|
List of articles (all on this page) from the 1996/7 catalogue:-
Michael J. Allen Flutemaker
As a child Michael showed an interest in music, metalwork and painting.
At the age of eighteen he became an apprentice in a company of goldsmiths
in Hatton Garden, working in silver, gold and occasionally platinum. During this period he
bought an old Rudall and Rose flute from a market stall and took it to Trevor James to
have it valued. As a result of this contact he joined Trevor as one of the first repairers
employed at his shop in London. After several years there he decided to become an
independent maker of flutes and headjoints.
The continuing process of becoming a respected maker has involved buying
and making a comprehensive set of tools, so that Michael now makes every flute part
himself. He even makes his own tube from flat sheet so that he has complete control of
size, gauge and quality. In the twelve years he has been an independent maker, Michael has
so far made thirty five flutes and four hundred and thirty headjoints. The only process he
delegates is the padding of his instruments, always undertaken by Stephen Butler, who
Michael describes as a very gifted repairer and friend (also a very old friend of John
Myatt's).
Michael states that the main thing needed to make progress as a maker is
endless patience and hard work, coupled with an ability to channel all criticisms in a
constructive way. He does not mention his amazing skill and his willingness to devote just
as much time as is needed to produce the perfect end result, regardless of the cost.
We are proud to be associated with this master craftsman.
YAMAHA SILENT BRASS!
Yamaha have devised a revolutionary new 'practice mute', models are available for
trumpet/cornet, trombone and french horn.
 An ingenious box
of electronics enables you to blow the instrument with all your might hearing a sound on
your headphones not dissimilar to playing in a concert hall. Yet the sound produced is
barely audible to any listener not wired up to the headphones! This is ideal for late
night practice sessions if you have sensitive neighbours, practice in a hotel room etc.
There is an input for a second player so duets may be played, keyboards may be added, CD
players may be connected for using 'play-along' CDs etc.
Initial reaction from both staff and customers to this revolutionary product has been
very enthusiastic.
Brass players are strongly recommended to try this amazing application of technology.
THE DESIGN & ACOUSTICS OF CLARINET MOUTHPIECES
 Over the past months
Edward Pillinger (left) has been testing clarinet mouthpieces from the shop in connection
with his post graduate work at the London Guildhall University. Here he writes about his
research.
I am conducting research into how the lay profile (facing), tone chamber
and bore of different clarinet mouthpieces interact to produce the individual tone and
response that characterise different makes and models.
The early stages of the work involve testing as many commercially available
mouthpieces as possible in order to determine the range and quality currently available
and to establish some points of reference.
Very accurate measurements of the physical dimensions of the mouthpieces
must be made and high resolution analysis of the complex wave forms produced in the
different registers carried out.
It is imperative that this work be performed in conditions which are
strictly controlled and where consistency can be maintained. To achieve this, I have made
an artificial embouchure (blowing chamber) complete with tongueing device and gauges to
monitor air pressure and sound levels.
Most of the work takes place in the Music Technology Research Lab at the
LGU where conditions are stable. In addition to the sound analysis made in the lab, I am
analysing the sound of myself and other professional clarinettists in order to compare
live and mechanically produced sounds.
Once this initial study has been completed I will assess how changes in
shape or dimension of the interior of the mouthpiece affect the overall tone and response.
This is certainly not the first time a study of clarinet acoustics has been
made and many well respected and researched papers and books have been written on the
subject. However, I am conducting my work primarily from a player's standpoint, and as
such, hope to discover more than has hitherto been achieved by mathematics and theory
alone. The process has already revealed some intriguing information and I have found
additional applications for my artificial embouchure both in the testing for consistency
and for checking the intonation of a clarinet's 12ths and scale.
But will there be a practical application for all the acquired data? It
would appear that the design of mouthpieces still remains largely empirical and many
players spend a great deal of time, energy and money in the search for a satisfactory
set-up.
I doubt that I shall find the perfect mouthpiece, and in any event, the
criteria for choice and the perception of quality in a mouthpiece is very subjective.
However, it should be possible, with the aid of computer modelling, for me to design
mouthpieces with precise and individually specified playing characteristics to suit a
given instrument or to help players make a more informed choice from the numerous makes
already available.
Clarinet Classic CDs
In 1992 clarinettist Victoria Soames and her brother Nicholas started a CD label,
Clarinet Classics with one title, the premiere recording of Copland's Clarinet Sonata and
the complete music for clarinet & piano by 'Les Six'.
The Sunday Times voted it Record of the Year, and Clarinet Classics seemed
well & truly launched. Four years on, the catalogue is up to 14 titles, with number 15
- A Grand Duo The Clarinet and the Early Romantics; a period performance recital with the
clarinettist Colin Lawson due for release in October and a disc devoted to Brahms clarinet
works with Victoria Soames due for release in January 1997. Has it been plain sailing?
Victoria Soames looks back and forward.
Our seventh CD, New English Clarinet Music commissioned by The Muhlfeld
Ensemble was a special release for me because it contained five of the works which had
been written for the group over the past 15 years. These included our first trio
commission by Elizabeth Lutyens. If there was any release which affirmed my decision to
invest huge amounts of time energy (and not a little cash) in Clarinet Classics, this was
it. I did not expect to see it in the classical charts, but these pieces needed to be put
on record.
So far the Clarinet Classics catalogue has divided into five main areas:
Premier Recordings, Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past, Historical Recordings, Period
Performances and Recordings from the LP Era. Soon to be added is the sixth area which I am
very excited about: clarinettists from different countries playing their own music
starting with Spain and Hungary.
