Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Kids Say the Darnedest Things About Instrument Makers

KID: So who came up with the fingering system for the saxophone, anyway?
ME: Well, that would be the inventor of the instrument, Adolphe Sax.
(Obligatory "Adolf? As in Hitler?" question from kid follows, as does my discussion of how Sax was Belgian and spelled his first name differently.)
ME: He basically tried to improve upon the fingering system of the clarinet...which makes sense, because legend has it that his father invented the bass clarinet.
KID: What was his father's name?
ME: I have no idea.
KID: Was it Mr. Clarinet?

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