Klarinet Archive - Posting 000068.txt from 1994/05

From: Steven Popper <Steven_Popper@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: Clarinet Materials
Date: Tue, 3 May 1994 14:39:01 -0400

One additional note on materials: The reason I suggested a super
light-weight alloy like Ti-Al for clarinets is that it seems that one of
the standard knocks on early metal clarinets is that they had to be made of
such thin-walled material because of weight considerations. Whether this
in itself was a problem or was merely one characteristic of a production
method which would have produced a cheesy instrument no matter the material
is beyond my ken. Ti-Al would permit thickening of the walls without
creating excessive weight.

On the manufacture of saxophones: any parent of a six-year old
will have repeatedly seen the episode of Sesame Street where they visit a
saxophone factory (the only thing cooler was the crayon plant.)
Unfortunately, I always managed to come in for the latter stages. However,
I seem to recall that the basic stock is extruded brass tubing, not sheets.

Steven Popper
RAND Corporation