Thoughts from an Orchestral Clarinetist, Soloist, Teacher
Results of votes and identity of mouthpieces- The votes are number of mentions by commenters. Very unscientific.
1- Behn Vintage D – 3 votes
2- Antique Lelandais Chedeville – 9 votes
3- Old Portnoy refaced by a friend – 1 vote
4- Hawkins R – 4 votes
In the ongoing search for the Holy Grail of Tone, the “Toney Grail”, [...]
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Here is a clip of a few measures of French clarinetist Michel Arrignon playing with the most beautiful clarinet tone I’ve ever heard. I don’t know much of his playing beyond this recording. He sounds more human on those, so for now, I’m just enjoying the magic he captured on this recording.
The music is Arnold [...]
I have spent the past few days re-accustoming myself to my beloved Buffet clarinets. Sweetness over size. Ring over darkness. Tangy lemon cream chiffon rather than chocolate cake. These are not preferences of quality, they are instead qualities of preference.
Choosing and developing a tone for yourself is a very personal process. One Buffet may sound [...]
For the past few months I’ve been testing and acquiring barrels and bells from Backun Musical Services in Burnaby Canada. In this post, I discuss the pros and cons of Backun clarinet parts, and I also detail what to keep in mind when trying new equipment of any sort from mouthpieces to clarinets.
Most clarinetists [...]