Klarinet Archive - Posting 000353.txt from 2004/08

From: "Andrew J Middup" <Middup@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Buffet RC Intonation Problem
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 16:54:05 -0400

I have just spent a session with my local instrument repairer trying to sort
a problem with some wide twelfths on my A clarinet and we wondered whether
anyone had any advice having experienced a similar problem with this model.

My pair of RCs are now sixteen years old and I have not been aware of any
particular intonation problems until last winter. Then I was caught out in
with the opening of Tchaikovsky 5 which is an exposed lengthy passage in the
lower register for both clarinets in unison. With the standard 65mm barrel
and my usual Vandoren B40-13 mouthpiece with 31/2 Vandoren V12 reed, I could
not get my open Gs and Fs up to pitch with the barrel right in. I checked
all the other notes throughout the compass were in tune but nothing I could
do would bring the G F# and F up sufficiently. It made me aware that I must
have been unconsciously compensating ever since I first bought the
instruments and in warmer weather, I had been unaware of a problem whilst in
cooler weather I had got away with it until I had to play in extended
unison. I had no similar problems with the Bb instrument.

In preparation for my session this afternoon I prepared a tuning chart
showing the F/C interval was around 10 cents too big whilst the open G was
about 12-15 cents low when the C, B or A at the upper end of the clarion
were spot on. My repairer checked toneholes and pad heights and that the
register tube was not damaged and we tried some other mouthpieces but the
best we achieved was the G 12 cents low in comparison to the higher clarion

At the moment the only solution we can see is to get a shorter barrel for
winter use and continue to compensate. Does anyone have any experience to
indicate whether the above figures are typical for the model. They are
certainly very much wider intervals than I get on the Bb. If they are
typical, has anyone found any particular solutions which we can try. Any
advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Andrew

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