Klarinet Archive - Posting 000711.txt from 2001/07

From: "CLARK FOBES " <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Register tube and subtones
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 12:24:50 -0400

Mr. Swiney's answer to "Try an hour glass shaped tube" is puzzling. If you
have a Buffet "A" clarinet (Which I think you do), this already has an hour
glass shapes register tube.

I think I have gone over this before, but I will make the same comments that
are in my downloadable article "Tuning and Voicing the Clarinet".
www.clarkwfobes.com

Excerpt:

"The vent tube or "pip" functions as both a register vent and as a tone hole
for throat Bb1. Many "A" clarinets (especially R-13 Buffets) have a flat
throat Bb1. The register vent can be shortened to improve this note, but
there are several considerations before proceeding.

A shortened vent tube will also raise the pitch of the upper clarion (left
hand). The tones G2 - B2 tend to be sharp on most "A" clarinets and some
"Bb" clarinets. A shortened tube will also raise the pitch of B1 (middle
line B natural) slightly. Standard Buffet "A" clarinet register tubes are
.580" long. I remove .020" only. Shortening the "A" clarinet register tube
also has the positive affect of minimizing the sub-tone that can plague some
clarinets on A2. As the tube becomes shorter there is also a slight loss of
focus to tones Bb1 - D2. Everything is a compromise!" End excerpt

Another fix for "sub-tones" on the clarion "A" is to slightly increase
the diameter of the "A" tone hole. BUT, this must be done with a specially
tapered reamer. Short of that you may also enlarge just the "north/south"
direction of the tone hole at the surface by using a tapered tone hole
reamer. This is also covered in my article.

Clark W Fobes

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