alto clarinet
Fabienne Yvain
clarinet, I am looking at some plastic horns, but cannot find advise because
in France the alto is not much used and we normally do not buy plastic.
Could somebody help me and tell me what I should avoid, what is a Bundy and
a Selmer Bundy, and anything I should know before I buy anything? I intend
to use it for improvised music.
Thanks!
Best regards
Fabienne Yvain
Lelia Loban
My experience is very limited, but for whjat it's worth.... In 1960-62, I
played a plastic Selmer Bundy alto clarinet that was new then. I was not
equipped to bring out the best in any clarinet, but the band teacher agreed
with my impression that this alto had poor intonation, especially around the
break, with very wide twelfths. I also had trouble with the tone, which was
weak and stuffy, not resonant, especially between third-space C and G at the
top of the staff. Alto clarinets naturally sound quieter and less piercing
than Bb clarinets, but shouldn't sound muffled or strangled.
As an adult, I own a wooden 1979 Selmer alto that I bought used. This is a far
better alto than the Bundy was. The intonation is good and the tone is
resonant.
I'm not sure if there are any good *and* cheap alto clarinets. With limited
money to spend, I think I got a better bargain by buying a professional quality
alto used. I like Buffet Bb and A clarinets, but I prefer Selmer for altos
because I think Selmer altos have a more powerful tone than other brands. The
Selmer alto tone (with a Selmer mouthpiece) is close to the tone quality of a
good, normal Bb or A clarinet and for me it sounds more even in quality up and
down the range, without that terrible dip into weak, muffled tone between third
space C and top of staff G that's a common problem on altos.
I was lucky enough to find an alto clarinet that had been privately owned and
not played very much. A professional clarinet player had bought it for his
daughter because she seemed to be a serious student, but she quit less than a
year later. Before I bought it, I considered some other used alto clarinets
that school bands had discarded. Some of those might have been good deals,
too, but all were plastic, student quality instruments and I had decided to
wait for a pro-quality wooden one. Most of the school instruments showed signs
of hard use and most had not been properly maintained.
Hope this helps--
Lelia
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HOST Comp Tanker
>clarinet, I am looking at some plastic horns, but cannot find advise because
>in France the alto is not much used and we normally do not buy plastic.
Some might say that's because the French have taste. With the exception of some
English symphonic work and that last refuge of weirdness, the American high
school/college concert band, the use of the alto clarinet has (mercifully) died
out.
Mind you, you'll find one in a wind ensemble here and there, and they are in
demand in clarinet choirs. But, for the most part, the use of the alto clarinet
declines geometrically once the typical clarinet player graduates from
secondary school.
That's not to say that they aren't used, and loved by their players. Over the
last thirty five years, I've played them now and then (usually for some
manufacturer's demo at a music educator's meeting; they were always puzzled
when I asked for a bass clarinet mouthpiece as my spiff rather than the alto
horn's beak...), and (within certain broad limits) most clarinet players could
do so if asked. But, if I was offered a paying job playing the alto or a freeby
playing anything else, I'd settle for the freeby. Playing 'cello parts on the
bass isn't fun, but it sure beats playing viola lines on the alto...
Then too, I think that they have suffered in that they never had a "developer"
like Sax, who is responsible for the modern bass clarinet design, bore and all.
Instead, the alto clarinet sort of "evolved" from the basset horn (as opposed
to the basset clarinet), and has always been sort of a bastard of the family.
>Could somebody help me and tell me what I should avoid, what is a Bundy
>and
>a Selmer Bundy, and anything I should know before I buy anything? I intend
>to use it for improvised music.
Jazz on an alto clarinet? And we thought Eric Dolphy was leading edge...
I've heard of someone else who does jazz on an alto, and there's certainly
nothing wrong with doing so, particularly in these days of amplification. But,
much like viewing a scale model of the Maginot Line from matchsticks, the first
question that comes to mind is "Why?" Alto sax would blend better with the
electric crowd, and would be much more available.
Bundy (named after the late George Bundy) is/was a student instrument line
peddled by The Selmer Company. At one point, I recall reading that Bundy horns
were injection molded without any further finishing, while Vito (the LeBlanc
student line) were first molded and then reamed to the proper bore. I don't
know if this is true any longer, and I've seen some signs that Selmer may be
moving away from the association of George's name with their student line.
In any event, the typical alto clarinet in the student lines offered by the
major manufacturers will have closed tone holes, a first finger vent, and
standard clarinet fingering up to the altissimo range. Beyond that, every horn
typically works differently, even in the same models.
The only exception to the above rule may be the Vito, as LeBlanc used to be big
on a forked Ab/Eb mechanism on the lower joint. Don't know if they still use it
or not...haven't ever liked any of the LeBlanc harmony clarinets save the Bb
contrabass.
Every one that I've ever seen or played has a double vent mechanism, and all of
these have been of the automatic variety.
Some (cheap LeBlanc and Bundy horns) have what I have always called the "square
double octave", where there is no lower joint linkage and the mechanism forms a
rectangle on the back side of the horn, Others had a rod running south to
activate the octave key change from lower to upper at about E in the staff. The
square horns do not have properly sized vents, and they play a bit more
"stuffy" as a result. Against that, the square horns don't get out of
regulation as easily.
As for where to get them, I would suggest visiting our country's version of
eBay, where any given day you will find at least twenty of them in various
stages of repair. I strongly suspect that a large portion of them are stolen
school instruments (in all of my years of clarinet playing, I've only know of
one person who owned an alto clarinet and actually used it), but some may have
come from surplus sales (I've seen them there) or legit purchases. Ones that
you would purchase from a dealer would probably not be hot.
Terry L. Stibal
HOSTCom...@aol.com
Bob Fowler
news:9id0h8$fff$1...@front7.grolier.fr...
FWIW - Most of the plastic alto clarinets aren't great out of the box, they
need a bit of tweaking. I bought 2 Vito alto's a couple of years ago via
ebay auctions. Both horns had a major degree of damage and my intentions
were to build 1 good horn out of the parts. One instrument had a broken
upper joint, the other a broken lower. We combined the horns and made a VERY
playable instrument for next to nothing in cost (I think I paid $50 for one
and $35 for the other). Add $80 for a new DEG case and it was still a good
deal. We ditched the skin pads that were on the horn and used leather
during the repad, a vast improvement.
There are intonation issues with the Vito instruments, but they are readily
correctable. Richard Bush published an excellent article in the Woodwind
Quarterly a few years ago that, while not specifically addressing the alto,
provides vital information and guidance to making the Vito plastic clarinets
play well and in tune. One other thing, the stock mouthpieces that come with
the plastic alto's are horrible. I'm using a Vandoren B44 now with Rico
Royal 2 1/2 reeds.
I use my alto for clarinet trio & choir work, and in a jazz combo as a
double for alto sax. It gets rather strange looks sometimes, but I'm funny
lookin' anyway...
Bob Fowler
sax...@superlink.net
http://uweb.superlink.net/saxman
Bob Fowler
news:9id0h8$fff$1...@front7.grolier.fr...
FWIW - Most of the plastic alto clarinets aren't great out of the box, they