Klarinet Archive - Posting 000378.txt from 2000/08

From: "Keith" <100012.1302@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Opposite register vent
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 09:49:26 -0400

Bill,

I played one of these (simple or Albert system) for a few years. Works fine,
and I never saw one broken (my school had lots). But when I changed to
Boehm, I did prefer the register key - it does seem to have a slicker
opening. (Other aspects I liked less - the high C (thumb + register) is not
nearly such a good note on the Boehm).

I have a few early clarinets, and the ones before 1890 have the register key
on the underside. I suspect the wrap-round version may have been invented by
Albert himself. It is present on those I have seen by the Albert founder,
made for Lazarus, and on one that I have around 1890 - 1900 by Jacques
Albert, a "renegade" son who split from Dad's business.

Keith Bowen

> Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 16:30:38 -0700 (PDT)
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
> Subject: Opposite register vent
> Message-ID: <2231-3998811E-9655@-----.net>
>
> Today a clarinetist/technician showed me his collection of vintage
> instruments, some of them going back to the mid-1800's. One of them (I
> don't remember the date) was mostly Boehm, but it had the register vent
> on top of the joint instead of below, and then a key twisted around to
> the bottom of the joint, near to the thumb hole.
> My friend told me that this makes more sense because water doesn't
> accumulate in the register vent if it's on top. When the vent is on the
> bottom, then you need to add a tube inside the joint in order to divert
> water, and this tube contributes to the alto and altissimo intonation
> and tone color probelms.
> I asked him why clarinet manufacturers abandoned this, and he said
> that he didn't know the reason, except perhaps that the keywork was too
> complicated. But it looked fairly simple to me. It's just that the
> pivot rod for the key was 90 degrees to the normal position.
>
> So I'm curious: Is there more to the story than what I've
> recounted?
>
> Thanks,
> Bill
>

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