Klarinet Archive - Posting 000776.txt from 2001/01

From: rgarrett@-----.edu
Subj: RE: [kl] Mouthpieces
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 18:56:06 -0500

At 05:32 PM 1/23/01 -0500, you wrote:
>I may be way off base here but, empirically, it would seem that the
>baffle, sidewalls, and chamber design would have the largest effect on the
>TONAL qualities of a mouthpiece. The slight differences in the facing
>curves would be mostly affect the RESPONSE of the mouthpiece. If I am
>correct, then the two mouthpieces you hypothesize above should SOUND very
>nearly the same, although they may FEEL different, and may very well
>require different REEDS to achieve that sound. If they would truly sound
>radically different with just minor facing variations, it seems pointless
>to bother having model numbers at all!

Baffle affects pitch, response, and tonal qualities. Often, baffle depth
is not to specs - in fact, with Babbitt blanks, I must do some serious
filing and sanding to put them back to specs.

Side rails, tip rails, and window size affect response, tone, and clarity -
for the most part. Although, if they are really off, they can dramatically
affect other stuff............

The curve most definitely affects clarity and tone - as well as response.

Sincerely,
Roger Garrett

Roger Garrett
Clarinet Professor
Director, Symphonic Winds
Advisor, Recording Services
Illinois Wesleyan University
School of Music
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
(309) 556-3268

"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes
another's."
Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)

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