Klarinet Archive - Posting 000319.txt from 1997/01

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: Different Clarinets, bores etc.
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 17:17:36 -0500

Regarding the discussion about different (German/French) Clarinets

> Why is it that we can believe that there is a sonic difference between an A
> and B flat clarinet, when it seems that we cannot accept that there can be
a
> difference between a German and a French clarinet and therefore, the sound
> that is made from each?

There are several issues at play

The Bore :

The bore design on German and French Clarinets are different. The German bore
flaring further down the cylinder (14.7mm at F hole) than the French bore
(18.7 at the F hole). This will couple frequencies from the horn to the
playing space differently, affecting the sound.

The Design:

The Oehler clarinet has 29 holes as compared to the 24 holes on the Boehm
system. More holes means less wood which may resonate differently. (The
Albert system is still preferred by some for its beautiful sound which is
thought to be due to the minimal hole design.)

According to The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet "...the differences
between the two schools [French/German] are perceived to be so important that
advertisements for openings in German orchestras still (in 1994) almost
invariably specify Oehler system." (pp. 27-30, Cambridge University Press).

Different placements of the register key will affect the tuning of the
overblown 12ths dramatically and the overtone series (timbre). Check out a
LeBlanc LX vs Buffet R13 vs LeBlanc LL. A good discussion on this can also be
found in Stubbins book. (This issue was the impetous for his and Frank
Kaspar's improved key mechanism for throat tones.). LeBlanc marketing
literature refers to these affects as well.

The Mouthpiece/Reed/Embouchure

The player can make any Clarinet sound different through the choice of reeds
(stiff lots of low frequencies, thinner - higher frequencies which should be
taken into account when playing in new acoustic environment as a soloist). A
different embouchure will also affect the sound by emphasizing or
deemphasizing certain frequencies.

The type of clarinet probably matters less than the individuals setup.

BUT!!!

Gee Whiz guys and gals, even my mother in law can tell the difference between
my Bb and my A clarinets. The timbre is completely different (we should be
using this descriptive rather than "tone quality" to describe changes in
sound color to avoid qualitative suggestions). The differences between A's
and Bb's has been the same through time even though the sound of todays Bb or
A may sound different from those a hundred years ago. If you don't hear the
difference, have someone else play for you so that you can hear better.
(Sometimes we don't hear ourselves too well).

Jerry Korten

(I apologize if an earlier version of this mail came out, I am having
tremendous difficulties with AOL going AWOL, trying out netcom but don't know
the mail system well yet...)