A New (Old) C-Clarinet
As arranging started to get underway, I quickly realized that working with a B-flat clarinet was going to become cumbersome. For reasons only they know, tango musicians preferred sharp keys, and by the time I would add two more sharps for the Bb parts, I kept running into passages that bordered on impossible. So I could either keep the arrangements on the less-virtuosic end, OR I could look into a good C clarinet. The former wasn’t of much interest to me, because what’s the point? But C clarinets are notoriously not-very-good. (I’ve looked at Cs over the years, but was never happy with the new ones enough to buy one). So as I was pondering these things, I started to browse eBay instrument sales to see what was out there for vintage-era models. Not much, fyi.
But randomly at 11:30 one night, I stumbled on an international listing for this particular C. I agonized for 28 minutes and made a definitive decision. (International instrument sales are final, so good luck to you)! I placed my very-thought-out low bid and drove home to get to sleep. By the time I got home, my bid to somewhere in Switzerland was accepted and New Old Squeaky was shipped out the next morning. I tracked its shipping journey online like a crazy person.
Because I’m a nerd and know clarinet serial numbers and the right questions to ask, and because some guy in Switzerland happened to be reputable, AND Buffet Clarinet Company knew what they were doing with Cs in 1979, I have an amazing little horn. I don’t know much about its history other than the year it was made and the amount of wear on the keys, but it’s now a fabulous tango horn. Anyway, I got it a full high-level overhaul, a new barrel (that’s a story in itself that I won’t inflict on the non-nerds), and off to the races.
A fringe benefit is that I can also easily read off of any band’s arrangements or lead sheets and fill in whatever they need: Vocal lines, violin lines, or bandoneon lines. (Except viola clef. No one should be including them anyway).
So… have C, will travel!