Klarinet Archive - Posting 000863.txt from 1998/03

From: RCLARINET <RCLARINET@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Zinner double concavity. Attn.Tom
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 11:44:51 -0500

In a message dated 3/13/98 4:13:55 PM, you wrote:

<<Tom - Do you mind expounding on this double concavity of the baffle to which
you have
referred in two postings?

I am playing a Hawkins as of a few weeks ago. The deepness of the baffle
scared me
on first inspection. Yes, the overall pitch is on the low side but the more
important
voicing of the mouthpiece does not sag like many deep-baffled mouthpieces.

Could it be that the entrance to the bore (where the end of the baffle exits
the top chamber
and meets the bore) is not as deep as, say, many of my Kaspars and
Chedevilles which have
deep baffles that continue their deepness into the bore.
Otherwise said - it seems that the deep baffle of the Hawkins returns
somewhat for a
shallower entrance into the bore.

In my experience you can shorten a flat mouthpiece which has a good voicing
but there
is nothing you can do to combat the low voicing of a deep-baffled/deep
bore-entrance
mouthpiece.

Simon Ithink your instincts about this matter may be correct. Pitch is due to
total volume of the mouthpiece, but I am convinced that certain areas of the
baffel contour can cause the pitch to sag and make the throat tones low. This
is certainly the case with some of the older large bore/deep baffel
mouthpieces: low pitched and sagging throat tones.
The Zinner is double concavity (meaning the baffel profile contour is a deep,
concave scoop AND the baffel contour side to side is also concave). This
contrasts some mouthpieces which have concave profiles but are flatter across
the the baffle in most of the baffel length.
The Hawkins is made from a Zinner French style blank if I am not wrong. You
will notice the lower pitch (you're in trouble if all you have is 66
millimeter barrels and your group decides to sail above 441 Hz). But the
tuning at 440-41 Hz is very good with stable throat tones...........due in
some degree to the fact that the concavity does not extend into the bore and
enters the bore somewhat shallower than other mouthpieces of the same genre.
Any more and the Zinner would be out of the ball park.......as it is it hits a
grand slam as long as the fence is no longer than 440 or 441 ;-)
tom