An Australian has played both: His report:

Dear Mr Friedland,
First, thanks very much for sharing your wisdom on this excellent site.
In light of a recent post concerning the Reform Boehms of Wurlitzer the following details and personal experience may be of interest to your readers.
I switched to Reform Boehms after playing on Buffets – R13 S1 RC and Festival models – over a span of 25 years.

The Wurlitzers, in common with the bespoke instruments of other German makers, are engineered to a very high standard. The keywork, in finish and fit, is superior to any mass-produced French Boehm clarinet I’ve seen – as it should be, considering the cost of these instruments. They’re built for eternity.

The “improvements” are (on the Wurlitzer model !85):
1. A split function register key/throat Bb mechanism. This helps give a better pinch Bb (I still use resonance fingerings), but a more important benefit is that the register tube can be smaller and positioned so that MOST of the the 12ths are a better in tune than on the French clarinets I’ve played. This mechanism is totally reliable.
2. A beautiful-sounding fork Bb fingering, as well as all the usual options for this note on the French Boehm.
3. A very good F#-G# trill (Carmen!) without the articulated mechanism.
4. A mechanism for fixing the rh middle finger B, F#, D# 12ths – the high D# is not flat.

But it’s swings and roundabouts. In the Wurlitzer you have an instrument which is mechanically more complex (and heavier); you sacrifice the very simple, elegant French Boehm design design for what could be considered minimal “improvement”. As I said, it’s swings and roundabouts.

The Reforms have quirks of their own. Most of the 12ths are better in tune; some are not by a long shot and require a great deal of correction. For instance, on my “A” clarinet B, C, and C# at the top of the clarion are very sharp, which is a nuisance, but you learn to adjust.

One benefit over the French Boehms I’ve played is that it’s easier to play wide intervals smoothly on the Reform. It’s also possible to really blow ff without the sound becoming harsh. The altissimo is easier (the F/F# are not flat) and has a more ‘covered’ quality. It’s the bore design I suppose. However, I find the Reform is a bit less flexible than a good French Boehm (a harsh fortissimo could be a quality you want sometimes). Maybe that’s the price you pay for the Reform’s stability. Swings and roundabouts again.
Tonally, with the Reforms your ‘default’ position is German. The instruments tend to sound more focused; more of a laser beam sound, as someone once described it. But it’s where you take the sound from that default position that counts.

After some hard work getting the measure of the Wurlies and German mps and reeds, I played them in orchestra. A very fine clarinetist who didn’t know I’d switched from Buffets was in the audience for a performance of Beethoven 8 and I forget what else. He told me later that I sounded ‘like myself’ but thought I’d had a very good reed on…

As the old saying goes, “’tain’t the gun, it’s the gunner”.
K.Sydney, Australia

Dear K: Thank you so much for your wonderful “reform Boehm” response.
I, and I’m sure every reader will appreciate your candor.
As I see, and as they shall, it seems to be “six of one”, etc.

Thank you very much,
Sherman

All technical problems are rhythmic in origin

I recently wrote a response to a clarinetist having problems with staccato, specifically problems having to do with speed of staccato, a frequently discussed topic among most clarinet students. It is not usually discussed among clarinetists who are let us say, fiscally secure. (i.e. they have playing jobs). The reason for this is simply that it is a problem mostly of perception more imagined than real, and easily soluble.

When a very young student I was given “Reverie” by Debussy for a lesson. The triplet in quarter notes spread over two beats confounded me for years, really years, mostyl because my teacher sang it to me and I repeated it by rote. It was only years later that I learned that briefly, a common denominator must be found , in 3 and 2, that number is 6, and dividing either three or two into six is really easy.

This common denominator is the same one used to divide 11 notes among five beats, or in any run at all, specifically for this entry the runs in “Scheherazade”, the scale in Eb that diminishes up to the high C in the Debussy “Rhapsody”, the Cadenza in the “Contrasts” of Bartok and any number of specifically rhythmic problems couched in technical terms.

There is another example in playing certain articulations on the clarinet or in any instrumental part.

Staccato is a mater of rhythmic understanding and execution of that rhythm, execution means playing staccato of understanding of the actual rhythm, and definitely not the speed.

