Help need from a person with albert/simple system clarinet knowledge
es330td
out of her house of which she denied prior knowledge. My in-laws
lived in the house for 20 years and believe it came with the house.
It is a Conn Albert System clarinet, serial number B23015H, which
indicates it was made in 1913. I do not know what the "B" or "H"
mean, if anything. In spite of its age it does not appear to be worth
much if eBay auctions are any indication.
I have always been a fan of clarinet music, especially in jazz/big
band, Italian and Klezmer settings so I thought I would teach myself
to play it, taking a lesson or two as needed to get through problems.
In my more than 25 years of music I have played flute, trombone and
guitar so I am comfortable with music, though this "reed" thing is
taking some getting used to. ;-)
Three days ago I took it to the local band music store and had a tech
look at it. All the pads are good and he was able to play its lowest
possible note. Because of the wider mouthpiece rails it currently has
an Alto clarinet reed installed. If I understand clarinet
descriptions correctly, it has 2 rings (on the lower section holes for
the right middle and ring fingers) and 13 keys, including two for each
pinkie.
(If it helps, it looks just like the clarinet on this page
http://www.amazon.com/Years-Simple-System-Clarinet-Colin-Lawson/dp/B00009NOX1)
With the top (left hand) holes covered it plays a Bb below middle C on
a piano. I do not know how high it can play because I haven't figured
this register key out and am still figuring out the reed. So far I can
play one scale (F, I believe) which is all the hole covered up to no
holes covered. I can't play higher then the F yet so right now it is
a one octave instrument.
I am primarily interested in playing in a jazz/improv kind of setting,
though I have a dream of working up a passable "Stranger on the
Shore." I am trying to find out what kind of range this clarinet has
and if it will even do what I want. I know that being an Albert
System it is ill suited for general play but I am 38 so that is not a
concern for me. I am more concerned about knowing up front if this
instrument is so limited in capability that I will quickly find things
I cannot play.
My questions:
Are there books out there to help me learn this outside of using a
standard clarinet book?
Are there any limitations to what I will be able to play because of
its simplicity compared to a standard clarinet?
Are there any nuances or quirks about this instrument I should know
about?
Thanks for reading this far and any advice or help people can give.
Jack Campin - bogus address
> I do not know how high it can play because I haven't figured
> this register key out and am still figuring out the reed.
It'll take while before you can get it very far up, and you may not
need to, depending on what you play. It depends more on you than
the instrument.
> I am primarily interested in playing in a jazz/improv kind of setting,
> though I have a dream of working up a passable "Stranger on the
> Shore."
Most jazz is a lot tougher than "Stranger on the Shore". That one
should be pretty easy.
> I know that being an Albert System it is ill suited for general play
It may not be that great for bebop or Brahms, but there are many
genres where the Albert rules. Klezmer and Turkish music, for
two (I use a Turkish Albert-system G clarinet for Scottish music).
And Johnny Dodds didn't sound too limited by it, did he?
> Are there books out there to help me learn this outside of using a
> standard clarinet book?
Otto Langey's tutor covers both Albert and Boehm systems in parallel.
You don't need much more than a fingering chart to convert, anyway.
> Are there any limitations to what I will be able to play because of
> its simplicity compared to a standard clarinet?
Only very chromatic fast passagework. Some diatonic passagework
can be faster, and the reduced weight makes the Albert easier to
hold if you're playing a long set in a dance band (like a Moravian
or Hungarian ensemble).
==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === <http://www.campin.me.uk> ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts
****** I killfile Google posts - email me if you want to be whitelisted ******
Afoklala
> Three days ago I took it to the local band music store and had a tech
> look at it. All the pads are good and he was able to play its lowest
> possible note.
That's a piece of luck, after all these years...
> Because of the wider mouthpiece rails it currently has
> an Alto clarinet reed installed.
You should use special 'German cut' reeds for Bb clarinet. I don't know how
available these are where you live, however.
> With the top (left hand) holes covered it plays a Bb below middle C on
> a piano.
That's what is SOUNDS like. However, the clarinet is a transposing
instrument, which means that the notation is different from the actual
sound. The Bb clarinet is written one whole note higher than it actually
sounds, so the note you describe is notated as middle C. The instrument is
called 'Bb clarinet' precisely because a written C sounds like a Bb.
> I am trying to find out what kind of range this clarinet has
> and if it will even do what I want.
An Albert clarinet will do anything a Boehm clarinet can, and vice versa.
> I know that being an Albert
> System it is ill suited for general play
This is absolutely untrue. If you go to e.g. Germany, just about EVERYBODY
plays Albert, and they do seem to manage all right...
> I am more concerned about knowing up front if this
> instrument is so limited in capability that I will quickly find things
> I cannot play.
So no problems there.
> My questions:
>
> Are there books out there to help me learn this outside of using a
> standard clarinet book?
Many clarinet books will give both Boehm and Albert fingerings, and even if
one doesn't, you could simply get a fingering chart (e.g. off the internet)
and read off that.
> Are there any limitations to what I will be able to play because of
> its simplicity compared to a standard clarinet?
> Are there any nuances or quirks about this instrument I should know
> about?
No limitations, as the clarinet is NOT simpler. There are a few less keys,
but the mechanics are quite intricate.
BTW, I play Boehm myself, but I have colleagues who play Albert, and I've
had a few students who played Albert.
--
Jan Willem from Odijk, Netherlands
Listen to my music on http://www.xs4all.nl/~dormoljw/gbcomponist.html
e-mail in From-field is wrong, real e-mail is:
jw point van point dormolen on xs4all point nl
(change point into dot, on into at)
And then there's this:
Down with gravity.
