Klarinet Archive - Posting 000733.txt from 2000/05

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Eb on bell
Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 12:42:03 -0400

Well, I have exhausted whatever modest technical knowledge I have on the
whole subject so I can't comment any more than I have. But the
discussion is a good one so I hope that someone better equipped than me
will add some clarity to it.

Dan

Roger Shilcock wrote:
>
> Dan,
> If this was absolutely so, then no one would ever bother to open a hole
> further down the instrument with the intention of correcting the tuning on
> some note. I think you are taking the clarinet to be closer to an ideal
> cylindrical tube than it is. In particular, you are implying that the
> clarinet behaves as if the piece of tube beyond the hole used to produce a
> given tone has been annihilated, and I doubt whether this is the case. I
> can't quote any acoustics texts on
> this, but probably someone on this list can.
> Yours,
> Roger S.
>
>
> On Mon, 15 May 2000, Daniel Leeson wrote:
>
> > Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 06:43:14 -0700
> > From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
> > Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> > To: klarinet@-----.org
> > Subject: Re: [kl] Eb on bell
> >
> > Roger, I think the answer can be determined empirically. There are a
> > few clarinettists who have two different lower joints for their
> > instruments. One such joint is traditional and permits the instrument
> > to descend to the low E-natural. The other joint makes the instrument
> > into a basset clarinet by virtue of the fact that it permits descent to
> > low C. Either joint fits on an unaltered upper joint which remains
> > unmodified.
> >
> > In the two such instruments that I have seen, there was no perceptible
> > difference in the placement of any tone holes down to and including low
> > E, but it is possible that the difference was so slight as to be not
> > noticeable without some sophisticated measurement.
> >
> > However, and it is a very BIG however, there is clearly no difference at
> > all in the tone hole spacing for the upper joint. Yet your suggestion
> > is that adding a low E-flat to a clarinet might require a relocation of
> > ALL tone holes, something with which I am not in agreement.
> >
> > To do as you suggest appears to me to violate physics. A note is at a
> > certain pitch because of the length of the vibrating air column.
> > Changing that length for all notes (which is synonymous with what you
> > say) is going to change the pitch of every note. It is not a matter of
> > proportion but of absolute length.
> >
> > Roger Shilcock wrote:
> > >
> > > Dan L.,
> > > Surely an instrument built to low E flat and one built to low E should
> > > have
> > > all their holes in slightly different places?
> > > Roger S.
> > >
> > > On Sat, 13 May 2000, Daniel Leeson wrote:
> > >
> > > > Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 12:31:06 -0700
> > > > From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
> > > > Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> > > > To: klarinet@-----.org
> > > > Subject: Re: [kl] Eb on bell
> > > >
> > > > 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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> > > >
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> > --
> > ***************************
> > ** Dan Leeson **
> > ** leeson0@-----.net **
> > ***************************
> >
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> >
>
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--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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