Klarinet Archive - Posting 000359.txt from 1995/08

From: Lisa Gartrell Yeo <ux403@-----.CA>
Subj: Intonation
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 1995 13:21:19 -0400

Adam,

Another way to adjust pitch on the clarinet is with a very cheap
material, nail polish! If a note is noticeably sharp, simply put some
clear nail polish in the hole immediately below (ie. the last hole
vented). Be sure when you are doing this to work up the instrument, as any
holes given nail polish will affect all the notes above it to some
degree. You can apply more than one coat as well. And the good thing is, if
later you find that the intonation changes for some reason on your horn
(mouthpiece change, weather, etc) you can remove the nail polish quite easily.
I would also recommend taking your clarinets to a good repairman. You
may have some keys that are too high or low that can be adjusted.
You will always need to adjust your embouchure somewhat in playing
circumstances, but I like to keep this to a minimum. If you know
such-and-such a note is always sharp or flat, why not try to compensate
as much as possible mechanically rather than with a constrantly changing
embouchure? (which I definitely think affects tone quality).
Some other things to bear in mind are the mouthpiece, which can drastically
affect intonation, and the length of barrel (It's good to have a few
different lengths to be flexible in various playing situations). But
it sounds to me like you have a few notes that just need adjusting, rather
than a general pitch problem.
Good luck!

Lisa Gartrell Yeo

Send the flames, I'm ready.