Klarinet Archive - Posting 000318.txt from 1997/11

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Re: Reed Strengths and types
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997 01:01:05 -0500

On Fri, 7 Nov 1997 PGAYR@-----.com wrote:

> The fact is that for almost half a century or more professional clarinetists
> played on large bore instruments, which have the inherent defect of extreme
> sharpness in the low register.

May I state a few of my understandings on the question of clarinet
acoustics? I would appreciate it if you would comment and correct any
inaccuracies.

Let me begin with a disclaimer: I have never built a clarinet. However,
as a result of some admittedly cursory study of acoustics, I am aware that
there are certain compromises in the construction of the instrument, due
primarily to the fact that we have only one register vent for the lower
two and one-half octaves or so of the range. (To be precise, two octaves
and a minor sixth.)

Ideally, there would be a different register vent for each note of the
chalumeau register, with each one giving a note a Perfect 12th higher,
thereby producing the clarion register. As this is obviously mechanically
impractical if not impossible, the register key vent has to be placed such
that neither register will be any more out of tune than necessary, and
also, for the standard Boehm system instrument, so that the same vent can
serve the function of producing the throat Bb.

As a result, the two lower registers will not be perfectly in tune with
each other. To me, it isn't as useful to talk about "extreme sharpness in
the low register" as to say that in that particular case, the two
registers are too close together. It would be possible to just construct
this instrument slightly longer, which would put the lower register notes
in tune, but naturally, this would make the upper register too flat. From
approximately the time of the introduction of the R-13 and other
instruments based on more-or-less similar designs, presumably smaller bore
instruments, the reverse tended to be true - the registers were too far
apart.

So, one manufacturer could and did tune the instrument so that the upper
register was more or less in tune, the theory being that the majority of
soloistic playing utilized the upper register notes, with the result that
the lower register tended to be flat. Another manufacturer could and did
tune their instruments so that the lower register notes would be more
nearly in tune, on the theory that these tones were the most fundamental
to the tuning and voicing of the entire instrument. But, that maker's
clarinets would have a high register which would tend to be sharp.

A third manufacturer constructed and tuned their instruments using a
slightly different acoustical compromise, so that the lower register was
only slightly flat and the upper was only slightly sharp, the thinking
being that the player could best make small adjustments to the pitch of
either or both registers using breath, embouchure, etc.

Now, each of these choices has some implications for the instrument in
addition to the question of pitch level. Comparing two instruments, one
with the upper register most nearly in tune and the other with the lower
register more accurate, there would be accompanying and predictable
differences in resistance and tone quality. Once again, we are not
talking about better or worse, but about different ways of constructing
instruments.

In the long run, a given player might prefer one model or another, but so
long as the intonation discrepancies are not too great, it is and always
has been up to the player to play the instrument in tune, utilizing their
pitch perception and their control of their playing techniques (breath
control, embouchure pressure, etc.). And that is precisely what many
great players did. That is what enabled Robert Marcellus to play in tune
with the Cleveland Orchestra using his Buffet, while other players were
able to play in tune on Selmers, LeBlancs, etc., to say nothing of Yamaha,
Wurlitzer, etc.

Now, as I understand your posts on this topic, it is your contention that
the newer LeBlanc instruments have eliminated this characteristic of
out-of-tune registers, which has plagued woodwind instrument manufacturers
for centuries. Theobald Boehm, H. Klose and Adolf Sax struggled with
this for their entire careers, and modern makers have tried with varying
degrees of success for a century and a half to solve the problems with
those pioneers left for us.

Does the above seem to you to have any basis in fact? Your analysis would
be appreciated.

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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