Klarinet Archive - Posting 000105.txt from 1995/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Mike Lockhart asks the perennial question
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 23:05:33 -0400

Mike asks the question that invariably arises to clarinet players.
Why are clarinets made in so many keys. Why in B-flat and A, etc.
Why not just in C.

Clarinets started out in C. They were primitive instruments and
playing in sharp keys was probably a nightmare.

So what does one do with an instrument that has difficulty managing
complicated keys? The logical choice is to put more keys on it and
make it capable of playing such keys. That's a good choice but beyond
the capability of 18th century technology.

The other choice is to not put extra keys on the clarinet. Instead
make a clarinet longer (or shorter) and punch the holes for the
fingers in a different place. That way, when the player fingers a
note, a different pitch comes out on this clarinet than on that
clarinet.

And that, in short is what happened.

Instead of raising the bridge, they lowered the river. Instead of
adding keys to the clarinet, they changed its length, punched finger
holes in a lower position on the tube, and thus changed its pitch.

Advantage, you don't have to worry about lots of keys.

Disadvantage, you now need several clarinets, one for sharp keys (A
clarinet), one for flat keys (B-flat clarinet) and one for neutral
keys (C clarinet). After a while the latter one went away.

And that is (very roughly) what happened.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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