Klarinet Archive - Posting 000841.txt from 1998/11

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] tuning/fingering questions
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 11:23:26 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: Diane Karius, Ph.D. <dikarius@-----.edu>
Date: Sunday, November 22, 1998 3:05 AM
Subject: [kl] tuning/fingering questions

>I've been pondering these questions for a week and a half and I still
>don't get it - so: I routinely use resonant fingerings in the
>throat tones and half hole the low altissimo D, E, and F when I play.
>If I use those fingerings to tune, my clarinet is well in tune with
>itself (the notable exceptions being the throat Bb (A+register key),
>which is hideously flat - that gets worse if I don't use the resonant
>fingering in the G to tune; and the altissimo A, which is hideously
>sharp (higher notes come back down)). My new teacher has told me: 1)
>to use the resonant fingerings only when I drift sharp as a way to
>bring the tone down (which they certainly work well for); 2) not to
>half-hole the altissimo notes (at all); and 3) not to use either
>half-holing or the resonant fingerings when I tune. Given #1 and 2,
>I certainly see where #3 comes from, but I don't understand #1 and 2.
>
>My questions then:
>1. How uncommon/common is it for a clarinetist to use either of
>these fingering techniques? Is there any arguement against using
>them even when the tone & pitch of the note is improved by them?
>2. Given that the clarinet is in better tune with itself when
>I use those techniques as I tune and that all but the quickest notes
>are being played using these fingerings, what would be a reason for
>_not_ tuning using those techniques? (Obviously, this question is
>moot if there is a reason not to be using those fingering in the
>first place)

The resonant fingerings should not really be necessary to bring the horn
into tune but instead to improve the tone quality of the note. The same
thing is true of using the half hole in the altissimo (plus it helps the
stability of the note a bit). Basically I only employ these techniques
where there are long sustained notes or where the clarinet line is standing
out from the rest of the band and the tempo is relatively slow.

That the throat tones are typically flat is a real problem. This
essentially means that it is impossible to tune that instrument. Most
instruments are normally a bit sharp in the throat tones compared to the
rest of the horn. That way when you tune by pulling the barrel to bring
your concert Bb in tune, the throat should come close to being in tune also
as the very short playing length of the throat tones is affected more than
the whole clarinet. If you are playing unisons in the upper chalumeau and
throat area, ideally you should be able to tune everyone to say the open G
and handle other pitch discrepencies with the embouchure. I'm thinking of
some pieces where we had to hold a long tone in this region of the clarinet
and you and your partners have got to match.

I would attribute this to some type of equipment problem. Here are some
ideas.

1. Are the key and pad heights correct? Small variations can cause
significant intonation problems.

2. Are the tone holes, especially those for the throat notes, absolutely
clean? The register key hole is already too small on most clarinets and the
slightest bit of contamination can be a disaster.

3. Is the mouthpiece a suitable match for your clarinet?

4. Is the barrel a suitable match?

5. Could it be a combination of any or all of the above?

Although I haven't played a ton of different instruments, the ones that I
have had experience with have all ranged from sharp to very sharp in the
throat tones. But they could all be tuned and still have reasonable tuning
in the remainder of the instrument.

Good luck and let us know what happens in your search for the answer.

Dee Hays
Canton, SD

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