Klarinet Archive - Posting 000545.txt from 1997/09

From: Labadorf@-----.com
Subj: Re: A Clarinet from a Bb?
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 17:04:21 -0400

On Tue, 9 Sep 1997, Gary Hopkins wrote:

> Years ago I had a professor that told me of how he had at one time used a
> string to convert his Bb clarinet into an A clarinet. If I remember
> correctly he said it was connected between the mouthpiece and the barrel
and
> hung down the center of the bore of the clarinet thus lowering the pitch a
> half-step. I have yet to try this, but I was wondering if any of you more
> mature (old foggie) clarinettists have heard of or done such a thing?
>
> Gary
>

Never personally experienced it, but someone once told me that he had a rod
that fit into his clarinet on the bell side that changed his clarinet from Bb
to A. It makes a little sence. The pitch of the instrument is dependant on
the size of the vibrating column of air in relation to the length of the
tube. If you insert something that would desplace some of the air column,
you are changing the proportion of volume of air to length of tube, thus
changing the pitch. It's worth experimenting with and relatively cheap. Let
me know if it works.

BTW, I'm 44. Am I an old foggie?

Tom Labadorf
Clarinetist, U. S. Coast Guard Band
Adjunct Instructor, Connecticut College, New London CT
Labadorf@-----.com