Speed becomes inconsequential wih understanding of the rhythm, where those precious beats fall and how frequently the occur.

Luckily, I was able to study these things in a practical way with Fernand Gillet, Principal Oboe of the Boston Symphony, who was my practical solfeggio teacher at the New England Conservatory. By practical I mean that we played the usual solfeggio book exercises but were also drilled in executing rhythms in actually orchestral situations.
Gillet told me one time in a rehearsal of the Beethoven Quintet, “I like zat staccato”. I have never ever forgotten the comment,uttered by Gillet more than 50 years ago. When a fellow with his experience and understanding says that to you, you do remember it. He could figure out any rhythm usuing simple means.
I once performed a work by Carlos Chavez, the prominent Mexican composer, who came to NEC to actually conduct the rehearsals and performance of this little woodind quartet.
At one pont in the rehearsal, Gillet also in attendance got up to speak with Chavez, a heated discussion concerning execution of a dotted eight and sixteenth note. It turned ugly , voices rose, but Gillet won the argument with ease.
He was head of all rhythmic problems on any instrument, and he knew everything. Think of how many premieres he played the first performances of by the great composers of the first half of the 20th century, Stravinsky, Bartok, Prokofiev, the list is endless but he was always up to the problem whatever it may have been and most of them were and remain rhythmic in nature.

A simple answer, always subdivide when necessary, or even when not necessary But as all fine players know, it is always necessary.

play well everyone.

Sherman

Adjusting to temperature

Mr. Friedland,
I have a quick question for you. I am having trouble with being flat when I play. I play a selmer series 9 with a Vandoren M13 mouthpiece. I have a very nice tone with a softer reed like a 2 1/2 or 3, but then I just can’t keep from going flat. I can play a harder reed 4, which keeps me in tune and my tone suffers a lot. I even bought one of those silly click tuning barrels, which helps somewhat but still I am flat without the harder reed. To give you a little background, I’m in my late 30’s starting over with the clarinet in my church orchestra. I’ve been playing again now for about a year and a half. Another helpful fact is that our church is cold at least to me and we don’t have very long to warm up before playing. I hope that I have been effective in my description to get some help from you. I’m frustrated and I’m sure more practice will help, but do you have any further instruction? Thank you so much! S
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Hello:
Yes, the problem is quite familiar to me as I suffered with it many times playing in the frigid winters in Montreal, frequently in churches which are always poorly heated, if at all. This playing was crucial , as it was frequently done for (one-take) CBC recordings which were to be broadcast again and again on radio)
The best advice I can give you is to try (try) a B45 or a 5RV mouthpiece. They both play sharper than does the M13 and may help with your problem.(Try them in the music store or with a trial basis, which all music stores offer)
Remember S, and all those who may read this, the clarinet is a fixed-pitch instrument, however this “fixed-pitch” business begins to get sharper the very second the air from your body enters its grenadilla body (another reason to go to a material at least one more stable, as in hard rubber)
It is the temperature in the church. Also, who gives the tuning note? If there is nobody, then the pitch is bound to be high. Try to get an A=440. That will also help.
The barrel that is called click is not silly. I used it many times and found it worked well, very well and was a big help. It is made quite poorly however….but it does work.
I know that the two mouthpieces I mentioned should help. The funny, yet wonderful thing about Van Doren mouthpieces is that they have been thoughtfully designed for virtually every clarinet and situation and their solutions work. This of course necessitates trying many, for they are mass-produced and therefore are not terribly consistent. BUT, neither are the super expensive hand made mouthpieces available.
The worst thing to think is that somehow you are at fault.
sincerely, Sherman Friedland

Program Choice

Dear Mr Friedland,
I’m planning my programme for an ‘A’ Level recital. Could you please advise me on which of these two programmes can demonstrate more aspects of playing? Is this then the programme I should use?

1) Beethoven Trio for clarinet, cello and piano, op 11 (1st mvt)
Stravinsky Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo
Rossini Introduction, Theme and Variations

2) (The specific order of pieces for this programme isn’t confirmed yet)
Mozart Concerto (1st or 3rd mvt)
Bruch Concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra in E minor, op 88 (1st mvt)
Stravinsky Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo

If you think programme no. 2 is better, could you please advise me whether to do the 1st or 3rd mvt for the Mozart?

