Klarinet Archive - Posting 000947.txt from 2000/02

From: "Clark W Fobes" <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Clarinet barrels - was accubore
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:41:48 -0500

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Jonathan Smith wrote:

" I think the Accubore barrels are a great way of improving an =
intermediate
clarinet; they seem more focused and pure sounding, and they are very
consistent and not temperamental. But they don't quite have the =
character of
a good moenning or Buffet bore. For high end clarinets, I think you =
should
choose a perfect wood barrel out of thousands"

That puts the problem with most solid wood barrels in pretty good =
perspective. One out of a thousand?

I don't like purely synthetic barrels ( aluminum, or delrin) because =
they don't have the warmth of wood barrels. I can hear Dan groaning =
right now. The famous acoustician, Arthur Benade, maintained that wall =
material has no significant influence on sound when the wall of a =
woodwind instrument is as thick as the clarinet. I agree that =
dimensional design exerts a much greater influence, but as a maker of =
barrels for almost 10 years I have experimented in different materials =
and I find that the material does affect how we as the performer =
perceive sound. This is crucial in the way that we manipulate our oral =
cavity and face to control what we hear. There is no question that a =
well designed wood barrel with good dimensions produces an excellent =
sound. However, wood changes over time from moisture exchange. In dry =
climates barrels tend to shrink and the interior bore is reduced. This =
has an adverse affect on sound and produces unusually high throat tone =
pitches. In areas, like San Francisco, we see fluctuations in the =
moisture and on very dry days ( rare!) our instruments complain.

My barrels are primarily African blackwood, but they have a hard =
rubber insert to reduce the possibility of change. In my opinion it is =
the best of both worlds. Also, I suspect that the very smooth bore =
produced when the rubber is reamed reduces the "drag" on the wind =
column. This translates into response.

The only advantageous quality of synthetic barrels is that they are =
inexpensive to produce.

Clark W Fobes

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