Klarinet Archive - Posting 000573.txt from 2003/03

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Modifying the intonation of a clarinet
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 12:46:07 -0500

In a message dated 3/14/2003 7:31:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, clarinet10001@-----.com writes:

> From the period of its manufacturing, it COULD be a "high
> pitch" instrument corresponding to 446 or so. It would usually be marked in some way, I believe if it was though.>>

It's a buyer beware market out there on old, old clarinets.

In my career as a "restorer" I have seen many clarinets where the parts don't match up. In other words, someone has taken a barrel from clarinet "A", an upper joint from clarinet "B" and lower joint from clarinet "C".

I've even had someone send me a clarinet where the top joint was from a Bb clarinet and the lower joint from a C. You can imagine what that scale was like.

These mismatches have happened for several reasons. One might be ignorance, another might be greed - gosh I've got a lot of parts here, maybe I can make one whole clarinet out of it. Or alterations could have been made years ago to alter the basic pitch level of the instrument.

There are still many clarinets sitting around in attics, and thanks to eBay, getting back into circulation, which were high pitch clarints and someone has tried to convert them, usually with a bad longer barrel, to a low pitch. This never worked and resulted in horibble out of tune clarinets.

There's a reason these clarinets sat in attics for years.

Buy antique clarinets for curiosity sakes, or as a collector - just don't expect to play them in modern ensembles at the current pitch levels.

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetXpress.com

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