Thank you very very much!

Best regards,
Tim
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Tim:
The second program is more demonstrative of the aspects of the clarinet. The first movement of the Mozart is the more difficult of all the works and is transparent enough to earn very high achievement if you rise to the occasion. By that I mean that the reason that the first movement of the Mozart is the most significant work in the entire repertoire. Why? Because the work is totally transparent. You play with what is exactly on the page, that is to say, every single phrase ending with a quarter note at the beginning of a bar means exactly that, and no more. This work, more than any other shows the tiniest error in articulation or even notation, which is its secret. You ear will become sharper as you listen to yourself play. Even record yourself. Listen back and spot the many errors, and repair them. I have found that this single work is very difficult , that is to say, if you really listen .
This goes as well for the Stravinsky work, which is less clear because there are so many opinions about it, but this too starts with absolute accuracy.
Beethoven and Rossini are inconsequential by comparison. If you want the most demonstrative of the virtuoso 19th century, choose the Grand Duo Concertante, by Weber, the prince of both clarinet and piano works of the century. I hope that you do well on your recital and that is some way I have helped with my somewhat stern suggestions. You will find both he Stravincky and the Mozart with playing analyses on this site.

good luck, sherman friedland

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Ya

The Selmer 10S 2

Hi Sherman,

Someone in a recent letter (Boston in the 50s) says he getting a brand new Selmer Series 10 II S clarinet.
Is Selmer still making and selling these clarinets? Really enjoy Clarinet Corner, especially your memories of

your early days in Boston!
Thanks,
D.L.
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Hello DL:
I have seen dozens of advertisements on these Selmer 10S 2 clarinets and they are always listed as brand new. As far as Selmer selling them, I have no idea as Selmer no longer exists as its own company, but it part of an amalgamation of companies called Conn-Selmer which includes at the very least the Leblanc Clarinet. A few of the so-called “big box” companies advertise all of these instruments, but never the Selmer 10S 2, which would have been discontinued several years past.
The best guess I can give you is that in the organization of the new company a number of new instruments were purchased at special prices and have gone on sale mostly on ebay, with some really low prices, as low as one thousand dollars for a new instrument.
I purchased a Leblanc Sonata Clarinet for two hundred dollars a few years ago. It was brand new, came wrapped in plastic bags, with no case, or mouthpiece, but it was a great instrument. This venue can be a scurrilous place, however from time to time, once can pick up an excellent instrument for very little .
Of course, one must be careful and even the careful can get taken.
I do not think that the instrument you mention is made any longer, however the number of instruments around may be many.

Boston has not changed too much since I went to school and started playing there.(At least the area around Symphony Hall and the New Englanc Conservatory) I played and lectured at the Berklee College in late September and got to see that wonderful area.
Berklee is on the corner of Mass Ave and Huntington, I guess, having taken over a bank and a hotel on the corner.
Coming out of Berklee, just look down and you are afforded a view of Symphony Hall, bringing back wonderful memories.
We drove down from Canada and got lost in the Adirondacks for several hours and were totally entertained by the most gorgeous and vibrant fall colors I can remember. The Red Sox were also in town and Boston is not only the home of the greatest orchestra, but perhaps the best Baseball anywhere.
I am currently playing on a Selmer 10S and can vouch for the instrument as a truly wonderful clarinet, having lost the brightness of the 10 and gaining an even better intonation.
I do not know in what ways the 10S2 is different.

best wishes, always, sherman

Starting the Clarinet from Scratch

Hello,
I have been attempting to learn to play the clarient since I was 12
but for various reasons (moving countries, switchng schools, taking
exams etc) I have never got round to it.
The other day I decided to take matters in my hands and I bought a
clarinet and a couple of method books. I currently don’t have access
to a clarint teacher so most of it will be self study. I have done a
bit of music theory though, and I have taken advanced exams with the
descant and treble recorders.
Do you have any advice for me as I begin to learn the clarinet?

