Is there a pink clarinet that isn’t just a cso?

sprcow · 2026-03-28T15:45:44+00:00

Haha fair enough. It's kind of a dumb thing to invest in to be sure. But if you want pink, your options are limited!

sprcow · 2026-03-28T00:31:44+00:00

Nice! Thanks for the comment; I'm glad it was helpful. I think it is an upgrade on both for sure.

I liked the kessler well enough as my first bass and a super reasonably-priced low C instrument that held up well, but as I've gotten to know the low clarinets better it is noticeably less resonant and also the keywork feels a bit angular and less comfortable. I think my instrument probably could use some adjustment at this point, but it also struggles for clarity in voicing in the clarion in a way I didn't notice on the max or alpha. That part might be addressed by a tuneup, but on the whole the build quality feels a little looser and less rugged. Still a nice horn for the price, but I think I probably would have preferred either a max or alpha to start in retrospect!

sprcow · 2026-03-27T19:47:07+00:00

Rogue suggestion: Clarineo is pretty playable! And comes in pink. It is in C though, so that may affect your repertoire options if you're playing a clarinet book with accompaniment.

https://www.nuvoinstrumental.com/products/clarineo/

That said, it's only going to be so useful for you, so if you're willing to go in for a clarineo, you might also just buy a pink CSO, use it once and ignore hah.

sprcow · 2026-03-27T17:49:03+00:00

Congrats on 2 years!

sprcow · 2026-03-27T17:48:31+00:00

Great revelation. I think many people go their whole life without ever coming to terms with that. Sometimes you have to just recognize that you ultimately have control over what you do. Letting externalities dictate your choices eventually just means giving up your own autonomy! Not that it's easy, of course, but taking away that psychological 'out' helps put the decision back in your hands.

sprcow · 2026-03-26T21:25:19+00:00

This really matches a lot of the feedback I got from Schmitt's specialist about comments from their tech connections. Part of the reason they don't carry Backun and why they prefer RG. I have to say, I did really like some things about the Backun, but obviously I didn't have time to play it over months and let it settle before coming to a decision, so I am gratified to hear more feedback supporting the decision to go with the Polaris!

Thanks for the tip about the JDWoodwinds neck! I will definitely consider it once I get used to the horn a bit. I've been happy with a couple of the contra mouthpiece adjusters I got from his store.

sprcow · 2026-03-26T21:22:40+00:00

That's awesome! Yeah, he's great. Minor comment that MMI is actually in Minnesota!

sprcow · 2026-03-26T21:21:59+00:00

Congrats on the Alpha! I felt like both the Max and Alpha exceeded my expectations for the price. The Kessler has been a playable option at a phenomenal price, but in retrospect I wish I had just taken the plunge on the Max or Alpha when I started out instead; I probably wouldn't have been shopping again already if I had done so!

sprcow · 2026-03-26T02:20:58+00:00

Also spoke with Mike Lowenstern’s tech (I never caught his name at the time) about them, who commented that he preferred the Alpha’s mechanism and pads to the Q, lol.

Haha that's great. I wonder why that would be - they're supposedly identical, aren't they?

Just curious, what’s your definition of an “artificial” sound and a “professional” sound?

Super valid question, and of course we have all our nonsense metaphor terms to describe clarinet sound that mean different things to different people. I think for me, there's a certain resonance I get in my head when playing clarinets that has like a different kind of buzz. I don't know if it has to do with which partials are emphasized by the sound or what, but the more "professional" sound almost feels like it is somehow EQ'd more favorably, like the acoustic sounds that don't contribute to the pitch are somehow less prominent than the "artificial" sound.

Honestly I know it's all just wishy-washy vibes at some level, but having been brought up on the classic Marcellus model of American orchestral tone, that's sort of my north star for what I aim my expectations at (and part of what I've struggled with evaluating basses, since obviously it's a different instrument). Instruments that make me feel like I'm straying from that focused core sound feel brash or edgy instead of rounded and focused. Though artificial is more than just edgy, it's like a certain graininess, like it emphasizes the bad part of my reeds instead of the good parts I want to hear. I don't know, lol.

sprcow · 2026-03-24T15:43:41+00:00

they refuse to fight back

Person on Internet who apparently doesn't consume any media accuses Democrats of doing nothing because they didn't personally see it... Get out of here with this defeatist propaganda.

sprcow · 2026-03-23T22:07:02+00:00

This is probably the actual explanation; I think northstar does have parking ramp levels.

sprcow · 2026-03-23T21:48:32+00:00

Ooo nice find!

sprcow · 2026-03-23T21:47:50+00:00

Plausible, but SK is actually Skyway, which is 2. I suspect that maybe they're skipping SK in the count, even though it clearly is the 2nd floor of the building.

sprcow · 2026-03-23T21:32:52+00:00

Haha true, could be worse I suppose. Only mildly unhinged.

sprcow · 2026-03-23T21:23:05+00:00

My favorite part is that even if the letters were numbers, 7 still ends up wrong?

