Klarinet Archive - Posting 000265.txt from 1997/01

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Changing between Bb and A horns... (fwd)
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 10:30:31 -0500

On Mon, 20 Jan 1997, someone wrote:

> Shouldn't the barrels for A and b-flat be of different lengths?
> Anyone have any thoughts on this?

It depends. If the Bb and A clarinets were exactly proportional, then the
barrel for the A should be longer. However, it is possible to build the
necessary length into either the barrel or the body joint. In the latter
case, the upper body joint of the A would be proportionately longer than
it nominally would have been, making it possible to use the same barrel on
both instruments. However, length is not the only factor involved here.
The relationship of the inside diameter of the bore at each end of the
barrel to the mouthpiece or upper body joint will have a great effect on
the response characteristics of the combination.

This could be a good argument for buying clarinets in matched pairs, if
the manufacturers were careful enough about matching all these factors.
In actual practice, much experimentation is necessary to find the proper
instrument/barrel/mouthpiece combination.

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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