Klarinet Archive - Posting 000022.txt from 2007/08

From: "Keith Bowen" <bowenk@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Clarinet Manufacture - Differences between French and German - Wood is a "Living" Material
Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:42:20 -0400

Tom,

I have changed to Wurlitzer Schmidt Reform also (and will be selling my
Leblanc Concertos soon) and absolutely agree about the tone and sound, ease
of playing, intonation, uniformity, clarion and altissimo etc. I now don't
know why people use French clarinets.

But I don't fully agree about the cause. I was very surprised to find that
the Wurlitzer and Leblanc bore diameters are almost identical at the central
tenon. I expected the Wurlitzer to be much smaller but it is only about 0.05
mm smaller. Indeed it is parallel for much further down the second joint,
but this will not affect the upper-joint notes. I was delighted to find that
my Steve Fox basset joint, made for a Leblanc Concerto, was completely
compatible with a Wurlitzer top joint. Adjustment is needed because the
tenon diameter is greater on the Leblanc/Buffet designs, but that was a
simple mod for Steve to do. Only minor tuning adjustments were needed to the
holes. We tested it with plumbers' tape filling up the gap in the middle
joint, and I will get it completed in a couple of weeks time.

The other evidence is that my Wurlitzers also have (Wurlitzer) barrels
designed to take French mouthpieces and at first I thought I would use those
for a bit, with my old mouthpiece. But tests with other experienced
clarinetists listening showed a very interesting fact: with the French
mouthpiece/barrel it sounded like a very good, in-tune Buffet. The
difference was not only perceptible to me. I can best describe this as a
"spread" sound; only with the German barrel and mouthpiece, and reed lashed
on with string, it acquires the "focused" qualities that you describe. So
this evidence points to the German mouthpiece/barrel as having a major (I
don't say only) effect on the tone.

I am holding on to the French barrels in case some unenlightened conductor
wants me to downgrade to a Buffet/Leblanc sound <grin>. My present
conductor, Colin Touchin, is happily enlightened about the sound! And Forest
Aten heard me play a lot at the Kammermusik camp last week and was also of
the opinion that it was easy to tune and play with Buffets.

The comment earlier on double venting was most interesting and must indeed
contribute to the stability of intonation. But I can still play Rhapsody in
Blue :-).

Steve himself uses a German mouthpiece (with tenon modified) and reed on
French clarinets, and this sounds great.

I don't doubt that somewhere there is a German clarinet list debating the
merits of different types of string with which to make ligatures! But the
string definitely sounded better than other ligatures I tried, though they
will fit. And it costs $2.

I am indebted to the late and great Nick Shackleton for letting me try his
Schmidt Reform Wurlitzers a couple of years ago, which introduced me to
these marvelous instruments.

Keith

-----Original Message-----
From: klarinet-return-91436-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org
[mailto:klarinet-return-91436-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org] On Behalf
Of Tom.Henson@-----.com
Sent: 03 August 2007 18:14
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] Re: Clarinet Manufacture - Differences between French and
German - Wood is a "Living" Material

Hi Alexander,

One of things that I liked from the beginning about the bore design of
the Wurlitzer Reform-Boehm clarinet is the way that the clarion, and
especially the altissimo register sound.

They sound very much in character with the other register of the
clarinet in that they retain a full core of partials without sounding
thin or edgy. Starting around the G above the staff they also take on a
bell like character which is very much like you hear on a Ohler system
German clarinet. It is a very focused and centered sound that "rings" is
the best way I can describe it.

It does not feel as if all the sound is focused in the mouthpiece/barrel
area of the clarinet and I attribute this to the bore design and it is
one of the things I really like. No more wimpy, thin, shrill, or edgy
high notes.

Tom Henson

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