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The Clarinet My favourite instrument has to be the clarinet. I seem to have made quite a habit of collecting them over the years. I first started playing at around the age of 9 and still have my first instrument - in pristine condition! I certainly knew how to look after my things. My first clarinet was an Artley Prelude 18S Serial number 5xxxx. My next clarinet I bought in 1995 when I first came back to England to live. It is a Leblanc Infinite and I still play it. An A Clarinet came next - this time a Leblanc Concerto. A beautiful instrument. On one of my trips back to New Zealand my old clarinet/saxophone teacher Arthur Cameron told me he was giving up playing and would l like his old clarinet - well how could I say no! This is also a Leblanc but unusual in that it has an articulated G sharp key and with an extra Bb venting mechanism - probably a Stubbins mechanism. Serial number: 5xxx See photo below - click on the photo for a larger picture. Back view Front view For quite a few years I played Eb clarinet in what was then called Hatfield Concert Band. The Eb I had was a lovely little wooden clarinet with a plastic Boosey & Hawkes LaFleur bell so I can only presume that this is the make of it. My next clarinet purchase was from Ebay - once found an addiction as you could tell from my doll pages. This clarinet is a very old Selmer Bundy Alto Clarinet with open ring keys. I simply love this instrument as old as it is! I play this in the Phoenix Concert Band, occasionally in the Ionian Clarinet Choir and also in the BBC Concert Band. Well once you have an alto - what else do you need? Well along came a bass, again from Ebay. I was slightly disappointed with this purchase as it wasn't as straight forward as it should have been but problems were eventually resolved to a satisfactory conclusion. This bass is again a Selmer Bundy but a more modern version. It plays very sharp and I thought it was me, but after having the opportunity of playing a couple of bass's on the Liverpool Clarinet Summer School, I discover it wasn't! I now have my eye on a Buffet RC Prestige - what a beautiful instrument! It will probably take me years to save up for one! I have upgraded my E flat for a Leblanc Noblet 40, a delightful little instrument so am now trying to sell my first. (I can put this towards my bass savings!) I was also lucky to find a fantastic old, probably rosewood simple system clarinet made by Hawkes & Son in 1875 or 1876. It is in amazing condition and at some stage I will get it re-padded in order to be able to play it although it is in old pitch and probably a C instrument.
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Copyright © 2005 by Lorraine Tyler. All rights reserved. |