Klarinet Archive - Posting 001159.txt from 1998/07

From: reedman@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Tape in tone holes
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 01:24:55 -0400

Well, one always learns something new! I have to restate that I have
never seen a Moennig instrument that had tape in the tone holes, but the
personal experience on the list indicates otherwise. I am disappointed.

The reason I say this is that there have long been materials other
than tape that work better for tuning. Tape is a really inferior way of
tuning instruments (IMHO) because it tends to lose it's adhesive qualities
over time and can slip. It also creates an extra step at a very critical
position in the tone hole which can cause turbulence (noise). Also it must
be layered for larger tone hole to have any effect on pitch and this
compounds the already stated problems.

My college teacher, Russel S. Howland, was the person who first
taught me how to re-tune clarinet tone holes. He used a common garden
compund called "Black Magic" (I think!!) which was used for patching trees.
It hardend well enough to file and it remained viscous enough to shape for
about an hour. He told me in 1971 that he was using a tube that he had had
for about 20 years! So this stuff has been around.

I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I use a material called
"DURO Master Mend Epoxy" - Metal Repair. It is a two part Epoxy and when it
sets up (in about 1/2 hour) it is grey and files very nicely. It adheres to
the wood extremely well if the wood is dry and cleaned with a solvent. It
is quite easy to apply and can be layered for larger holes (bass
clarinets).

Another interesting point about Howland was the method he used to
check pitch. He had a Conn Strobocon in his office (You old timers will
know what that is!), but he rarely used it. Russ had a phenomenal ear and
he expected all of us to use ours! He always played with us in lessons (At
age 65 he could play every Jeanjean etude flawlessly!) During one of my
first lessons he said to me "Your (something) seems a little sharp", We
would check our concert Bb's then he would have me hold the suspect tone as
he would play 4ths, 5ths and octaves around it. Before I knew what was
happening several keys were off my horn as Howland started working at his
bench. Soon we would have the instrument together again and go through the
same process of checking the pitches by interval.

At age 17 he gave me two important concepts that have always stayed
with me.

1. Faulty intonation on instruments can be corrected to some degree
and although you need to know what you are doing, it isn't
brain surgery.
2. Ensemble intonation is a funtion of good ears and good listening.

Clark W Fobes

Clark W Fobes
Web Page http://www.sneezy.org/clark_fobes

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