Stephen Howard
wrote:
>An old clarinet was found in my mother-in-law's attic when she moved
>out of her house of which she denied prior knowledge. My in-laws
>lived in the house for 20 years and believe it came with the house.
>It is a Conn Albert System clarinet, serial number B23015H, which
>indicates it was made in 1913. I do not know what the "B" or "H"
>mean, if anything. In spite of its age it does not appear to be worth
>much if eBay auctions are any indication.
>
>
Have you checked the tuning?
The B probably indicates the instrument's in Bb - and the H may well
indicate that it's a high-ptiched instrument ( built before the
standardised pitch of A=400hz, known as low-pitch ).
If it's high pitch then it will mean that you will have trouble
playing it alongside other instruments.
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard
Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Haynes Saxophone Manual
es330td
> On Mon, 7 Sep 2009 07:53:49 -0700 (PDT), es330td <es33...@gmail.com>
I thought A=440. Is this not right?
Concerning the tuning, it matches pitch for pitch with our piano for
the notes I am able to play (still can't get above F.)
Jack Campin - bogus address
>> an Alto clarinet reed installed.
> You should use special 'German cut' reeds for Bb clarinet.
It was a Conn, not a German clarinet. You surely only need these
reeds for a German type (narrower bore).
The previous owner must have had odd tastes if it had such a deviant
mouthpiece fitted. Might be worth trying a normal one to see if it's
easier.
> This is absolutely untrue. If you go to e.g. Germany, just about
> EVERYBODY plays Albert, and they do seem to manage all right...
The German system is Oehler, a development of the Albert with some
extra keys.
es330td
standard clarinet mouthpiece to test the instrument with a normal Bb
clarinet reed, not the original mouthpiece. I originally tried to use
the same reed on the mouthpiece that came with the instrument and
couldn't get any of the low notes I heard the tech play and could only
play high, piercing notes. I went back and the tech wasn't there but
someone else looked at it and said "That reed isn't wide enough. Try
this alto clarinet reed instead." I could immediately play the low
notes.
Bob Lombard
Well Jeez. Standard Bb/A mouthpieces in the 'student' range are pretty
cheap. Get one?
Bob
Afoklala
>>> Because of the wider mouthpiece rails it currently has
>>> an Alto clarinet reed installed.
>> You should use special 'German cut' reeds for Bb clarinet.
>
> It was a Conn, not a German clarinet. You surely only need these
> reeds for a German type (narrower bore).
Sorry, I was assuming Albert clarinet > German style mouthpiece. Of course
this may not be true (I'm playing a Boehm clarinet with a German mp
myself). Also, German reeds are narrower than French ones (I wasn't paying
attention) so there is definitely something strange going on.
> The previous owner must have had odd tastes if it had such a deviant
> mouthpiece fitted. Might be worth trying a normal one to see if it's
> easier.
>
>> This is absolutely untrue. If you go to e.g. Germany, just about
>> EVERYBODY plays Albert, and they do seem to manage all right...
>
> The German system is Oehler, a development of the Albert with some
> extra keys.
Yeah, well, I consider that a detail. But strictly speaking, you're right.
--
Jan Willem from Odijk, Netherlands
Listen to my music on http://www.xs4all.nl/~dormoljw/gbcomponist.html
e-mail in From-field is wrong, real e-mail is:
jw point van point dormolen on xs4all point nl
(change point into dot, on into at)
And then there's this:
Forsooth, avoid archaisms.
Stephen Howard
wrote:
>On Sep 8, 6:06�am, Stephen Howard <seesig...@email.uk> wrote:
>> On Mon, 7 Sep 2009 07:53:49 -0700 (PDT), es330td <es33...@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >An old clarinet was found in my mother-in-law's attic when she moved
>> >out of her house of which she denied prior knowledge. �My in-laws
>> >lived in the house for 20 years and believe it came with the house.
>> >It is a Conn Albert System clarinet, serial number B23015H, which
>> >indicates it was made in 1913. �I do not know what the "B" or "H"
>> >mean, if anything. �In spite of its age it does not appear to be worth
>> >much if eBay auctions are any indication.
>>
>> Have you checked the tuning?
>> The B probably indicates the instrument's in Bb - and the H may well
>> indicate that it's a high-ptiched instrument ( built before the
>> standardised pitch of A=400hz, known as low-pitch ).
>>
>> If it's high pitch then it will mean that you will have trouble
>> playing it alongside other instruments.
>>
>
>I thought A=440. Is this not right?
Er...no...it's a new EU regulation. Concert A will now be set at
400hz, a pint of beer will contain nuts, and candles will be sold
without wicks to avoid the risk of fire.
OK, I'll come clean - it was a typo. It's still 440, or thereabouts.
>
>Concerning the tuning, it matches pitch for pitch with our piano for
>the notes I am able to play (still can't get above F.)
Assuming your piano is in tune then so's the clarinet - which is good
news.
If it's any help, I have a number of clients who regularly play simple
system clarinets professionally - so it's by no mean impossible...and
the tone is rather more expansive than that of a Boehm system
clarinet.
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard
es330td
I kind of wanted to stay original if possible. That is an option.
Having been presented with an heirloom kind of instrument I thought I
would try to learn to play it "as is" first.
es330td
>
> >I thought A=440. Is this not right?
>
> Er...no...it's a new EU regulation. Concert A will now be set at
> 400hz, a pint of beer will contain nuts, and candles will be sold
> without wicks to avoid the risk of fire.
>
> OK, I'll come clean - it was a typo. It's still 440, or thereabouts.
>
would not have surprised me. Thanks for the clarification.
Bob Lombard
Sure. You can always cut your own reeds, as the original owner probably did.
Bob