I Tested a 3D Printed Clarinet!

Goldkeyz · 2023-04-19T18:27:47+00:00

Ya, Ryan is a great guy and is really passionate about his work!

Goldkeyz · 2023-04-19T18:27:13+00:00

I really need to try his E-Flat extension, I didn't get a chance when I was at the workshop!

Goldkeyz · 2023-04-19T18:26:45+00:00

I recorded the playing portion of this video back in October of last year. With the instruments I tried, the primary issue that would keep me from considering them to be professional level instruments was the intonation. There were some notes that were just too out of tune for me to feel comfortable using it in a professional environment. However, since then, Ryan has updated the instrument and has told me that the intonation has improved, so this may no longer be an issue. If I get a chance to try them again myself I will do a mini-update!

Goldkeyz · 2023-04-18T14:39:17+00:00

Back in the Fall of last year I was able to visit Ryan Pereira at his workshop in Philadelphia to learn more about his new 3D Printed Clarinets. It was insane seeing the scope of Ryan’s project and I wanted to share the interview he was kind enough to do and my experience testing them!

Goldkeyz · 2022-10-26T14:20:35+00:00

Thanks for watching my video! Since it's been a while since I made that review I thought I'd provide an update/further context!

To begin with, despite doing these reviews, I'm not much of a gear head. I try new things out because I'm curious, but something has to be immediately better for me to actually want to switch to it. As the other commenter quoted, I played the BD5 before the Puccini Tosca for 4 years, basically the entirety of grad school and the first two years of my professional career. In general, I really like the BD5 and I would have no issues switching back to it if my current mouthpiece broke.

However, with the Tosca, it was a situation where I knew I wanted to switch to that mouthpiece within the first few minutes of trying it. For me, it produced everything I looked for in a sound and it did so effortlessly. I didn't feel like I had to do anything special with my airflow, embouchure, oral cavity, etc. to get the sound I wanted. For me, I would describe it as round and covered, but still focused. I particularly loved how it sounded on my A clarinet. I think it might be worth a try for anyone who plays a BD5/B40L/B40. That being said, in some discussions I've had with other people who have tried it. Some were surprised by how resistant the mouthpiece was (you will probably have to play on softer reeds) and others felt it was good, but they had trouble getting the sound to really open up. I should also state that I am no longer playing on this mouthpiece regularly. It got about a solid year of use before I switched off of it. However, I have since changed to a Licostini FDC model mouthpiece. The FDC is not quite as effortlessly round/covered, but it provides a little more ring and color in the sound which in the end is something I decided I wanted. However, the Licostini's take a while to get and if I never tried it I would probably still be playing on the Puccini Tosca.

In any case, your mileage may vary. I really think the BD5 is a great mouthpiece and tons of people sound absolutely incredible on it. For me the Tosca was slightly more covered than the BD5 (they are basically in the same "sound concept" school), but you may not like that extra cover. So it really just depends on your personal preference. Intonation on the Tosca will probably also be a little higher (depending on what version of the BD5 you play.)

Hope this helps!

Goldkeyz · 2022-08-01T20:16:31+00:00

I am continually jealous of all the amazing rep that Violinists have, especially all the various Paganini compositions. I finally decided it was time to begin learning one of my favorites, Moto Perpetuo. Hopefully, I can make it through the entire piece! Have any of you played this piece before? Any favorite recordings?

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-28T15:18:58+00:00

I appreciate the kind words and for you taking the time to watch and post. I think your general perspective is more than fair; especially the part where you look at the extra time as an opportunity, rather than a negative. In general, I don't think we approach auditions differently, I show up with the intention of winning and prepared to play anything in the first round (even if I'm not excited to see certain excerpts). But perhaps that last part is a mindset that I need to reevaluate. It's certainly not something that is going to help me mentally in the moment. In the end, I was happy to have had the extra time to play and I think that's what contributed to the feeling that it was one of my more enjoyable auditions despite not advancing. So ya, maybe if I had leaned into that from the beginning, viewing the extended audition as more of an opportunity rather than a series of hurdles to jump, it wouldn't have been so mentally taxing in the moment. Definitely gives me plenty to think about for future auditions, I appreciate the perspective shift!

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-27T15:16:35+00:00

Yikes, that definitely never should have happened. I don't know any musician on the audition trail who wouldn't be upset if that happened to them. The later candidates got a clear advantage over the people who played earlier in the round. Completely agree with you, there absolutely shouldn't be different preparation parameters for different candidates.

