Klarinet Archive - Posting 000164.txt from 1996/10

From: Jeff Berman <jberman@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: CO2 influencing pitch
Date: Tue, 8 Oct 1996 15:28:43 -0400

I had a concern about Maestro Leister's advice, subtle though it may be.
The first few seconds of the first note will be played-- at least for the
first 150 ml of air or so-- with "anatomical dead space" air. This is air
in the cheeks, mouth and larger airways. These structures do not
participate in gas exchange, and after a deep breath in will have no CO2 at
all. As you breathe out the level of CO2 rises gradually until it reaches
the level of the gas exchanging parts. If you hold your breath for four
seconds, the CO2 in this initial burst of air will be higher than zero, but
not much. Maybe this trace amount of CO2 is enough to alter the pitch to
Herr Leister's ear, but I doubt it.

Nitrous oxide (N2O, laughing gas) is a heavy gas which makes your voice
lower when you breathe it. Perhaps you could have a tank of nitrous on the
stage and take a deep breath of it at the beginning of the movement.
Alternatively, one could play this movement in a diving decompression
chamber with the depth set so that the density of air is high enough to
alter the pitch just right.

/|
[ ]
|*| Jeffrey S. Berman
|*| Pulmonary Immunologist Extraordinaire
|*| and
--- Amateur Clarinetist Who Shouldn't Quit
His Day Job
|*|
|*|
|*|
/__