Klarinet Archive - Posting 000456.txt from 1999/10

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Altissimo
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 23:17:06 -0400

On Sat, 16 Oct 1999, Dodgshun family wrote:

> Slightly off topic, one of the guys in the orchestra I play in bought
> himself a brand new Selmer Signature A clarinet about 6 months ago (it has
> since cracked and been fixed). It's a gorgeous instrument, but his E (top
> space on the stave) is horrendously flat - is it likely to be the
> instrument?

It's possible. When I played a Signature, the altissimo was a little off
as well - however, the Signature is notably different than an R13, which
is what I play. Furthermore, I have found that my setup is popular among
R13 players (and Yamaha players who play that one model that's almost
identical to the R13), but no one else. Keep in mind that when you change
brands of an instrument, you may need to alter your setup as well. I play
on a setup that's excellent for an R13, and have an embouchure and
adjustments that have been ingrained into me to correct the minor
deficiencies in the R13. When you put these with a different instrument
that hasn't those deficiencies, and different ones of it's own, you will
discover new problems.

I think I would love the Signature if I altered my setup a little and got
used to it. But I'm used to an R13 at the moment. This may be the case
with your friend.

I'm just curious, because he doesn't seem to notice it (which
> annoys me greatly, seeing as I have to sit next to him!), and I wonder if on
> his Bb that note's sharp, and he's now used to unconsciously correcting, and
> is unnecessarily doing this. Is this likely?

Oh, certainly! A prime example: for nearly four years, my primary
alto saxophone (Nancy) was a typical buzzy, sharp-up-top, lousy C#/C
Bundy II. In April, I aquired a Selmer SA80II, which had a gorgeous
sound, and even better, an absolutely perfect scale! From the low Bb to
the high F#, you could have written an accurate chart on equal temperment
using this horn. However, when I took it to church to play, my pastor (a
saxamaphonist) kept giving me funny looks. He informed me that high b and
above was distinctly sharp. I realized that when I was playing, I wasn't
thinking about that perfect scale, just on playing in the moment, and
without actually thinking on it, I was automatically flattening the
register that was super sharp on my first horn, turning my new horn sour
(for the first week, at least).

Of course, now that I'm marching again, I'm using a university Yamaha
YAS21, which is no better than Nancy, and for some reason, I seem to be
sharp up top all the time...

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
"If I wanted a 'job,' I'd have gone music ED, thank you very much!"

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