Klarinet Archive - Posting 000408.txt from 1995/08
From: bassethn@-----.ORG
Subj: Barrels, Intonation & Har
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:59:01 -0400
I am enjoying this discussion on intonation very much.
On 08-28-95, Clark Fobes wrote:
Ir> Let's disregard any talk about dark, light, bright or puce sounds
Ir> and concentrate on the concept of projection. I have always insisted
Ir> that projection of sound is a function of QUALITY not QUANTITY. Have
Ir> you ever noticed that when your ear hears what you may qualify as a
Ir> beautiful tone rising above the ensemble you have the sensation that
Ir> it is "riding" on top of the ensemble? I believe this has everything
Ir> to do with how the presence of overtones in that given sound are
Ir> consonant with the prevailing harmonic context.
I could not agree more with this remark by Clark. There are far, far too
many woodwind players who do not realize or understand the concept of
what I call "making the harmonics line up." Assuming that one's own
intonation house is in order, have you ever noticed that it is a simple
matter to play in tune with some players -- pitch variances are
immediately recognizable as the interval being too wide, too small -- and
an adjustment is made immediately and the conflict is resolved. With
other players, you can look for the pitch 'till the cows come home and you
are never certain if the note/interval is in tune.
I have found that if you listen to the 'sound' being produced by the other
player, you will likely discover that the harmonic series that 'lives' in
the note that they are playing is not in tune. For example, if I was
playing with a flute and having some difficulties, the first octave
harmonic may be OK, but the next fifth may be too small. This sends out
an interference that makes it hard to identify the true pitch of the note.
Some of you may think that this is wacky, but talk to some bassoon players
and you'll find that many of them think in these terms all the time. By
the way, this poor line-up of harmonics is a common problem on many middle
finger B-F# on bass clarinets. It can lead to squeaking or whistling of
the reed, especially on the F#.
When I play a long tone on a low note on the bass clarinet, I can clearly
hear the 12th and the next sixth. If a 'just' major chord is sounding,
the harmonics are in tune and the sound is very pure. I can fool around
with the colour of the note by bringing out one or more of the harmonics
above the fundamental.
Ir> Another innovation for clarinetists, attributed to Hans Moennig, was
Ir> the introduction of the reverse cone taper in the barrel joint. My
Ir> experimenting in this area and the subsequent use of a reverse cone
Ir> in my barrels is that not only is the intonation positively
Ir> enhanced, but there is an increase in tonal center.
I have played Covey rubber lined barrels for about 10 years now. I
recently lost my favourite 66mm B flat barrel and had a real need to find
a replacement. I began working with my repairman in Toronto, John Weir
on the design of barrels. John rubber-lined a number of my barrels. We
have since come up with some interesting tapers for the barrels -- the
effect is exactly as Clark describes above. There are certain tapers that
work for me really well. Generally these are the tapers with the most
choke at the bottom.
=========================================
David Bourque
Bass Clarinet, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Internet: bassethn@-----.org
=========================================
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* Freddie 1.2.5 * Symphonic Music is a GREAT PRODUCT--Managements Must Sell It
As Such!!
