Klarinet Archive - Posting 000597.txt from 1998/07
From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Keywork improvements
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 13:11:07 -0400
No, No, No! The third ring on the right hand IS important--it gives a great
alternate fingering for the high Eb. Specifically:
OXX | OOX
T Eb
On my Bb R-13, the intonation for this fingering is an absolute lock. I
find that I use it more and more--the first line of the Brahms sonata is one
good example.
I, too, wonder about a couple of things though:
First, I use the sliver key infrequently. When I do, it's for trilling the
Bb--you only have to move one hand. I don't use it for anything else
because it's out of tune. Why is the tone hole sized differently than the
right hand's key?
Second--while we have introduced Mr. Mazzeo into the string. He lopped off
the bell rings on all his clarinets. A friend of mine studied with him, and
swears that it makes the middle-line B natural sound better. "No way!" I
scoffed, until we did the scientific thing and listened (with our backs
turned and no peeking).
Damn if he wasn't right!! It *does* sound and respond better. (FYI, the
instruments involved were all Buffet R-13s--it wasn't a matter of a Selmer
bell on a Buffet.) Now I need to find someone I trust to lop off the bell
ring without making the note sharp; apparently this is a critical thing.
Why don't the manufacturers do this?
kjf
-----Original Message-----
From: merlinw@-----.ca]
Subject: [kl] Keywork improvements
On 07/19/98 20:36:26 you wrote:
>
>Some of us have been deeply and passionately involved with our sliver
>key discussion. Some of us [myself included] consider it useless and
>would prefer having clarinets without it. But, are we arguing about the
>truly most useless mechanical contrivance on our instruments? I
>contend that the bottom right hand ring has no real purpose in life, and
>being a devout minimalist, would like to be rid of it!
>The resulting tone hole could at tube exterior surface level and
>therefore be a smaller diameter. It would then be
>easier for little fingers to cover. It would appear much as the bottom
>left hand tone hole.
>Less is better!!
I kinda like the idea of eliminating the third ring on the RH. However, I
have a friend who refuses to play any clarinet that does not have a LH third
ring. That extra rings allows a G-Bb tremolo, and makes the Ab-Bb trill
easier. Personally, I found it easier to have Steve Fox add a bis key to my
clarinet to facilitate the same passages.
I also think that all clarinets should be equipped with a LH Ab-Eb key.
Seems silly not to have duplicates for all of the little finger keys.
Merlin Williams
merlinw@-----.ca
http://www.netcom.ca/~merlinw
(A member of the Sax Ring!)
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