Talk:Saxonette

Latest comment: 18 years ago by Rsholmes in topic References


Fingering

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do the saxonette's have the same fingering as the clarinet

please anwser —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.228.49.6 (talkcontribs) 30 Oct 2006

The short answer is "yes". The slightly longer answer is "yes but"...
As it says in the article a saxonette is really just a clarinet with a differently-shaped barrel and bell. Here's a recent eBay auction of a saxonette by J. W. Pepper (the seller incorrectly thought it was an alto clarinet). Notice a couple of things. One is, this instrument comes also with a straight wooden bell and barrel, so it can be used as a regular straight clarinet or as a saxonette. (A while back a similar instrument -- with both curved and straight pieces -- marked Linton also was sold on eBay). The other is, the key system is unfamiliar to most clarinetists. That's because most clarinets use the Boehm key system and this instrument uses the Albert system. But there are many Albert system straight clarinets out there too. So this saxonette has the same fingering as a clarinet -- an Albert clarinet. This article suggests nearly all saxonettes were Albert system, but there were some Boehm saxonettes made too. They have the same fingering as a Boem clarinet. -- Rsholmes 01:41, 31 October 2006 (UTC)Reply

References

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I've tagged this article as unreferenced, and then compounded the problem by adding information without references. Sorry! But the statement about instruments with both clarinet and saxonette fittings, and the statement about aftermarket curved bells, are based on seeing these on eBay, not a good source to cite (if only because it's transitory). (The dual-fitting instruments I've seen are a J. W. Pepper -- see above under "Fingering" -- and a Linton. The latter at least is probably a stencil.) I haven't spotted any better sources for these. Help appreciated! -- Rsholmes 02:22, 31 October 2006 (UTC)Reply