Klarinet Archive - Posting 000354.txt from 1995/08

From: niethamer@-----.BITNET
Subj: Re: Intonation question
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 1995 20:34:22 -0400

On Fri, 25 Aug 1995, R Adam Pease wrote:

> I am becoming more aware of the notes on my clarinet which are less in
> tune than others. I'm playing a Selmer series 9. Low soft notes are very
> difficult to keep from going sharp. B and A are especially bad. My
> throat tone A and the second register F are both a bit flat. I can lip
> these notes into tune but then my tone is not quite what I want it to be.
> My solution has been to alter fingerings. For the low B and A I add the
> low F key. For the throat A I add the side F# trill keys. For the
> second register F I add the E flat key. With these keys I can achieve
> a normal and consistent embouchure. My questions are: is adding keys a
> normal solution that others employ or is it potentially a bad habit? Do
> others playing similar equipment have problems on these notes? Is it
> possible to "fix" these notes without affecting tone quality or the pitch
> of other notes by tone hole undercutting or some other method?

Leon Russianoff was an advocate of "fixing" intonation "mechanically" (as
you describe above) whenever possible, instead of the "incredible
floating embouchure", which leads to a certain degradation of tone
quality, and of uneveness of timbre from note to note. Use of these
"undocumented fingerings" is subject to their acceptability in tone
quality in the particular situation - to use your example of the low A
and B, it isn't too good to use the keys to lower their pitch at loud
dynamics because 1.) they will sound stuffy, and 2.) you shouldn't need
to at that dynamic.

The start for all this is to find a mouthpiece and barrel which get you
in the ball park with your clarinet. A really good repair person can do
tone hole work on any notes that warrant, but any such work is permanent
- wood can't be put back!

I also find that reeds play some role in the intonation game. Old reeds
that still play well and sound good will often develop a "false scale" on
my instruments, aggrivating pitch tendencies to the point where they
become too difficult to adjust in the normal way. I'm not an engineer or
acoustician, but I suspect this has something to do with how much saliva
the reed has soaked in over a period of time, and due to a certain amount
of material fatigue.

> I also have a subjective perception that it is extremely minor pitch
> differences which cause a degradation in the quality of sound of an
> ensemble. This means that the listener does not perceive an intonation
> problem but only a less beautiful timbre. Does anyone else have this
> impression?

I think you're right on the money. Someone (who shall remain nameless)
once offered the theory that Robert Marcellus sounded so great in the
Cleveland Orchestra because Szell always insisted on and worked for
"flawless" intonation. I think that may be part of the story, but I also
think, based on just a few hearings, that he sounded great too!

=========================
David Niethamer
niethamer@-----.edu
dbnclar1@-----.com
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