the other great modern day jazz clarinet guys, I
don't hear out of tune. They play loud and in tune.

Russ Guarino