Thanks,
———————————————————————
>Amma
You are in need of a clarinetist. I think that getting a teacher
would save you tons of hours , as a fact you can perhaps learn a bit about embouchure, but not really without a teacher. You must find one,
Look at all of the articles having to do with embouchure on my website.
That will help to bring certain important things to mind, but you need
someone to show you, and you need a sound ideal to model your sound after.
Without this, your progress will be depressingly slow. I wish you the best of all good luck.(playing the recorder is completely different from playing the clarinet. Switching clarinet to recorder is terribly easy, the opposite is quite difficult, as the clarinet embouchure is difficult to achieve and takes much longer than the whistle aspect that is the recorder.
sincerely,and really good wishes.
Sherman Friedland

>
>

A few notes for Klezmerists

Subject: Klezmer “sound”

Hello – the ‘Klarinet” site furnished your name to me.

I am a dermatologist, who started playing the clarinet in 5th grade (I am 61). I am strictly an amateur. I have been playing a large bore LeBlanc B flat for the past 25 years or so, and just purchased an 8 year old Buffet R13 B flat (3 days ago). I am VERY impressed with the latter’s ergonomics, and ‘mellifluous’ tone. I am using my old Vandoren V360 on it, and a Vandoren B45 on the LeBlanc, with #3 reed on latter, and 3 1/2 on the Buffet. Do you suggest a Vandoren M15 for the Buffet? (If so, which of three types?)

My current question involves a question re a Klezmer ’sound’.
Reading the web, I see that there is a sense that an Albert system clarinet has a ‘jazzier’ sound, but that a metal clarinet can come close. I would appreciate your opinion.(I plan to play something at our daughter’s wedding, this June.)

I also understand that quarter tone playing is part of the texture of Klezmer, and so a more open mouthpiece is part of the setup.
Would an A flat Clarinet, of any particular type (metal?) or system (Albert) better approximate that sound?

Thank you, Joe, Arizona
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Hello:
you for you note and the question(s). This is what I can tell you based upon many years of professional playing experience.
No particular clarinet has a sound as such. They are inert objects and only become somewhat alive when players breathe into them using proper or even improper equipment.
The difference between the measurement of a small bore clarinet or a large or larger bore instrument is infinitesimal.
These are terms tossed about by self -anointed cognoscenti. They are meaningless but serve only as fodder during “coffee”.
The value of an Albert System Clarinet or a metal clarinet has absolutely no influence upon the sound one makes on the instrument.
One could substitute a boxwood instrument or even an early three-keyed instrument. Quarter-tone playing as such is not used in Klezmer playing, though bending notes is one of the hallmarks, the two being totally different.
The best advice I can give you is to listen to your favorite players and copy their mannerisms, and their styles.
Finding a teacher for Klezmer may be difficult in Arizona, but you never know.
best regards,
Sherman Friedland

Recommendation to a father

My son has been playing clarinet for 4 years on a Bel Canto student plastic clarinet.
We would like to get him a wooden one (something to encourage him along) and he is turning 14 soon. We don’t have a lot of money but would like to get him something that would last a while and not cost lots to maintain. Could you advice on what we could get him and whether a second hand one is ok? If so how old? Etc.
Thanks

I understand your problem and that attempting to manage funds for a musical education.
You may solve the problem of costs and maintenance very easily, at least this has been experience by consideration of the puchase of a clarinet designed by the foremost clarinet designer in the US, William Ridenour.
Conscious of the prohibitive cost of the clarinet that is made in France, he has designed an instrument which is capable of attaining the highest standards: excellent tuning, voicing and stability. This is the instrument manufactured from hard rubber which is actually much more stable than grenadilla wood, especially regarding pitch and the everyday tribulations through which a clarinet is placed by students in things like band rehearsals, parades, pep rallies etc.
I have played an instrument of his, The Arioso, which has all of the aforesaid qualities of excellence, and I am shortlyto receive a Lyrique Custom, which is a continuation.
Because I play this instrument,I can do no more than to present it for your consideration for a clarinet for your son.
Get in touch with Mr Ridenour through his website. You will find him most cordial and knowledgeable.
This is the best advice which I can give you.
If you turn to something lesser or used, the variety available is mond boggling . A clarinet doesn’t have to made from wood in order to be a good instrument.
Good luck to you.
sincerely, sherman

Buffet E-13, care and feeding

Hello,

After a few years of only playing sporadically, I am getting back into my instrument. There is a community concert band I have joined and so I’m trying to get my chops back. I played in high school and a little in college. I have a buffet E13, still has original mouthpiece that came with the instrument, and I usually use a Vandoren 3 or 3.5 reed. I had two questions.

