Klarinet Archive - Posting 000207.txt from 1999/04

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Material vs. Belief?
Date: Sun, 4 Apr 1999 10:07:29 -0400

On Sun, 4 Apr 1999, Steven J Goldman, MD wrote:
> You must understand that the vibration you feel on the body of the clarinet
> has an extreamly small effect on the propogation of sound waves in a room.
> They are just not forceful enough (amplitude). The change in tone quality
> you may notice is due to other variables, not "muting" the bell.

Steven,

Just a question - in what way do you think the vibration felt (through
touching the instrument while playing) might also affect performance of
that instrumenet in other ways?

More questions in general for everyone:

What causes each instrument to play differently - especially the plastics
- from each other. In other words - if two clarinets made from plastic
are produced and are identical, why do they sound different? Let's extend
that to wood......why are two supposedly identical wood clarinets, perhaps
only one serial number apart, so different in the way they sound? Or, are
they really?

Bill Brannen told me that the instruments are manufactured to specific
tolerances (backed up by Francois' discussion with me on the few
occassions I have visited him) - and then Brannen resets the
non-undercutting type tolerances - inclusive of tone holes, keywork, and
pads - to specific standards. Even after his work, he has stated - you
got a good one vs. you got an ok one. What would make one differ from the
other if they are supposedly identical in design and have been set to
tolerances by the same person? Further, when both are played - the
listener (not the player) cannot hear a difference between them - yet the
player can both feel and hear a difference. Hmmmmmm.........why is that?
Roger Garrett
Professor of Clarinet
Director - Concert Band, Symphonic Winds & Titan Band
Advisor - Recording Studio
Illinois Wesleyan University

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