Klarinet Archive - Posting 000675.txt from 1998/01

From: "Kevin J. Bowman" <kbowman@-----.com>
Subj: clarinet tuning
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 16:24:51 -0500

Hi all:

Questions about tuning and intonation:

I just purchased a chromatic tuner so I could monitor my
intonations while playing long tones (at the start of my
warmup). I realize that the tuner is calibrated for equal
temperament and have read that musicians in an ensemble
setting (minus any inherently equal-tempered instruments
such as piano) naturally play with "just" temperament or
just intonation. So I calculated the difference between
equal and just temperaments, in cents, which my tuner
shows fairly well. For those who are interested, the differences,
from A=440Hz to A=880Hz in chromatic steps are:
0 +18 +4 +16 -14 -2 -10 +2 +14 -16 +18 -12 0

My questions are these:
1) My clarinet is pitched at A=440 (as are most Buffet R13's
I would imagine). Does Buffet attempt to "tune" the clarinet
relative to just or equal or some other temperament?

2) When my clarinet is warm (after playing 5 to 10 minutes), my
concert A pitch registers quite high on the tuner - about +15 cents.
What effect, if any does mouthpiece/reed/ligature combinations have
on basic pitch and overall intonation? Should I look at a longer barrel
or one with a different bore?

3) When practicing intonation, what exactly should I be aiming for?
Should my goal be to center my pitch according to just temperament
or equal temperament? Or is it a moot point to try to achieve good
intonation without the benefit of playing with other musicians?

4) I have recordings of a clarinetist performing solos with an orchestra and
with a piano. I can definitely hear inconsistancies in intonation in the
piano accompanied solos (same artist in both situations). Is this due to
the artists bias toward just intonation (perhaps due to more experience in
orchestra settings). Since most of my performing is with piano accompaniment,
should I be concentrating on equal temperament. And is it possible to
"switch gears" mentally between two different temperaments?

A lot of questions, I know. I hope some of you will want to discuss this
or respond to me privately. If not, I'm sure these are food for thought.

Kevin Bowman