The ClarinetPages Forum

As well as the myeloma I have a blocked ear. Totally deaf in my left ear;the Eustachian tubes are blocked. I've seen my GP and Doctor but nothing they give me works. I'm told I just have to keep massaging the area and use the menthal inhalers and gum
But then I read online that one way is to blow up balloons (you can actually buy such a device to blow for clearing of the pistachio tubes), and while I don't have any balloons I do have a clarinet. So I had a 10 minutes, I mean 30 minutes session of random tuneful blowing (I hope!) and when I came downstairs, now quite hot, I had to urgently blow my nose. So that seems to be working. I will keep up with that.
Fingers and earlobes crossed!

 A 70s song by a group called Space, which was the first piece I learned to play on a bontempi reed organ when I was 11.

Here playing it on my Carry On EWI (electronic wind instrument ) using Flute voice


https://youtu.be/DZpUiUzptxU?is=SfE8HmklXEmfib3I

Say Windsong, would you happen to have or know someone who has a metal Pedler for sale? Not for me, someone elsewhere was asking about them and I know you deal with Pedlers.

Well I've had another look at the low key on the Pedler and its definitely that F pad that is not closing properly.
I've tried moving the screw on the touch piece, no effect. If I cover all the holes and blow I can hear a leak from that key only. But if I touch it with another finger it seals.
And I have reeds. They were in my tools box
https://youtube.com/shorts/tF_RQ1FL3Cs?is=jAjU_P-PcrAPWPCl

Well I'm feeling tons better, and hopefully it's not just a short good spell.

So I thought I'd put the Pedler together and try playing clarinet again. Just one problem. No bloody reeds lol. It's a silent clarinet...
Well damn... 🤦

A piece I "composed" on clarinet a few years ago, here played on my Sigo bass recorder. It has some glisses which was what I loved about clarinet, all open keys. And its even easier on the big recorders.

https://youtu.be/KCJwaGhTiT0?is=mSXCno_YFO8qPrDd

A friend sent me a 3D printed stand for my tenor Sigo and along with it was a surprise item, a 3D printed copy of a 45 year old hopf soprano recorder. He even scanned the interior bore to make it sound exactly like his own instrument!
Very cool.
Having to play one handed because I've injured my clavicle and am wearing a sling.

https://youtu.be/xgRXKttwado?is=UEaiSV_WGS5ox3VR

There's a new kid in recorder town, and it uses a very cool technique that dates back to the 16th century.
Sigo is a German brand from the Kunath company and it uses a convoluted spiral bore to drastically reduce the bore length.
The tenor recorder is normally a bit of a beast to play. Wide finger hole spacing and a body that's almost exactly twice the length of a soprano/descant. It is aso in C, and many have keys for the bottom notes.
Sigo does away with all that, producing a body that's about the size of an alto. The neck is also bent, like an alto clarinet, and the bottom hole is quarter of the way up the back.
Here's my tenor next to the bass
You cannot view this attachment.

Played on my Sigo tenor
I received the bass sigo yesterday, for free, from Germany,!
https://youtu.be/KNNurFnJZkc?is=FZznFMTq6RC8gohe

An irish song, played on my Sigo tenor

https://youtu.be/YlSluI7P_Cs?si=ChM0Bmd2wb1I4m9R

I received this from sax on the web...

"Older wooden clarinets can have problems innate to their making as they age. It may have been a pro clarinet almost a century ago, but these days I know pros who actually prefer non-wooden clarinets. Pedlers aren't valued at all. I had one and shipped it away for free to someone hoping maybe they could somehow bring it back so a kid could play it. Never heard back"

Hmmm

Well it turns out my illness is stage 3 myeloma, bone cancer. Its not curable but it is treatable (chemo)
But I can no longer play clarinet or any instrument that requires strong air. Recorder and tin whistle are ok, possibly flute.
I could have had this disease for a few years and not realised-thst is why its always been hard to blow strongly,! It sits in you undetected and thrn ZBad, welcome to the Myeloma club!
So I discovered my great nephew is learning clarinet at school but he doesn't have his own horn. Well soon he will have. I'm giving him the plastic Windsor with reeds, books and spare mpcs.
The Pedler I plan to get repaired and sell for at least £200.
Fingers crossed.

Do you physically warm up the instrument or mouthpiece before playing? I notice I get a lot of moisture when playing after a long practise session and the tone becomes buzzy. And drip drip drip on the floor (or my slippers)
Should I be warming the mouthpiece up first, like I would with a plastic recorder head joint? (Mpc is Babbett student, fantastic mpc compared to the Yamaha 4C)
You can hear the buzziness here
https://youtu.be/YNtCQ9rtHvc?si=JYsz47iY08Fk0J6Q

Guter Mond (Good Moon) on clarinet. Its been a while but I got it set up, ran through some Rubank exercises and I learned that while clarinet is hard to play, its also hard not to play. So I thought I'd play this German song that I learned on recorder a while ago. Seems kind of appropriate with what's going on above us at the moment...
https://youtu.be/gmFgrNMuIwg?si=8RGOV8MthmSI2DLQ

Donna Donna Donna, a song I started learning recently on piano, transferred to clarinet.
Windsor plastic clarinet (the Pedler is still very much out of action)
Babbit student mpc
Legere European cut 2.5
https://youtu.be/07RXrwArGGo?si=rsvRJ3GhtWf464qF

Saw this one on Vinted. Never heard of Mirage.

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/7403888582-mirage-clarinet

My terrible attempt at Autumn Leaves. Its the season, I had to.
No sheet music, played by ear

https://youtube.com/shorts/Dthyefss8dI?si=eYFLGjy-C8YUSf4U

Ok so I checked my clarinet for leaks, all good, its solid!
So I stuck a reed on and went for the second octave (isn't it called the Clarion range?). And considering I haven't played in a while I got a good run up to high C I think. It was fairly easy. The trick is to sound sweet rather than just loud. That will come with practise.
Now I just need to tighten my embouchure and continue with the Rubank book...
Windsor plastic horn
Babbit student mpc
Legere European cut 2.5.

https://youtu.be/vQukmMLZki4?si=RwLA3Je3q2gh0Bvv

A piece by Jack Lerole who played this on tin whistle way back when. Played here on my clarinet. I added a second octave note at the end...

https://youtu.be/Kkx_2nD21Eg?si=Z_KYdEar-UkSpJlN

Its high time I could do this by now, a lot of clarinet music requires that second octave. Its just a matter of lots of practise till I get it smoothly, going from high A to B with the register key. Hey that rhymes...

https://youtu.be/ePxHb3zdf1s?si=Fsxm_m_S7BFSrfOc