Klarinet Archive - Posting 000910.txt from 1997/03

From: Don and Cindy Christensen <chr@-----.DE>
Subj: Re: C clarinet stuffiness
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 21:36:23 -0500

>Just to clarify my original post -- It really is the notes themselves, not
>the fingerings involved (I have tried the fork Bb fingering and the 1 & 1,
>makes very little difference). Perhaps it is an effect of using a
>"regular" Bb clarinet mouthpiece on the C. Very soft reeds help, but they
>help throughout the range of the horn; the stuffy notes are still
>proportionally stuffy in relation to the rest of the notes.
>
>Does this make sense? Thanks again for all advice!
>
>Jacqueline Eastwood

Using the regular Bb mouthpiece for the C clarinet is really the best way
to go. Most of us here in Germany on the Oehler clarinet do this as well.
It is very important to check, however, that the bore sizes match up. A
sudden change in bore size from mouthpiece to barrel, for example, can
cause air-flow eddies perceived as stuffiness in certain notes.
Otherwise you could check the undercutting of the holes venting the b''
and c''' and have a repairman smooth this.
I suppose the problem wouldn't be a clogged register key or you would
have noticed the Bb' (throat) is too low?

Good luck
Don Christensen
chr@-----.de