Klarinet Archive - Posting 000755.txt from 1998/05

From: Matthew Hanson <mchanson@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Anti-alto clarinet forces, BORES
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 03:00:43 -0400

>There are 2 basic problems with the Alto clarinet.

>First, as posted by others, it is usually (but by all means not always) >the
>less strong player that plays it--and consequently it does not sound so
>good. Second (which is the reason for the first) is that the >instrument
>should not exist at all.

>In the saxophone family, there is little or no overlap between the >soprano
>and the tenor.
>In the Clarinet family, on the other hand, this gap does not exist. >Except
>perhaps for the extreme altissimo register in the hands of virtuosos,
>clarinets have a much wider range than saxophones. Indeed, the
>standard
>range of the bass clarinet and the soprano clarinet overlap.

Uhhh... Is there is gap between Bb and A??? In the above manner, someone
could just as easily argue that the Bb soprano and Bb bass clarinets
shouldn't even exist since the Eb family exists.
Granted, the alto is not made correctly, but no instrument should be
considered useless simply because there is no tonal gap in the family.
You might as well say that the C and A clarinet shouldn't even exist.
It's all about timbre.
And actually, the newest Buffet alto clarinet has a smaller bore and is
built quite well. It has the low Eb on the body instead of the bell,
like the low C bass and has been improved dramatically.
Bore size affects sound, but it isn't a reason to hate an instrument.
Selmer Paris and USA Eb Contra clarinets have a bore of .988".
Leblanc Paris and Vito (USA) Eb contras have a bore size of 1.182".
This is a significant difference in bore size.
Incidently, Leblanc uses the EXACT same bore size for both their Eb and
Bb contras, metal and plastic.
With Selmer, the difference is astounding!
Eb contra-.988",
Bb contra-1.333"!!!!
Down that low, bore size doesn't affect the instrument quite as much,
but I don't think alto clarinet should be the bastard of the band
because of its bore size or key.

sorry for rambling,
Matthew Hanson
Houston, TX
mchanson@-----.com
http://www.infohwy.com/~bkburks/mch/music_m.htm

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