Klarinet Archive - Posting 000712.txt from 2004/07

From: "Noel Taylor" <r.n.taylor@-----.uk>
Subj: RE: [kl] Sound character based on medium, and the subject of beating a dead h...
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 05:59:00 -0400

I have a Silver King metal clarinet and a B&H 1010, and I switch between the
two on a daily basis as I am practicing. I know this is entirely anecdotal
and also that the two clarinet designs are entirely different as well as a
whole range of other variables, so I don't claim to be contributing a great
deal to the discussion, except to say the difference in tonal range between
my two instruments is absolutely huge.

I can, it's true, if I want, play them so that they sound a little similar
to each other - possibly even to the degree that a third person with their
eyes closed couldn't tell which was metal and which was wood with any
certainty (although they could definitely always distinguish two different
instruments). If, however, I try and seek out the tonal characteristics that
seem to belong to the character of the each instrument, I can discover
things in the metal clarinet that I can't in the wood (and vise versa). With
the metal clarinet I can very naturally find two sound qualities - a more
breathy horn-like sound on the one hand and a hard-edged, 'metallic'
shrillness on the other - that I can't quite get with the wood clarinet. I
know these are subjective non-transferable phrases that won't necessarily
mean the same things to someone else, but that's language for you. I would
be less confident about the inherent qualities of the wood instrument as
against resin, but in my own unscientific sample of one, the difference, in
this case, in the material matters. Even the feel of the metal against the
skin of my fingers and the weight of it in my hands seems to influence me to
seek out and find those qualities I think of as 'metal' in the tone of the
instrument. All this may be entirely illusory - but please don't disabuse me
of it - it gives me so much pleasure!

Noel Taylor

-----Original Message-----
From: GrabnerWG@-----.com]
Sent: 18 July 2004 16:27
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] Sound character based on medium, and the subject of
beating a dead h...

In a message dated 7/18/2004 9:12:13 AM Central Daylight Time,
dnleeson@-----.net writes:
<<Walter, it is unworthy of you to reduce a round of this inquiry
to the conclusion that those who do not agree with you are
"Beating a dead horse.">>

Dan, I work with this stuff all day long. I work with rubber mouthpieces, I
work with glass mouthpieces, I work with wood mouthpieces. I work with
barrels
made of different materials, different woods, synthetics, etc. I'm
surrounded
by the stuff, sometimes 16 hours a day.

I am constantly experimenting, both with materials and the quality and shape

of surfaces to eke out the last drop of tone and response - To give my
customers the very slight edge they are looking for.
<snip>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org