Klarinet Archive - Posting 000339.txt from 1994/02

From: "Dr. Ronald P. Monsen" <RPMONS00@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Big A
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 1994 08:40:44 -0500

If I may offer an opinion--yes the baritone saxophone is required to have an
A if you are going to play it in a satb saxophone quartet--and elsewhere as it
is written for by composers.

As for the A clarinet having a poorer tone quality due to its increased length-

I'll have to think on that one for a while. Clarion B is no winner on any
length or flavour of clarinet I have ever played--the entire tube is closed
and, well you get the idea. Several things have been done to correct this prob
lem--One that seemed to help a great deal was the design of the bell which

Mazzeo incorporated into his clarinets. When I was a graduate student I was
playing on a set of Buffet R13s--I purchased two wooden bells from Selmer
designed for the Mazzeo--and used them on my R13s--with quite good results.
This was done by the clarinet professor at UW-Madison at the time. The local
woodwind repairman got quite good at this. I still have the bells but do not
play Buffet any longer. I have also had several clarinets that have had the
bells "reamed" out to increase the diameter or volume. In fact I believe that
one of the standard modifications made by Moening of Philadelphia--at least the

Buffet A I owned that was from his shop had this done to it.

It would also appear that certain model German System clarinets have extra
venting and / or an open hole in the bell for improvement of intonation and
voicing in the area of low E and clarion B.

Ron M