Music Industry News 2013

This feature on the WKA site provides new offerings and important product and service news for the Clarinet

Community. All firms with new products are encouraged to submit information so the Clarinet world can be made

aware of innovations and developments that can enhance their performance and educational goals and interests.

New Professional Clarinets designed by VIP Kazuo Fujii, just issued in Japan by Yamaha and later to be presented to USA in Spring 2014

Two recent Pro mouthpiece premieres - M30 for Eb Clarinet next to the Bb model, and right, the Master CL6 Pro mouthpiece, with tip opening more open from the CL4 and CL5 models

Below are World-Class Tuning barrels, with more entries to come, serving both Clarinets in French and German systems. Cutting edge concepts in design including pitch control and bore technology are offered here. This opens up flexibility in use to serve various tonal applications, whether playing solo, chamber music, Orchestral, or Band and wind performance.

Henri Paulus and Mattias Schuler, inventors, and Klarinettists in the Bonn Beethoven Orchester

This recent barrel innovation which has caught popularity in Germany is available for both German and French Boehm system instruments. Unique is the tuning itself is controlled by turning the center ring on the barrel to shorten or lengthen it to proper pitch as conditions change in performance. Information on ordering is available on the above website. Of vital interest many of the great iconic Clarinetists in Europe are actively using and endorsing these barrels, and word is spreading fast quickly to the USA. Artists galleried above include Wenzel Fuchs (Berliner Philharmoniker), Sabine Meyer Professor at Lubeck Hochscule fur Musik, Solo Clarinet in the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and founder of the Trio de Clarone), and Pascual Martinez-Forteza (New York Philharmonic), Franklin Cohen (Solo Clarinetist in The Cleveland Orchestra), Chad Burrow (Professor at the University of Michigan), Sabine Grofmeier (German Soloist and Master Class Teacher), Wenzel Fuchs and Mike Getzin, and Mike Getzin performing with The United States Army Band with Alumnus, Legend Solo Klarinettist of the Berliner Philharmoniker Karl Leister, and Ecesu Sertesen (Soloist and Solo Clarinetist in the Istabul Opera/Ballet Orchestra).

The clarinet z(oom)-barrel

When the conventional barrel is pulled out for assimilation of intonation the vibrations are cushioned on transfer from the mouth piece to the clarinet since the only remaining connection is the tenon cork. A cavity is formed on the inside and a gap on the outside.

As a consequence it was our aim to develop a clarinet barrel leading to new sound dimensions and at the same time eliminating the above mentioned problems.

The new development protected by trade mark rights offers an unprecedented sound brilliance. Our zoom barrel represents the perfect symbiosis of improved sound characteristics and reproducible intoning. The fact that the new z-barrel disposes of continuous boring in every position of length and additonally is not interrupted on the outside leads to an improvement which seemed to be unimaginable so far. Tuning becomes precisely adjustable and visible by an adjusting collar supplied with a scale. Rotating the adjusting collar lets the barrel expand without modifying the axial alignment.

Our clarinet barrel is produced with modern CNC turning technology and extended by the adjusting collar for assimilation of intonation without the mouth piece or the clarinet turning to each other.

The barrel was engineered for clarinetists in soloistic, symphonic and chamber musical areas as well as brass orchestras

New Mouthpiece innovation from Austria - For French System Clarinetists the Nick Playeasy B2 is highly recommended.

About our reeds

Material

The Forestone material is a mixture of polypropylene resin and cellulose wood fibre. More than 50 percent of the wood fiber used is bamboo. The material is brownish in colour, tasteless, odourless and non-toxic. The exceptional sound, resilience and flexibility of Forestone reeds is due mainly to this special material.

FABRICATION

Forestone reeds are made by proprietary injection molding developed in Japan. This results in reeds with optimally smooth vamps that are exceptional uniform and consistent, reed to reed.

CONSTRUCTION & PROFILE

Forestone reeds are perfectly balanced side to side and front to back. The more or less standard profile tapers down to 0.1 mm thickness across the tip. Held up to the light, the reeds display the classic upside-down “U-shape” associated with cane reeds.

PERFORMANCE

Forestone reeds tend to maintain their strength / resistance over time. They vibrate well and hold the centre of the sound in a manner similar to that of a good quality cane reed. The basic timbre is robust, clear and strong, with just enough “buzz” to ensure projection and carrying power. Intonation is stable and the reeds articulate well throughout the range of the clarinet and saxophone.

FEEL

The difference in feel between Forestone and cane is minimal. That said, it is the wise player who takes some time to get comfortable with Forestone, in the same way as he or she would take time to get comfortable with a new mouthpiece, ligature, barrel or instrument.

ADJUSTMENT

Blowing resistance can be adjusted with Forestone reeds by slightly raising or lowering the reed on the mouthpiece table (slightly lower placement = slightly less resistance, slightly higher placement = slightly more resistance). Although other types of adjustment are usually not necessary, the material is sufficient hard that one can still do so using blades, files, sandpaper, reed rush or whatever other tool or implement is desired. One can also clip Forestone reeds successfully.

LONGEVITY

The useful life of a Forestone reed will vary from player to player given that everyone’s way of playing — his or her embouchure address — stresses the reed differently. Forestone reeds will far outlast good quality cane as the proprietary composite material is impervious to water-logging and breakdown by saliva, and will not warp due to changes in humidity or altitude. After a certain number of hours, however, the reeds will begin to feel less lively and responsive. The loss in vitality, be it subtle or more pronounced, would signal the time has come to retire the reed in favor of a newer one.

Paulus & Schuler GbR Clarinet Tuning Barrels