Pocket Clarinet, Xaphoon, Chalameau?

World/Folk Flutes & Winds
1

I have several single-reed playing younger relatives, and was thinking that some kind of novel single-reed instrument in the $100ish range might make a good gift to the kid, as thanks to the parent for letting my stay a few nights while traveling, etc. Large family, and I travel a lot, so I like to give gifts as a gesture after I stay with relatives (particularly as it saves me $50-100 a night).

There seem to be three basic options at this point:
(I hotlinked each product name to the website)

-Maui Xaphoon, either bamboo or polymer. There’s more written about these online than the other options, but some pretty mixed reviews about the differences in mouthpiece, odd fingering, long reach, etc. The polymer ones start around $45 though, which is quite affordable.

-Adler Chalumeau: basically a primitive open-holed clarinet. Sam Ash apparently used to carry them, but doesn’t now, and every other US source is at least $150 or so, which is a bit high for a gift that might not get much use.

-Hameln Pocket Clarinet: can’t find any info online, but looks similar to the Adler, but is only $65 or so.

Any suggestions, or should I just get the kids some nice books, inexpensive jewelry, or sports gear instead?

2

I have a polymer Xaphoon. I can play the lower register pretty easily and it sounds nice, but I can’t get the second octave to save my life. I’ll make ya a deal on it if you’d like to try it…

3

Someone (NorcalWhistler/IdaWHOa, I think) brought a Xaphoon to one of Tony Higgins’ C & F parties a few years back. As I recall, he had the same complaint about the upper register being hard, but he admitted to not having much experience with reed instruments.

I didn’t have a chance to try it out, but Limuhead experimented a bit and proceeded to give us several tasty jazz pieces without any apparent problems. Of course, he is both an experienced reed player and musical polymath - I’m not sure how his “no problems” translates for the rest of us.

I must say that it sounded very good, and surprisingly saxophone-like for something that small.

4

What about one of those ocarinas in fanciful animal and mythical beast shapes? It’s not a single reed instrument but still impressive to teenagers. Some kids might consider them cool jewelry too.

The Zelda factor shouldn’t be dismissed. Quite a few game players are completely impressed I own an ocarina (they recognize an ocarina by it’s sounds rather than it’s shape) and I could climb to demi-god status if I could be bothered to learn the Zelda tunes.

5

The Zelda phenomenon has been good for the ocarina in increasing its visibility, but bad in creating a kind of musical ghetto for it. I love the ocarina but the Zelda connection gets tiresome fast.

Concerning the original topic, I’ve been tempted to get a xaphoon but the fingering looks extremely awkward. It also has a very thick mouthpiece, a result of it being made from a stick of bamboo. The plastic version of the xaphoon, the Pocket Sax, could have been made with a proper tapered mouthpiece, of course, but it wasn’t. That xaphoon mouthpiece looks uncomfortable to play–clarinet and sax mouthpieces are tapered for a reason. In short, I never got one because I’m pretty sure it’s something I’d play for a couple of weeks and then leave it alone.

6

I was skeptical to get the Hameln Pocket Clarient because the only info I could find on it was one bad review on amazon, but I found one used on craigslist for half of what it costs new so I took a chance and bought it.

Personally, I think it’s awesome. It has a full rich sound and the fingering is much easier compared to the xaphoon. It does require an extreme amount of pressure to get the notes out though, I think it would be difficult to play very fast on it. But I’d rather play it slow and jazzy anyway so it’s not a problem for me.

Just my two cents.

7

I wonder what he got.

8

I just had a go of a Xaphoon and found it really hard to play. Apparantly they’ve only been around for about 35 years. I much prefer the clarinet.

9

an’ it’s taken him all year to work that out

10

I had a xaphoon, and I have decades of experience playing the sax. I thought the xaphoon was rubbish, and sold it. Yes, it’s possible to get a decent sound in the low register, with considerable effort. The high register is extremely difficult, and the fingering is awkward. The barrel of the instrument is so short, it provides almost no support, so you have to do most of the work with embouchure.

Ubizmo

11

well, this would not help taking up the clarinett for instance, little xaph has to be considered as a new instrument, rather than a ‘‘small sax’’… you’ll be obviously disappointed otherwise.

Yes, it’s possible to get a decent sound in the low register, with considerable effort.

isn’it kind of the same sad truth with any reed instrument… any wind instrument… any instrument at all?

The high register is extremely difficult,

do not EVER try a clarinett :open_mouth:

you got a point there, and the 1.5 octave range is quite narrowish… but it can be improved a bit, choosing the right reeds (I got wandoren-jazz 3.5, hard to blow, but quite stable in the high notes)

and the fingering is awkward.

I wonder why there is this ever-coming back reflexion with the xaphoon… the fingering is excatly in the same ‘‘spirit’’ than any wind instrument… a tube, some holes, the more fingers on the holes the lower the note… half holing or bridge fingerings for accidentals… nothing really surprising to me? :really:

The barrel of the instrument is so short, it provides almost no support, so you have to do most of the work with embouchure.

you see the empty half of the barrel :smiley:
this does also allows quite a large range of expression, once mastered.


Xaphoon is a funny little instrument, once accepted this 1.5 octave limit (2octaves is still ‘‘possible’’, but last few notes are quite useless, in a purely artistic view :tomato: ) small enough and careless to be carried everywhere… it will though not replace a sax or a clarinett in a jazz band, but any sensible person would guess just looking at it, no?

nobody would think about comparing the possibility, sound and possibilities between a guitar and a ukulele…

12

I have a “chalumeau” made by SAMS, who I presume are a Catalan firm (I got it in Barcelona). It sounds great, but with a range of nine notes (C D E F G A B c d) and limited chromatic possibilities (you can crossfinger a B flat, anything else needs half-holing) it has a limited repertoire, particularly since this is a different basic scale than nine notes of the Highland pipes. I’ve scanned through the tunes I know to put together a collection that will work on it, but unless you know a lot of tunes like I do, you’ll have problems. Not a good instrument for a child.

I mainly use it to get some quiet when in a session in a noisy pub. Launch into an unaccompanied slow tune like “Wayfaring Stranger” or “Bonny at Morn”, and the punters shut up and listen.

13

In case someone’s curious: Chalumeau by Sans Luthier
They also have a similar instrument, the Clariphone, with a greater range

I was wondering if anyone has heard about the chalumeau made by Hanson Clarinets?

[Edited to add info about Kunath]
I just found more Chalumeaux, similar in looks to those those already reviewed, made by Kunath. Does anyone have any experience with them?

14

Nice use of one of these things:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6DaCljrqw