Klarinet Archive - Posting 000678.txt from 2003/02

From: b1rite@-----. Rite)
Subj: Re: [kl] What causes more or less resistance?
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 18:06:13 -0500

<><> Umesh=A0Shankar wrote:
more or less resistant [....] Is this mostly the shape/placement of
the tone holes? The bore shape?

Many different things contribute to the differences, including the
mouthpiece and barrel and reed. I don't think that the word "mostly"
applies here. There are many variables and they interact with each
other. A certain amount of (say) undercutting or a certain hole
placement may work in one instrument but not in another instrument.

<><> Are intra-model differences (presumably they *should* be some
particular set of dimensions) that big?

They certainly can be noticeable. This is why you are recommended to
try more than one example of a particular model & manufacturer before
you make your final choice and buy.

<><> Framed another way, does that mean that with the aid of a skilled
repairperson, I can get two same-model and thus in principle similarly
shaped clarinets to sound the same

This depends on how 'sensitive' your perceptions are and on which
factors drive your perceptions. For example, part of the argument
about materials is that a heavier (or lighter) instrument may cause you
to 'feel' that your sound is better or worse simply because the heavier
(or lighter) instrument makes you feel as if (say) your fingers are
moving more surely or (say) your mouth is forming a more secure
embouchure --- when in fact listeners reply that they can't hear any
difference in your sound.

Also for example, I happen to play the same S2 Howarth model as my
favorite repairman (who has played for 40 years, his thumb is bent from
the weight of a clarinet, and he is generally accepted to be the best
repairman in town). He has reminded me several times that, if I ever
quit playing, he has first dibs on my Howarth S2 because it plays better
than his Howarth S2. (Albeit he likes his Buffet the best.) In other
words, despite being the best technician in town, he cannot 'tweak' his
own Howarth S2 to match mine, and so he wants mine if ever I give it up.

<><> So if I found a new clarinet that I really liked, but, say,
couldn't afford, could I have my existing one changed to be like it?

....probably not, although I imagine there can be exceptions. Again,
it depends on what drives your perceptions. No two people extract
exactly the same feelings from identical stimuli.

<><> It also would be nice if my A and Bb felt the same

Not likely, albeit the same variables apply --- "what drives your
perceptions?" and "How sensitive are your perceptions?" Mouthpieces
and barrels and reeds make a difference. If you find Bb and A setups
that feel the same, how are you going to decide which component is
responsible?

Cheers,
Bill

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