Klarinet Archive - Posting 000178.txt from 1998/09

From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Short barrels
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 23:22:06 -0400

on 9/5/98 8:30 PM, Mark Bradley wrote:

>Yes the 65mm barrel on my E-11 really was a problem for me before I got
>a new barrel. (BTW, I use a Vandoren M13 mouthpiece) Every time I put
>the instrument together I had to pull the barrel out automatically since
>it would *always* be sharp, 100% of the time. I use a 66mm (or 67 I
>can't remember) barrel now that is from an R13 and I am more in tune.

We switched to Vandoren M13 mpcs in the Richmond Symphony last season,
looking for a mpc that would play comfortably at 440. The RSO lowered the
pitch from 442 after lots of discussion. We've been through about 30 mpcs
in three different batches, last September, in the spring, and last week.
The M13s seem to play pretty consistently at A-440. I think Tom Ridenour
mentioned last year sometime (on this list) that the M13 is the only
Vandoren with a different bore, and, equipment know-nothing that I am, I
assume this contributes to its pitch characteristics.

BTW, I play this mpc on a pair of Yamaha 72's with 67 mm barrels (the
Yamahas are made to play at 442, so their literature says) and my two
colleagues play them on Buffets.

I've often wondered how a maker can say with such assurance that a given
mpc or instrument "plays at 44x", given the vagaries of mpcs, barrels,
and other factors. Does a clarinet made to play at 442 play even sharper
with a mpc made to play at 442, and if so, *can* you play it with a
reliable scale at 440? I don't know the answer to that (in scientific
terms, anyway). I can play my Yamaha at 440 with a longer barrel, and the
scale seems pretty close, but I do notice that different mpcs (various
M13s and other brands) tend to change the scale slightly. It seems to me
that a good sounding mpc is easier to play in tune as well, leading me to
wonder about the scientific basis (if any) for the opinion that it is
easier to play in tune with a good sound that "blends well with others".

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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