Metal clarinets
From Oddwinds
Even a mundane Bb soprano or bass clarinet becomes odd (Category 3) when made of metal. Metal soprano clarinets actually were quite popular during the 1930s and 1940s, being more durable and less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity than wooden instruments. Plastic clarinets drove metal back into obscurity by the middle of the century, though some musicians (especially in jazz) still favor them.
For the largest (already odd) members of the clarinet family the advantages of metal are more important, and Leblanc France still makes metal contra-alto and contrabass clarinets in both straight and "paperclip" formats. (Leblanc USA makes straight plastic contras.) Metal was also used for the octocontra-alto and octocontrabass clarinets.
Pictures
- A gallery of clarinet photos (in Japanese):
- Page 6 features metal clarinets.
- Terje Lerstad's web site,
- In the midst of a bunch of pictures of (metal) octocontra-alto and octocontrabass clarinets, a 1940 picture of six metal harmony clarinets.
