Klarinet Archive - Posting 000807.txt from 2002/04

From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Introduction and a few questions
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 22:41:15 -0400

on 4/28/02 6:32 AM, Joseph Wakeling wrote:

>As things stand I'm in the process of arranging to spend a
>huge amount of money on a new pair of clarinets. I'm aware that here on
>continental Europe A = 442 is the norm and in the US (and UK?) A = 440 is
>usual, and I'm getting a little confused by the different makes that seem
>designed for one or the other, or, in a few cases, for both (?!). What's
>the deal? Is switching between the two merely a matter of different barrel
>length or pulling out the clarinet a bit, or is it not so simple? (Bearing
>in mind here that as a physicist/mathematician I can expect a bit of a
>wandering career and I plan on working in the US at some point.)

I play Yamaha clarinets made (I'm told) to play at 442. Our orchestra, a
few years back, switched from 442 to 440, and the change was pretty
minimal. Now I'm sure the scientists/purists will scream bloody murder
that the tone hole placement for 440 should be different from that for
442. But in practical "in the trenches" fact, there are so many
compromises to correct tone hole placement and pitch that changing from
442 to 440 is really not an unsolvable problem. The adjustments for
certain pitches just are different in one instance than in the other.

I'd get a set of 442 clarinets, and hunt for a barrel that will get the
instrument to 440 with a minimum of adjustment. Or I suppose you could do
the reverse (buy 440, get a shorter barrel). Anyone really *know* if one
way is better than the other?

Also, the mouthpiece issue comes into this equation. Some mouthpieces are
made to play 440, some to play 442. If you put a 440 mouthpiece on a 442
clarinet, which do you get? Or, do you get the average? I believe the
practical answer is that you need to find a mouthpiece that plays a good
scale on *your* instrument, at the pitch you'll mostly play at. IMHO,
it's better to need to pull a bit (and use tuning rings if need be) than
to find yourself in the position of needing to play a bit sharper and
having nowhere to go because you're pushed in all the way already.

I find that reeds have an enormous impact on the tuning of my instrument,
too.

My $0.02 (US) - donning flame retardant suit!

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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