Klarinet Archive - Posting 000578.txt from 2000/12

From: "MD (also: ubc@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Tuning
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 17:42:11 -0500

Last March I had my Bb soprano professionally "set up" for about
$475(US) by Bob MacDonald in Vancouver. The tuning is as perfect as I
could ask for in a clarinet (supposedly, more work for more money
involving modifications to the tone holes can be done, but I'm quite
happy with what have at the moment), and the keywork is excellent.
Passages in the Debussy P.R. and the Rozsa Sonatina which used to be
left to chance sit perfectly under my fingers. I would reccomend
getting both tuning and keywork done if you are playing any solo work
in concert or have the opportunity to play principal in an orchestra
playing difficult repertoire. It leaves much less to chance and
allows you to concentrate more on the music. A procedure like this
works just as well on an intermediate model wooden clarinet. My
teacher, Wesley Foster (Vancouver Symphony), keeps an intermediate
model in top condition for outdoor concerts and other dangerous
situations!

--
Mike Dowler

>Josh Gardner writes:
>Does anybody know the allowable spread ratio when tuning the
>twelfths of an R-13 clarinet. It seem that the E and B are pretty
>in tune (+5 cents), F to
>C is a bit worse (about +10 cents), the F# to C# is close and G to D
>is close. G# to D# is about +10 cents as well. Any suggestions?
>The clarion G
>is a bit high too. Any suggestions on how to fix any of these
>problems (or if they are even problems).
>I play on a Buffet R-13 with a Vandoren M-13 mouthpiece with V-12 #4
>reeds, and a 66 mm Chadash barrel.>>
>
>Josh-
>
>This is an area that I am becoming more and more interested in as a craftsman.
>
>Personally, I would wish that there is no such thing as an
>"allowable" intonation discrepancy.
>
>However, I would guess that any spread in twelfths of more than 5 or
>6 cents, plus or minus, is going to cause intonation adjustment
>problems.
>
>If you read through "Clarinet Acoustics" by O. Lee Gibson (I had to
>read through it about five times before I started to put things
>together), you will get an explanation of why these out of tune
>twelfths appear, and how different manufacturers have tried to cope
>with them.
>
>There was a thread, on theis list, just a few weeks ago, about what
>could be done to remedy the large spread on "A" clarinets, where the
>clarion (left hand) B and C are often so sharp.
>
>If you can follow that thread there were several good approaches
>suggested, some of which I followed.
>
>My success in taming some oversized twelfths included:
>
>Using a barrel with a narrower bore with a reversed conical bore.
>
>Adjusting the cork on the register key to not allow it to open more
>than it needed to.
>
>Adjusting the upper stack ring keys so that the pads did not open too far
>
>I was partially successful in bringing down unacceptably sharp left
>hand B and C, without flattening the corresponding throat E and F.
>
>I would recommend that you have a professional CLARINET technician
>look at your clarinet, including barrel and mouthpiece, to see what
>can be done.
>
>Walter Grabner
>
>
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--
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