Klarinet Archive - Posting 000181.txt from 2002/09

From: w8wright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] Period instruments --- were any of them "better" ?
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 14:06:25 -0400

<><> Tony Pay wrote:
As you know, I think that putting a bulbous bell on an ordinary clarinet
*doesn't* help -- but then, Stadler didn't do that, did he?

I have wondered whether it was Stadler or a patron or the instrument
maker who chose the bell? I suppose it's possible that someone handed
Stadler the instrument and asked (or insisted) "Here, will you play this
instrument for me?"

Is there clear cut knowledge about this?

================

I've come to realize that my bulbous bell is a 'cheater' of sorts,
perhaps more useful for people such as myself who don't practice 3-4
hours each day. I base this statement on two facts:

First, I personally dislike a preponderance of higher partials. The
bulbous bell stifles a portion of them and encourages (resonates to) the
lower partials.

Second, the clarinet is certainly prone to overemphasis of higher
partials. In fact, 'squeaks' and 'thin tones" are common mistakes for
casual players. Thus the bulbous bell can be viewed as a 'cheater'
that helps a novice approach the tone that a skilled player achieves
with his/her embouchure, breath control, etc.

I would also comment that, in my memory of your tone on your basset
horn, your tone is a bit more (apology for metaphors) mellow or dark
than what I hear other professional players produce on modern
instruments. I suppose that's one of the reasons why your version of
K.622 on your horn makes better 'sense' to me than other versions do.
I just don't enjoy a preponderance of higher partials, which is
different from enjoying or not enjoying instruments with higher
fundamental pitches such as piccolo.

I hope that my 'spherical barrel' arrives some day. I'm beginning to
worry that you are correct about intonation problems and that, in fact,
the craftsman is having difficulty making a curve that he's willing to
deliver.

Cheers,
Bill

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