Klarinet Archive - Posting 000174.txt from 2000/01

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Clarinet maker
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 19:12:53 -0500

At 12:04 PM 1/6/2000 -0800, Benjamin Maas wrote:
>>
>> So, to be honest, filling a clarinet with gold will probably do but two
>> things: make it heavier and more expensive. Gold plated keys, I'm told,
>> are slightly heavier, and have to be replated less often, but wouldn't
>> affect the sound (or so one would think).
>>
>
>The plating on the keys not only feels different from metal to metal, but it
>seems that there are subtle differences in sound. I just recently tried out
>a large number (at least 12-15) of Buffet R-13 clarinets at a local shop.
>
>One of my teachers (Yehuda Gilad) said that the different platings sound
>different on instruments. I was quite skeptical until I tried them out.
>The nickel plating had a bit more robust sound than the silver on every
>instrument I tried. The silver had (for lack of a better term) a "smoother"
>sound. Both were good and I found instruments made with both kinds of keys
>that I liked, but there was quite definitely different characters to the
>sound.
>
>Nickel keys also tend to be a bit smoother/slicker in their feel than
>silver. I find that my fingers tend to grip silver a bit better. I have
>played gold plate horns, but not for a long time and not Buffet so I cannot
>comment on sonic differences. However, I do remember that the "feel" of
>gold was not totally unlike the nickel.
>
>Just my $0.02... Flame away! :-)
>
You asked for it! :-)

Since even the effect on tone of the composition of the instrument's body
is in question, I am REALLY sceptical of the keys' contribution. Could it
be that you were simply hearing the effect of the variation between
clarinets, and that the same body, with a different set of keys installed,
would have sounded just the same? Your own biases, in the absence of blind
tests, could have attributed the variance to the keys. I'll give you the
difference in feel, though.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org