Klarinet Archive - Posting 000616.txt from 2003/04

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] Different sorts of authority, and the 'barrell'.
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:39:12 -0400

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 11:41:16 -0700 (PDT), b1rite@-----.net said:

> I finally made one barrel that plays the entire chromatic scale within
> ten cents or less. Ten cents isn't close enough for a performance, of
> course. But keep in mind that I'm shaping filler by hand, pressing it
> into place with my fingers, and there's no way to polish it
> afterwards.
>
> More important than playing an approximate chromatic scale is the fact
> that the sound changes in the direction that I want, even up into the
> lower altissimo. In other words, I believe that I'm on the right
> track.

But you see, what you write here encapsulates the entire problem.
The internal dimensions of a barrel are almost entirely determined by
intonation requirements. There are some small variations possible --
hence the 'reverse cone' -- but if you're looking for a significant
change in sound, there's no room to play about. The tuning is just too
sensitive to any modification.

Exactly the opposite is true of a bell. There are many possible shapes
that work, intonation-wise. For example, had you considered that
everything below the low E of a basset clarinet can be regarded as just
a quite complicated bell for a normal instrument, when the basset notes
aren't being played? Indeed I can even modify that bell in real time on
my period basset, because the basset keys aren't linked to the low E the
way they often are on a modern instrument. I often use them to change
the character of notes in the 'clarinet' register.

You should also know something else that might give you pause: namely,
that you are set fair to join a whole cranky community of barrel nuts.
Most of them, though, concentrate on such things as small slots cut into
the bore because those don't affect the intonation significantly. I
suspect that the process of 'discovering' these claimed improvements
involves a fair amount of wishful thinking, not unanalogous to the
wishful thinking that makes the huge vitamin industry run. I'd suggest
you guard against that wishful thinking too.

The *vibration* of the barrel is another thing. That would have little
effect on intonation, but might well impact the sound, as Keith Bowen
was posting recently. I suspect that this effect explains why different
barrels of seemingly identical dimensions have different playing
characteristics, and also why we seem to find it difficult to reproduce
those characteristics reliably.

> We've spoken before of a bore being mostly a cylinder even though its
> diameter varies along its length. "Polycylindrical" is a common name
> for this.

I think that word applies to a manufacturing technique that produces a
clarinet bore consisting essentially of a series of cylinders of very
slightly different diameter. I don't know of any polycylindrical
barrels. The 'reverse cone' one I mentioned is a very gently applied
second order intonation correction, and not everyone uses it.

> To my naked eye, a sweeping curve reversed its direction in two places
> (not just one place).

Well. You know what I think. I'd be much more inclined to attribute
the abilities of the player you encountered to his own long experience
and dedication.

The thing is, Bill, that although I seem to be being quite hard on you,
I respect very much your enthusiasm and energy. It's just that
according to my actually rather well-worn and weather-beaten compass,
you're very much not on the right track you claim you are. I think it's
a pity for you to waste that energy and enthusiasm on something that
won't go anywhere.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

... I say we nuke the entire site from Orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

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