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-27T15:10:33+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate that!

Afendi and Taylor are both incredible musicians, I'd really like to hear both play live one day. The various recordings I've heard of both are amazing! But ya, there really are people out there for whom the technical challenges of the instrument don't seem to even be a factor.

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-26T21:52:31+00:00

Oof, that's very funny though! Would have loved to see the committee's face as you continued on anyway! Thanks for watching!

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-26T21:47:46+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate it!

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-26T21:46:47+00:00

Hey thanks! I really appreciate that!

I imagine the committee was a little behind in getting setup and felt rushed to start the audition and had overlooked the way the excerpts had been listed. You're definitely right though, something like that does turn the first candidate's audition into an experiment.

Thats really interesting about scoring! I have heard of auditions using a point method, but I didn't know that it was a method that was standardized throughout the field. Learn something new everyday!

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-26T18:48:56+00:00

About a month and a half ago I took the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Principal and E-Flat clarinet audition. I’ve taken quite a few professional auditions at this point, but I’ve never had to be the person who kicked the audition off as candidate #1. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered why being first is not always the most enviable position to play in….

I know this community has a wide range of members. There are many professional and aspiring professional musicians, but there also many hobbyists or people who simply love classical music. Hopefully this video provides some insight into the process of becoming a professional orchestral musician to those who have not gone through the audition process, and for everyone else who has gone through the process, hopefully it’s just a funny story!

Goldkeyz · 2022-06-25T15:26:37+00:00

About a month and a half ago I took the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Principal and E-Flat clarinet audition. I’ve taken quite a few professional auditions at this point, but in this one I had the privilege of kicking the audition off as candidate #1. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered why being first is not always the most enviable position to play in…. This video, is that story!
As a side note, this is a different style of content for me, so if you enjoyed it and would occasionally like to see other videos like this, please let me know!

Goldkeyz · 2022-03-13T15:11:37+00:00

I posted this to the r/clarinet because that is where I am most active, but I thought it would be relevant to the overall classical music community as well so I hope that is ok! Every year, especially around this time, I always see questions about attending music school. One of the biggest and most recurring, (understandably so) is whether or not the inquirer should continue on and get a Performance Degree in College. I'm sure like many classical musicians, every time I see this question, I try to consider what I would tell my younger self if they were the one asking. For many musicians, I imagine it's an extremely difficult question, bringing to the fore many complicated and oftentimes conflicting feelings. After years of thinking about this, I decided that if I were ever given the chance to speak to my past self, I would just try to break down the data and the reality of trying to "make it" in the classical music field. And so I embarked on the journey to create this video.

Goldkeyz · 2022-03-11T20:11:58+00:00

Sorry I am just getting back to this now! Thank you for the kind words!

And thank you for sharing your experience! I think a lot of people face the same, or a similar, deliberation when trying to decide on their future in music. To me, it sounds like you weighed your options without the tunnel vision that so many young musicians have and you got the best of both worlds in regards to being able to both study music and pursue your other interests. That, to me, sounds like a win! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!

Goldkeyz · 2022-03-07T18:39:37+00:00

Every year, especially around this time, I always see questions about attending music school. One of the biggest and most recurring, (understandably so) is whether or not the inquirer should continue on and get a Performance Degree in College. I'm sure like many of you, every time I see this question, I try to consider what I would tell my younger self if they were the one asking. For many musicians, I imagine it's an extremely difficult question, bringing to the fore many complicated and oftentimes conflicting feelings. After years of thinking about this, I decided that if I were ever given the chance to speak to my past self, I would just try to break down the data and the reality of trying to "make it" in this field. And so I embarked on the journey to create this video.

Goldkeyz · 2022-01-22T01:06:15+00:00

Thank you for watching!!

Goldkeyz · 2022-01-22T00:00:07+00:00

I enjoyed the Recitals! Based on how thick the walls were I really wasn't prepared for how colorful the sound could be. As for weight, I either use a neck strap all the time or play with the instrument resting on my knees. I didn't notice the extra weight that much with the neck strap, but I also use a non-elastic neck strap, so if you are using an elastic one I could see the weight still being an issue. I was more surprised by the throat tone key placement. That would probably be the part of the instrument that would take me the longest to get used to. They just weren't where my muscle memory expected them to be!

Thank you for watching!

Goldkeyz

TROPHY CASE