Klarinet Archive - Posting 000564.txt from 1997/06

From: "Jeroen T. Salm" <jtsalm@-----.nl>
Subj: QUESTION ABOUT PITCH
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 18:54:10 -0400

hello all clarinet-lovers,

I hope you are all doing well!! At the moment I'm playing (ao.) Bolero
(Ravel): the Eb part... We are conducted by jaap van zweden (violinist,
former concertmeister of the Concertgebouw Orchestra-Amsterdam). OK, I have
a serious question:
Our clarinet group (of the Brabant orchestra in Eindhoven-the netherlands)
is plying on Buffets Elites clarinets and B40 mp (and vandoren french cut
#3). We had two different sized barrels with the clarinets and we are using
the long ones. But, whlie plying, we have to put the barrel out for aprox.
4-6 mm. I find that very much, and this is, to play on a 442-443Hz A.
What I want is to have an instrument on wich I can play with the short
barrel (and only max 3 mm. out) a A@-----.

My question: your instruments (the Buffets made for the US market) are
pitched for A@-----. Could you be so kind and play on a warm
"horn"and play a few notes with a tuner. Take a short barrel, and what do
you get?

My point is: I want to know if it is probably the case, that when you play
on a short barrel, on a warm intrument, you perhaps play 442/443. If that
is the case, I will think about maybe purchasing a American-pitched Buffet
(Vintage or R13)...
But: it has to be, that I can play on that intrument with an A@-----.

Becaus": I want to play on short barrels and with no more than 2/3 mm.
barrel-out. I think that is the ideal position for the tuning of the
intrument 9especcially the throught notes causes very much problems in our
group, due to the long barrel and the quite much milimeters out of the
barrel)

(Sorry for my bad English..I hope you kind folks can understand my
question).

Maybe you have other ideas, suggestions etc. concerning this fact.
I find it quite frustrating, always to think notes low on the clarinet, I
mean: I should be much easier when not all the notes are to high on the
clarinet, and: its quite frustrating to have the throught-notes so
low...very difficult in forte-passages.

Well,

happy playing, music-listening,

yours,
jeroen T. Salm
The Netherlands