Klarinet Archive - Posting 000175.txt from 2004/11

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Clarinets
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 21:59:22 -0500

Well it is not as simple a question as you might think. And in
order to create an answer that can be understood by someone who
has no experience in music is not at all easy.

Unlike any other member of the family of woodwind instruments,
the clarinet is made in a large variety of pitches or keys. Why
this is necessary is really what you want to know, but for the
moment take that as a given. There is a need to have them in a
variety of keys.

So the first question is, how does make clarinets in a variety of
keys?

That's easy: you simply make the body of the instrument longer
and it will be in a different key.

What does this mean from a practical point of view?

Envision a table with five clarinets on it. The first one is two
feet long, the next two and 1/3 feet long. The next two and 2/3
feet long. The fourth is 3 feet long and the fifth is 3 and 1/3
feet long. Each clarinet has a mouthpiece and a reed and you
daughter is asked to play a simple scale on the shortest one.

She picks it up and plays a simple scale perfectly.

Then she goes to the next clarinet and plays the same scale. By
that I mean that she puts her fingers in the same physical
positions that she employed for the first clarinet.

Then she does the same with the third clarinet, and the fourth,
and the fifth.

She has taken an identical set of finger positions on each of
five different length clarinets.

So a question for you: since she used identical finger positions
on each of the five instruments, what do you expect to hear?

Will you hear five identical scales, or will you hear five
distinctly different scales?

Your turn, please.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: kimi [mailto:kimi_kimy@-----.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 6:16 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] Clarinets

I don't play a clarinet, my daughter does. Woodwind
instrument playing runs in my family however, a higher
power upstairs decided that woodwinds wouldn't be my
talent because I've had asthma since birth, therefore
I lack the capacity to play wind instruments. :(

I asked the questions because both me and my daughter
are curious about them. I thought it was a simple
question.
k
--- dnleeson <dnleeson@-----.net> wrote:

> Kimi, I will be glad to help you understand the
> differences in
> all of these clarinet types, but to make sure I
> understand your
> level of clarinet experience, can you tell me how
> old you are,
> what kind of a clarinet you play, and how long you
> have been
> playing??
>
> Dan Leeson
> DNLeeson@-----.net
>
>
>
>

www.yahoo.com

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

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

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org