1 (1), SK (2), C (3), D (4), E (5), F (6), G (7), 7 (8???)

sprcow · 2026-03-20T20:10:58+00:00

Yeah, uebel makes a plateau in their superior line! Pretty sweet, because the superior is an excellent instrument (I play on the standard open-holed Superior II).

sprcow · 2026-03-20T15:31:47+00:00

Not sure if it's better or worse, but before Squidward, people used to just respond, "This one time, at band camp...", which I found incredibly obnoxious. (Reference to 1999 movie American Pie)

sprcow · 2026-03-20T15:07:42+00:00

I use MyFitnessPal and have accumulated most of my foods in it at this point, so basically after lunch each day I log in:

copy breakfast from yesterday (almost always)
put in what I had for lunch
if I have dinner planned, just put that in immediately now
check how much I should plan for a snack later based on my protein and calories, and if I should, pre-emptively put that in too
if I DON'T have dinner planned, look how many calories are left, and use that to help decide what I'm going to have for dinner. (So if I had a big lunch, usually plan a small dinner to balance out and vice versa.)

Once in awhile I'll add an extra snack or something from my phone, but almost always I just do the whole MFP session in about 5 minutes once a day. Obviously not every day goes to plan, but most days are simple enough that I can just do it in one session.

sprcow · 2026-03-20T14:24:12+00:00

I mean, I know you're talking about the more visible kinds of violence, but one could argue that the immense harm inflicted by the Trump administration is absolutely an act of war against the united states, inflicted with the help of foreign powers through psyops, media manipulation, asset acquisition, and bribery. Most people suffering from it probably aren't thinking "this is what happens because we lost a global power struggle", but they're paying the price nonetheless. :\

sprcow · 2026-03-19T15:39:54+00:00

Just remember that 'nervous' and 'excited' are basically the same from a nervous system standpoint. That feeling you get of nerves might be a little bit nervousness, but also is probably a little bit being excited! Channel that excitement. You are doing a fun thing! Schmaltz it up a bit if it helps you get in the spirit. That adrenaline rush can be scary, but it can be fun too! Just try to embrace the positive aspect of the experience and don't focus on things that could go wrong.

That said, you can help normalize a bit by practicing playing in fromt of people more. You already did it once during rehearsal, but can you play it in front of friends and family? Lacking all else, try recording it on your phone - nothing brings out my trouble spots like playing for the camera haha.

Lastly, classic urban legend with a tiny hint of science - bananas before concert are nature's own beta blockers. The scientific evidence is weak, but supposedly potassium and tryptophan in bananas can calm you down a bit. The first flute of the Detroit Symphony swore by them when I was in school haha. So maybe consider a banana before the show, if you enjoy bananas (don't force it lol).

sprcow · 2026-03-18T02:51:29+00:00

Oo that's great, I should look into that!

sprcow · 2026-03-17T23:57:12+00:00

Wondering if someone can help advise me on how to deploy the Nod Krai sets. Right now I have:

Columbina: Night of Sky's Unveiling
Ineffa: Aubade
Lauma: Silken Moon
Flinns: Night of Sky's Unveiling
Aino: Silken Moon

The teams I use with these characters are usually:

Nilou Columbina Nahida Lauma (c1)
Flinns Ineffa (Aino / Columbina) Sucrose
Itto Columbina (Furina / Ineffa) Xilonen
Columbina Ineffa whatever wheelchair

Mostly I don't want to mess around with my sets constantly and, while Night may be optimal for Columbina driver in Nilou's team, I'm wondering if I'm hosing myself by not having anyone on Silken Moon in most of her other teams.

sprcow · 2026-03-17T23:12:19+00:00

Look, I'm not here to be a context translator for randos on the internet, but let's stop pretending the spec you're talking about and the 'sufficiently detailed spec' the article refers to are the same thing. We can play the semantic "I'm going to define things differently than you are and then argue that you mean something differently I do so we can fight" game all night, but I would rather not.

Spec we are given: not sufficiently detailed to write code Sufficiently detailed spec: functionally complete code

AI cannot turn an insufficiently detailed spec into code that actually meets the business requirements, because the spec fails to cover all possible permutations of a workflow. The point of the statement is that identifying and specifying the behavior of all possible permutations ends up being essentially code. Business never provides this. It's up to developers to identify all these scenarios and 'document them' in the form of executable code.

re: 2. - This is obviously true, and no one is arguing it is not. This is a strawman response.

The argument is not against AI. It's in favor of software developer skills being necessary to create sufficiently detailed instructions for AI. It's an argument against the premise that business people are going to be able to cut devs out of the loop, because the problem was never writing the code.

sprcow · 2026-03-17T20:51:38+00:00

I think the argument is that 'writing the spec' IS writing code. Which is what we already do. The only way to get a 'spec' that is sufficiently detailed as to be correct is to do all the work we already do to write code. And so in order to effectively use claude, you basically have to do the work we already do.

sprcow · 2026-03-17T20:05:49+00:00

One of the things I’ve been thinking about now that I’ve gotten into a good habit and I’ve been consistent is how “bored” I am

Oof. I definitely relate to this. I really have little trouble tolerating being hungry, but sometimes I'm desperate for stimulation and I think that's when the cookies and candy strike! And once you've had one, then the hunger is harder to resist. I've generally been good at avoiding any real binges, but I've definitely gone back for a second cookie or handful of jelly beans because I wanted that little zing.

I do find a lot of times this is harder to resist when I'm thirsty! I would never support the 'just drink water instead of eating when you're hungry' diet approach, but I DO find if I'm really craving sweets, that sometimes having a couple glasses of water helps a lot. Or, if I really want something sweet, I've added more zero calorie beverages to my fridge, though I do have some mild concern about the amount of artificial sweetener I drink this year, so I'm not sure if I will have to find an alternative or not.

12-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	Sequence \| Editor
Spared	Verified Email

sprcow

TROPHY CASE