Klarinet Archive - Posting 000591.txt from 2001/10

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] Real Questions Here
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 10:23:57 -0400

Karl Krelove says:

<< I'm interested, too, in responses to your original question about barrel dimensions (that I snipped out of this reply). There are many problems of intonation and tone shape that can be affected by the barrel, and we don't tend to talk about this as much as we do about mouthpieces and reeds.>>

Karl is SO on target here.

Hence my current fascination with barrels. This is something we as clarinet players have ignored for years, except those lucky enough to work with a master like Moennig.

For years, I thought of the barrel as nothing but a "connector" from the mouthpiece to the "real clarinet".

If I thought about tuning at all, it was length of barrel that I considered. I had many experiences, however, that were confusing. For example, a shorter barrel that played at the same pitch, ot lower, than a longer barrel. Stuff like that.

We as clarinetists need to consider what is goin on within the barrel(s) that we use, and how they affect, in a positive or negative way, our tone, response and intonation patterns.

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com

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