1. what kind of regular care does my instrument need? All pads are present, and I check on the screws and keep it clean, but I was wondering if I had to send it in for “service” every now and again.

2. What kind of mouthpieces do you suggest I try. What do I look for in selecting a mouthpiece. i have only had 3 mouthpieces ever: 2 on my first vito clarinet (couldn’t tell what kind), and this one on the buffet. I have never had a problem getting a full sound, although a couple of notes do get that airy sound. (G, B/B flat)

Thanks,
Vanessa
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Hello Vanessa:
Thank you for your note with its questions. The E-13 is one of Buffets intermediate instruments in grenadilla and should last you a good long time. The only problems you may encounter would be that the joints bind from too much moisture and the fact that they are made too thin. However if you do not have the problem you needn’t worry about it. I would be sure to make sure the clarinet is dry before you put it away and that you allow it to “breathe” in the rooms temperature

If you are careful you should have no trouble for quite a while, or perhaps not at all. If it is not broken or in need of repair, the thing to do is nothing. It does not need a periodic tuneup.
If you are happy with the mouthpiece which came with the clarinet, there is really no reason to change it, none whatsoever. However if you have difficulty with the mouthpiece, it would be wize to think about changing it. Van Doren makes many different mouthpieces, all quite reasonably priced, but only if you are unhappy with your current mouthpiece.

Good luck in getting back your chops.
best wishes, Sherman

_

Bass Clarinet pads and mouthpieces

Clarinet Corner Query:
I have two relatively simple questions concerning the bass clarinet, which I play exclusively. I am looking for a source for bass clarinet replacement pads and am having tremendous trouble locating someone that has them readily available. They have offered to make them to a custom fit, but I would like to have a way to get them quickly. What do you recommend?

The second questions concerns crystal mouthpieces for the bass clarinet. I read your articles concerning Pomarico, and I am considering this versus a high quality wood. I like something with a medium facing, but not bright. I would like something that allows ease of playing in the altissimo register I use the bass clarinet for both symphonic playing and church related solo playing. Thank you ahead of time for both the information you are sharing via your website and your advice on this matter. AS
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Alex:
Here are a couple of references for clarinet pads:
“J.L. SMITH & CO.” “901 Blairhill Road #400, Charlotte, NC 28217. … “J.R. MUSIC SUPPLY”, “93 Hazel Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895-0780. …

All bass clarinets seem to have different pads and you would have to give them your model and number I would imagine,
which may explain why you are having a problem. Try these two places.

As far as crystal mouthpieces for Bass Clarinet, Rosario Mazzeo, my teacher and friend for many years used a Pomarico on his bass as well as Bb. I sent him six or seven when he broke one of his, many years ago.

Crystal would be the most favorable material for a mouthpiece save for the problem of breakage, wherein the damage is usually terminal. Try Pomarico if you can find them or mouthpieces for Bass from them. I know of no other. There were two brothers , one in Argentina and the other in Italy and frankly though I had an absolutely beautiful Bb clarinet mouthpiece, unfortunately it was broken during a concert many years ago.

Mouthpieces are very personal as you would expect, the most stable material being hard rubber . Wood can and does change according to atmospheric conditions, and is very expensive. You say high quality, be prepared for high prices as well.

Mouthpieces, being so personal can be purchased for any number of dollars depending upon the seller and I am quite sure you can find someone to sell you what he or she calls a high quality mouthpiece, however the answer will always be how the mouthpiece plays for you and your particular way of playing. Mouthpieces do not have the characteristics many players give them. They are inert objects. It is the player that chooses the reed, makes the embouchure and after affixing the mouthpiece, plays. Too often sellers and makers assign certain qualities to the mouthpieces themselves. But the peramaters for making the mouthpieces remain narrow, with only small variation.

Good luck. I hope this has helped in some way.

Sherman Friedland