Klarinet Archive - Posting 000293.txt from 2005/04

From: X-MailScanner-tom.henson@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] The Test Results
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 13:24:26 -0400

I also took Dan's test, but only just last week. I listened to each piece
several times.

I decided after listening to each piece once that trying to distinguish
nationalities would be a futile effort for myself. I think in some cases it
can be done if one is already familiar with a particular artists playing
style, like Sabine Meyer, David Niethamer, Tony Pay, etc., or you are able
to recognize their distinctive tone.

Instead, I used only a single criteria. German bore clarinet vs. French
bore. I felt that the sound characteristic between a German bore and French
bore clarinet could be heard if one knew what to listen for. I doubt that
anyone not familiar with German clarinets or their distinctive sound would
understand what the difference is or would sound like.

Having played a couple of weeks now on my Wurlitzer Reform-Boehm clarinet
and coming to understand more about it's acoustical design, I am confident
that this would be a more definitive test.

Therefore, I went back and listened only for those qualities which I felt
would distinguish them. Based upon this single criteria, I got 12 out of 20
right for sure. There is a possibility on # 15 that Harry Maki from Finland
could be using a French bore clarinet because Dan said he does not know for
sure and guesses that it would be an Ohler system. I have seen some Finish
clarinetists using Buffet clarinets, so I will leave this one up in the air.

That means, at the very least, that I was able to match the highest score
that Dan said someone had turned in simply by listening to the sound
produced by the clarinet and ignoring any musical playing style. I think
this is supportive of the possibility that one can with some certainty
distinguish between a German bore clarinet and a French bore. The more I
learn about the German bore and it's design, the more I can understand why
it does have some unique sound characteristics. I would think I could find
support in the German community to agree with this possibility. Therefore, I
think some argument could be made for a "German sound" based upon the
uniqueness of the German bore design. This is not related in any way to a
German school of playing, or any particular German style, or for that matter
dark vs. bright. It has only to do with clarinet acoustics.

Most of us play on French/English bore clarinets and have never been exposed
first hand to a German bore long enough to hear these differences. By first
hand I mean owning one or playing one long term. Therefore, I would not
expect that the majority of those sampled would have been able to hear this
difference in the first place. I do not, by any means, consider myself
informed on this subject, and only have limited first hand experience
directly comparing the two bore types. But I can say that there are
acoustical differences that a trained ear should be able to hear.

It has been briefly discussed that a German bore clarinet, mainly the
Wurlitzer clarinets, have a different tuning design than a French bore like
Buffet. Each note is vented by two tone holes instead of one, and each note
is tuned to a sub-tone below it as well as the note itself. This I believe,
is what gives a German clarinet a different acoustical sound. It also
results in a more even scale and throat tones that are just as clear as the
rest of the instrument. I have noticed that the mix of partials produced by
my Reform-Boehm are different than my Buffet Tosca for example. There seems
to be a ring to the notes that is lacking on the Buffet. This is especially
apparent when playing in the clarion register above G3. The best way I can
try and describe what I hear in the clarion register is that the sound can
closely imitate a clarino trumpet. This should not surprise us if we
remember that the name clarinet is based upon "little clarino". Listen to
the opening of # 9 carefully and see if you can hear what I am talking
about.

In addition, the throat tones produced have a distinctive sound unlike that
of a French clarinet in that the sound over the break is more homogeneous. I
am trying to think of a better way to describe the sound difference, but it
is very hard to visualize with words. I think the throat tones, while very
clear, can have a little bit of a nasal quality to them. Listen to the
opening of # 10. The middle B also has a distinct sound, in my opinion, that
can be heard. The sound being much more focused than a French bore clarinet.
The B also blends better with the throat tones and really almost eliminates
what we call the "break".

Tom Henson

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