Klarinet Archive - Posting 000125.txt from 2000/05

From: charette@-----.org
Subj: Re: [kl] Metal clarinets
Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 17:35:10 -0400

Bill wrote:
>But large-bore clarinets, as were the style then, typically do not have
undercutting. The difference in the sharpness of the tonehole edges should
not have been all THAT great.

According to what I remember reading Benade felt it was enough to cause a difference in airflow - it's a lot harder to get a sharp edge in wood than in metal. There was another article I read (Lars - Woodwind Quarterly?) where someone had looked at old clarinets and flutes and determined that the drills/drill presses of two centuries ago did not drill sharp-edges holes, leading to a "natural" undercutting. I don't know if that applies at all to clarinets of this century, and I haven't done my own study other than just looking at old clarinets.

Sometimes modern manufacturing methods are "too precise" for certain instruments; Scientific American has a number of well-presented articles; one I remember was an article on natural horns. The modern ones were very hard to play in tune even with "adjustment holes" in them; old ones were relatively easy to play in tune. It was discovered that the imperfections left by hand-rolling and bending caused physical effects which allowed a player to more easily adjust the note.

Mark C.

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