Klarinet Archive - Posting 000637.txt from 1996/04

From: CLARK FOBES <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Fwd: More commnets on tuning clarinets
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 12:24:54 -0400

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From: reedman@-----.com (CLARK FOBES )
Subject: More commnets on tuning clarinets
To: "Klarinet - Clarinettist's Network" <KLARINET@-----.BITNET>
Cc: reedman@-----.com

You wrote:
>
>Jacqueline,
>
>If you have to start loading the tone holes (we're talking clarinet
only
>here) with epoxy or some sort of tape, there are some serious
>manufacturing defects with the instrument.
>
>Minor tuning adjustments to a professional clarinet are almost always
>necessary. A technician trys to tailor the instrument to the player.
>
>I tune by undercutting tone holes and by painting the inside of the
tone
>hole with nail lacquer. This is also the way it is done at the
factory.
>
>Steve.
>Steve Prescott
>Instrument Rep.Tech./Clarinetist
>Indiana State University
>mipresc@-----.edu
>
I think "loading the tone holes with epoxy" is a misrepesentation
of a technique I put forth earlier about tuning clarinets. Using epoxy.

in my opinion, is superior to nail polish for several reasons. Nail
polish takes many applications to build enough surface to have any
effect on the tuning. I have also found that it is much too liquid and
there is a danger of running it into the undercut portion of the tone
hole. Also, the extreme gloss left by mail polish, in my opinion,
brightens the tone. From an aesthetic position I hate seeing bright
pink in tones holes!! And if you use clear it's hard to see what you
are doing.

BTW, I have never seen a new clarinet from Buffet that had nail
polish in the tone holes. It may also surprise you to know that very
little hand finishing is done at the factory. All of the tone hole
cutting and fraising is done on large C & C lathes that are computer
controlled. Occasionally a tester may find a bad note and send it back
to have a minor adjustment made to the tone hole size.

I think it is a bit naive to say that an instrument has serious
flaws if it needs epoxy or tape to bring it into pitch. Not only do
excellent sounding instruments have the occasional "off" note, but
instruments may need to be adjusted to our particular biases. In my
case, I have never played a Buffet that I had not added a tuning ring
to the middle joint to lower the right hand tones. I have also always
added epoxy to the G/D tone hole, because I can't stand those notes to
be sharp.

As a professional performer as well as a technician I am aware that

most of my colleagues in the orchestras around here have done some
custom tuning to there instruments and it is not always so subtle.

I encourage ANYONE who feels they may have an intonation problem
with a specific note or a range of notes to read my article in "THE
CLARINET" Vol. 13, no.2. entitled "Tuning the clarinet: technique and
proceedure. (There is a misprint on the first page! The sentence should

read "Each fundamental mode can be excited into vibrating at it's [2nd]

partial..."

I really believe that many players have the impression that tuning
a clarinet is voodoo. It's not!! It requires some experience to make
judgements about what to do, but anyone who has a large studio of
students should know something about tuning clarinets.

If you can't find the article send me an e-mail and I will send you

a copy
Clark W Fobes