Klarinet Archive - Posting 000141.txt from 2002/05

From: w7wright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] Too many barrel choices!
Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 22:30:38 -0400

=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0<><> RobZrob wrote:
I'm wondering about the objective differences in sound that are attained
with each barrel.

<><> and I replied:
Rob, in most people's experience, there is no "objective" answer.
[snip] If I told you that a such-and-such barrel has a brighter sound
(or a rounder sound or a more focused sound or.....), what would
"brighter" mean to you?

In fact, Rob, I have sympathy with your question because, several years
ago, I argued with Dan Leeson that words such as "bright" do have
meaning. But after a couple of years of experience and chatting
'instrument-in-hand' with other people, I have been forced to accept
that Dan was (is) correct.

I expect that if I searched the archives, I would be both amused and
chagrined that I tried so hard to convince Dan (and others) that
"bright" and "dark" have specific meanings.

In the most general sense, "bright" is supposed to mean a shift towards
the higher partials. But there is enough information in a clarinet
tone to confuse or alter anyone's perception while leaving other parts
of the recipe unaltered.

And as Tony Pay (among others, but he has been especially specific on
this list) has posted, you cannot consider one tone by itself. Music
is a series of notes over time, and also a superposition of notes in the
case of harmony and voicings. One player's tone may sound "bright" one
moment and "dark" the next.... even though he's playing exactly the same
recipe throughout and it's everyone else who is supplying a variation in
'musical context' !

Enough rambling,

Cheers,
Bill

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