Klarinet Archive - Posting 000313.txt from 1997/11

From: Dee Hays <deerich@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Leblanc Throat mechanism
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 22:43:11 -0500

Brace yourself, but I agree absolutely with the following also. A few years
ago, out of curiosity, I ran the math of the harmonic series for the clarinet.
Because the of the fact that the registers are based on the odd harmonics of
the fundamental (3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th), the clarinet is inherently out of
tune with the well-tempered scale and it is indeed up to the player to
compensate for this characteristic. The clarion register, which comes from the
3rd harmonic, is naturally sharp by comparison to the chalumeau. Most of the
altissimo, the bulk of which is based on the 5th and 7th harmonics, is
naturally flat. The makers of pro instruments balance the designs as well as
they possibly can but that does not let the player off the hook As you state,
the player must voice the notes, use special fingerings if needed, and
sometimes compensate through the embouchure.

Instruments like the flute, where they can play most of their notes using
fundamental, 2nd, and 4th harmonics, are a little better in this regard but
they also have their own unique problems.

Roger Garrett wrote:

> No offense meant here, but, if I read this correctly, you are saying that
> no notes should need to be voiced or colored? Please forgive me for
> thinking that perhaps you are not very advanced.....or, perhaps, you just
> don't listen very carefully. No instrument built on the planet, including
> the best string instruments, have perfect scales or perfect voicing on
> every note. You add the SK mechanism to a horn....and solve one problem
> but create others. Your posting assumes that it is the mechanism....I
> assert that the length of the tube between the mouthpiece and the tone
> holes that are commonly referred to as "throat tones" sound like the sound
> because of the shortness of the clarinet at the point which those tones
> sound. THAT is why we use color fingerings and learn to voice. The high
> C will either be bright or slightly out of tune with the C below
> it......that is why we learn to voice.....it is an integral part of
> playing the clarinet, just as pressure, speed, location on the string are
> all inherent in learning to draw a bow.
>
> Your response, while probably quite sincere, is simply to simple and
> elementary.
>
> Roger Garrett