Klarinet Archive - Posting 000834.txt from 2002/04

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: Re: [kl] Rossi clarinets & barrels
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 11:31:15 -0400

Neil says <<61.5 mm? This suggests that the length of the clarinet incorporates more of the barrel into the one-piece body -- approx. 4 mm more of it, based on your
number -- than we find on a traditional two-piece instrument.>>

Yes, this is what I saw when I examined and played on the Rossis

<< Given the significant impact that different barrels can have on an instrument's tone and response, it seems like a shortfall in concept that one is limited in their ability to experiment as a means of customizing the instrument to their tastes. I assume that Rossi is not a barrel craftsman -- that he doesn't focus on designing barrels of different lengths, materials, tapers, etc., in an effortto afford an owner of his instruments the same liberty of choice that the vast majority of players of Buffets, Selmers, etc. enjoy on theirs>>

Neil, all due respect here, but I belivev you are barking up the wrong tree.

The barrels I saw that came with the Rossis clarinets were absolutlely lovely, and fitted the instruments exremely well, both in tone production and intonation. To say Rossi is not a "barrel craftsman" is totally wrong.

In my view of the world, probably warped, we go looking for replacement barrels because we arre tring to mitigate some defect in our clarinets, such as sharp high B and C, or flat throat tones, or unfocused tone quality.

I don't play or own Rossis, and am not necessarily advocating them. But to say that the fact that the typical "replacement" barrel doesn't work on a Rossi is a detriment, is in my opinion, missing the point.

Again, all due respect.

Walter
www.clarinetXpress.com

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