Klarinet Archive - Posting 000844.txt from 1996/02

From: Karl Krelove <KClarinet@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Daily Warm-up/A Clarinet
Date: Thu, 29 Feb 1996 07:18:03 -0500

Krista Park wrote:
>I just started playing with my new A clarinet on Friday (it and my B-flat
are R13s) >and I am finding that I need a higher quality of reed on my A than
I need on my >B-flat (in other words, a barely passable read on the B-flat
won't pass on the A).Is >this normal?

A clarinets tend to be stuffier (harder to blow) than Bb clarinets. The air
column is longer and, as I understand it, the bore is narrower (presumably to
push the pitch lower so the instrument can be as short as possible and still
be in tune). I've always found I need a little easier blowing reed (lighter
and more responsive) on an A than I can get away with on a Bb. You probably
can't eliminate the difference between your two instruments (which goal is
probably the Holy Grail of clarinet players everywhere). You can minimize it
by:
Making sure your A clarinet has been fully adjusted by a competent
repair technician. Any leaks will make the A stuffier than it
needs to be.
If the A clarinet is off-the-shelf (not individually adjusted or
"tuned"), there may be some tone hole undercutting or resizing
that might help individual notes that are especially resistant or
out of tune.
One other thing that tends to happen is that when an instrument is not
played for long periods of time, it tends to "close up" - become
more resistant (I don't know why. Maybe someone more involved with
repair work can explain the physics involved.). So, if you only
play the A when it's called for in the repertoire you're doing this
week, and then you don't play it until the next time you need it, it will be
harder to play on until you get it to "open up" again.
You'll still need more responsive reeds on your A clarinet, so, while you're
fussing to try to find or adjust one, count yourself lucky your Bb isn't
equally demanding <g>.