The clarinettists so far included are: Roger Heaton, Colin Bradbury, Keith
Puddy, Colin Lawson, and Georgina Dobree, as well as my my own recordings.
There have been other aspects of Clarinet Classics which demonstrate the
involvement of clarinettists from different areas - something which is central to the
"raison d'etre" of the label. We were very grateful that Michael Bryant and
Malcolm McMillan have made available to us their extensive historical collection to
Clarinet Classics for the series The Clarinet: Historical Recordings; and that Thea King
personally supervised the transfers from 78's of Frederick Thurston's recordings. I also
had early support from another key figure Pamela Weston, with her vast understanding of
clarinet history.
We are also delighted that we have a totally clarinet orientated recording
team- both the producer, Andrew Lyle (BBC Radio 3) and the engineer Simon Wier (Classical
Recording Company) are able clarinettists.
When Paul Driver of The Sunday Times gave our first recording (Copland and
'Les Six') his vote for one of his Record of the Year at Christmas 1992, I wondered if he
knew just how small a company we were. Ours was a cottage industry "par
excellence" - without a romantic cottage. But what Driver said, and the mere fact
that he picked us out from hundreds of CDs, was hugely reassuring and it came at the right
time.
There is a wonderful Age of Innocence when you start a label. I knew what I
wanted to do, create a label by clarinettists for clarinettists and the wider listening
public. To have an enormously rich variety of music and clarinettists on one label -
Clarinet Classics.
Clarinet Classics catalogues are available from the shop.
Yamaha Plastic Recorders
Yamaha manufacture a complete range of recorders from handmade wooden professional
instruments to affordable quality plastic instruments which we look at here.
Descant and Treble recorders are available at three levels. The basic
three-piece instruments are primarily intended for beginners and are available in either
brown or white. These extremely economical instruments are therefore recommended for
school use.
For the slightly more advanced player the three hundred series is ideal. A
better all-round instrument yet still at an affordable price. A relatively recent addition
to the Yamaha range are the 312B (rosewood) and 314B (ebony) simulated wood finish
recorders. These are very attractive instruments with superb intonation and a sweet,
mellow tone comparing favourably with many of the cheaper wooden instruments available.
Tenor recorders are only available in the 300 series. In addition to the
very popular 302B. Yamaha have NOW added the 304B which has two keys enabling full
chromaticism in the lower register.
Extremely good value, at approximately half the price of a wooden bass, the
Yamaha 302B bass recorder offers a clear full tone along with accurate tuning. Instead of
the traditional crook, this recorder is supplied with an angled headjoint for ease of
playing.
And last but not least, the sopranino. Yamaha offer two models, the basic
24B and the superior 302B both of which are excellent value for money.
All in all, Yamaha offer the widest range of plastic recorders, all of
which boast unmatched quality and value.
Professional E Flat Clarinets
Our clarinet specialist Val Cheesman takes a look at the current range of E flat
clarinets.
Yamaha produce two Eb clarinets, the original 681 series 2 with wooden body
and silver plate keys and bell ring finish. The tone holes are inset and tapered, with
hand tapered undercut. The barrel supplied is 42mm and the mouthpiece is the standard 4c.
The custom model is the 881, a relative newcomer that encompasses all the
same basic features as the 681 but with carefully hand selected wood, integral tone holes
and a solid silver, pressure fitted bell ring. The main difference is in the bore design
which is the same basic size as the 681 but with different design features. It comes in
custom case with case bag.
Leblanc have two professional Eb clarinets - the Concerto and the top of
the range Opus.
The Opus is made with top grade, unstained wood with silver plate keywork.
The bore and tone hole placings are the same as the Concerto but with different undercut
giving a fuller tone, perhaps more suited to symphonic use. It is supplied with two
barrels 43mm as standard and 41mm, an adjustable thumbrest and left hand Eb/Ab key.
The Concerto has a smaller and more direct sound and is perhaps more suited
to band use.
The Buffet Professional Eb range comprises of the R13, the RC and the RC
Prestige. The basic diameter of the cylinder in each case is 13.10 and the positioning of
tone holes and register key, along with the differences in bore design characterise each
individual model.
All models have the new two-piece body but none have the left hand Ab/Eb
lever.
The R13 has nickel plate keys and is mainly aimed at the American and U.K.
markets with pitch at A440, whereas the RC and RC Prestige with silver plate keys and
pitch nearing A442 were mainly designed for Europe and Japan. Tone-wise the Prestige model
is perhaps more suited to symphonic use.
Howarth Handmade Clarinets
After many years of producing oboes Howarth has recently introduced a professional
clarinet.
It has been designed in their workshop by Jon Steward and built to his
specifications by Peter Worrell in the factory in West Sussex.
This quality instrument is made from carefully selected African Blackwood
(Dalbergia Melanoxylon) which is left unstained to show off its natural grain.
The nominal bore size is 14.75mm & the standard pitch is A440Hz. Other
pitches are available on request. The tone holes are undercut throughout.
The keywork is Boehm System, made from nickel silver & bronze, and
finished with a generous coating of silver plate. Gold plate is also available on request.
Special features include:
- Long Bb "clutch" with regulating screw to give easy access for adjustment.
- Connecting arm for B & C with regulating screw, also for easy adjustment.
- Individually mounted side top trill keys to give precise & reliable action
- 2nd top trill hole set forward to
- avoid water.
- C#/G# & Eb/Bb tone holes angled above centre of bore, also to help avoid water.
- Offset E/B tone hole to produce clear E.
- Longer top tenon to give stability when tuning.
- Adjustable thumb-rest with large plate, fitting close to the body.
All clarinets are supplied with a quality mouthpiece made to Howarth specifications.
| 
