[Dixielandjazz] Clarinet

Wed Jul 11 13:26:28 PDT 2007

Bob --- But love the sound of clarinet more.

It takes a long time to develop a good sax sound much less a good soprano 
sound.

Each instrument has it's sound and I happen to like clarinet for a lot of 
tunes.  Unfortunately because of some nerve damage I can't play one very 
well anymore so I put all my energy into Soprano but I have played both for 
a long time and good sound isn't instant on any wind instrument but there 
are some that produce a pretty good sound fairly quickly with a few lessons. 
Clarinet happens to be one that produces a characteristic sound even if the 
student doesn't have chops.  To get a good sound on Sax usually takes a long 
time and many sax players never sound really good.  What is good is really 
subjective and there are so many different sounds possible out of a sax 
whereas clarinet sound is pretty much the same.  Before everyone jumps on me 
I do know the difference between Symphony level clarinet sound and a 
beginner.

Beginners get a pretty good sound out of many instruments within the first 
year but that isn't true of the sax where most sound like a cross between a 
Greyhound bus and a Mack Truck Horn.  Really good sound doesn't start 
happening until the players are about to graduate from H.S. and then it's 
only a few of them.

I have worked with a lot of student sax players and a good sax sound is very 
elusive.  I have worked with kids and gotten them to have one of the "wow" 
sounds only to have them slip back into old habits and just never sound 
good.  I have worked with kids that got it in ten minutes and I have worked 
with a lot who will never get it.  My best sounding student got it right 
away.   Adults tend to want to buy a good sax sound and go out and pick up 
the latest and greatest brand and buy a bunch of mouthpieces and endlessly 
ask other sax players what they are playing on and they still suck.

There is no free lunch and there is no easiest instrument either.  Take 
those lessons - you'll be glad you did.

By the way conventional wisdom states learn the clarinet first and then sax. 
For OKOM I don't think that's a good idea.  I personally find that people 
who learn sax first and then the clarinet don't sound so pinched on the sax. 
They aren't the same and blow differently.  Clarinet players tend to play 
sax like the clarinet which gives it a thin sound and they tend to bite. 
It's just an observation that may not be true of everyone.

Another thing spend time every day just playing A then B across the register 
break.  If you have to go back and forth quickly you can just leave your 
right hand down and move the left hand fingers only.  Pay very careful 
attention to hand position.  This is where a teacher can really help.  Many 
beginners have just rotten hand position because they are holding the 
instrument with their fingers.  It's true that you do hold the instrument 
but when you play G there is only the right thumb and the mouth to hold the 
horn.  If the instrument wants to roll over on G you are doing something 
wrong.  If you can't walk around the room and play G with one hand (Right) 
you are doing something wrong.  A lot of students try to hold the horn with 
the right hand thumb and the first finger tucked up under the side keys 
gripping the horn with the first finger and scrunching up the hand.  If you 
can't do it your embouchure may not be firm enough either.
Larry
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Loomis" <miltloomis at yahoo.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Clarinet

>   Many thanks to all who replied to my inquiry.
> I will indeed most likely get a teacher as Larry
> suggested. And I will most likely stick with
> clarinet. I did play soprano sax for a while
> around 1970, got good enough at it to take a solo
> break on one of our then rock band's original
> tunes. But love the sound of clarinet more.
> Actually I probably ought to play tuba, but
> there's no way I can afford one of those!
>   I did find some excellent Web sites, with help
> from those on this list, among them:
>
> http://www.clarinet.org/home.asp
>
> http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/index.html
>
> http://www.anne-bell.woodwind.org/
>
> http://hem.passagen.se/eriahl/clarinet.htm
>
>   The Anne Bell site looks especially chock full
> of helpful links.
>
> Bob Loomis
> Concord CA
>
>
>
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