Klarinet Archive - Posting 000630.txt from 1996/08

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Another dumb question
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 14:21:52 -0400

Nicely enough, the terms "throat tones" and "altissimo" are related -
with respect to the word you already know, the "break". The frequency
range of tone production on the clarinet is divided into three separate
areas, often referred to as "registers", of the instrument. They are:
1) chalumeau (French, pronounced "SHALL-uh-moe") 2) clarion 3) altissimo.

The chalumeau register extends from the lowest E to the Bb in the middle of
the staff. Within the chalumeau register is a sub-group of notes
commonly referred to as the throat tones. Perhaps somebody else can
pinpoint the exact range of notes which constitute throat tones, citing
some form of historical and/or scholarly evidence. Common sense suggests
that the throat tones are those notes between chalumeau G (second line up
on the staff) and middle-line Bb within the staff. Others might argue
that the throat tones extend all the way from chalumeau C below the
staff. I'm not sure. Maybe the term refers to "throat" as in the throat
of the instrument, since these notes all occur in the upper joint of the
instrument without changing registers. Or perhaps it is related to the
fact that these notes are so much more flexible by manipulation of the
player's throat. Any definite proof out there?

When you cross the "break" between chalumeau Bb and the B-natural above
it, you've changed to the clarion register. To do so, you had to depress
the register key (often mistakenly referred to as the octave key, which is
a misnomer since the next register on a clarinet is a 12th above, not an
octave). The range of the clarion register is from B-natural in the middle
of the staff up to, and including, the second ledger-line C above the staff.
All along, you've been overblowing a 12th above the fundamental in the
overtone series by depressing that register key. It acts as a vent,
exciting a different set of partials (all odd) in the series.

When you cross the "break" yet again, playing above the second
ledger-line C above the staff, you've entered the altissimo register of
the instrument. So you see, there are two "breaks" on the instrument.
The altissimo register extends from C# up to as high as is humanly
possible to play. I've heard of people reaching as high as an octave and
a half above that C#. "Put your knees together and blow" says Wynton
Marsalis. There is no second "register" key in order to enter the
altissimo range of the instrument. As I mentioned, the register key is
simply a vent which, when opened, causes a different set of partials in
the overtone series to be excited (so to speak - no corny jokes, okay?).
In order to enter the altissimo register, you "create" another vent by
removing one or more fingers from toneholes in the upper joint of the
instrument. Suddenly you're exciting the 5th and 7th partials of
the overtone series, well above the fundamentals which reside down in the
chalumeau register.

So there you have it. Throat tones are a sub-group of notes within the
chalumeau register, and "altissimo" refers to the third register of the
instrument's frequency range, above second ledger-line C. 'Hope that helps.

Neil

On Thu, 22 Aug 1996, Mary White wrote:

> Somehow I missed being taught some of the terms I encounter on this list,
> and I hope some patient person will enlighten me. The two which immediately
> come to mind are "throat" tones and "altissima". The only clarinet-specific
> term I was ever taught is the "break", which I never see used here.
>
> Mary
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Mary White
> Harbour Publishing
> Madeira Park, BC Canada
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>