Klarinet Archive - Posting 000659.txt from 2000/05

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Eb on bell
Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 15:31:06 -0400

The lowest tone of a clarinet is created by having the air column exit
the instrument out of the bell. Thus, on a standard clarinet, fingering
low e creates the lowest tone by virtue of the fact that depressing the
e key closes the lowest hole on the instrument and the air column that
is created is the longest.

To get a low E-flat, the instrument must be longer and you need an extra
hole somewhere below the hole that is closed when low e is fingered. On
a soprano clarinet that plays a low e-flat, that extra hole (and pad to
close it so that the air goes out the bell) is on the body of the
instrument which has been made longer to accomodate the hole.

On some bass clarinets, that extra length is accomplished by putting the
e-flat hole (and pad to close it) on the bell. On a bass clarinet that
extends to low c, the holes for e, e-flat, d, and d-flat are on the body
of the instrument and the hole which when closed gives the lowest tone
or low c is on the bell.

In the case of the instrument you speak of, the manufacturer had two
choices. Extend the wood long enough to put the hole for the e-flat on
the body of the horn or else to put it on the bell. It makes better
financcial sense to put it on the bell because that way he uses the same
body for a bass clarinet that goes down to low e as for one that goes
down to low e-flat; i.e., its a little more keywork and a different bell
rather than a different body.

William Wright wrote:
>
> Several auctions have described a bass clarinet as having "Eb on
> the bell". I assume this means that the keywork extends to the bell
> with a bridge of some sort. Are all bass clarinets built this way?
> And a related question: does a bass clarinet change into some other
> standard instrument if you replace the neck with a simple barrel and the
> curved bell with an 'ordinary' bell.
>
> Thank you,
> Bill
>
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--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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