Klarinet Archive - Posting 000058.txt from 2009/09

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Mouthpiece Bores
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:34:03 -0400

I'll skip over the possible double meaning of "bores" for now - too easy.

Is there a standard way to measure the bore width and the taper of the back
bore of clarinet and sax mouthpieces short of cutting the mouthpiece in half
or renting time with expensive X-ray equipment? When I use a taper gauge
meant to measure barrels I'm not really sure what it's actually measuring -
is the gauge stopping at the narrowest point inside, or is it indicating the
actual width at the opening, or is it hitting the back of the window and
just won't go in any farther (so I'd be getting some indication of the
distance from the end to the throat, but not a width measurement at all)?

I know lots of players who will hold a mouthpiece up to look through it and
declare it has a narrow throat or an open one, but that seems like looking
at the tip of a mouthpiece and deciding by eye how open it is. Are there
tools or instruments that can give more precise measurements at reasonable
cost (like a Brand gauge for bores)?

I'm interested in comparing mouthpieces, not getting an absolute
measurement. It would be interesting to know if certain pitch or timbre
tendencies of certain mouthpieces correlate to differences in bore
dimensions rather than those of the facing or the chamber.

Thanks for any input,
Karl

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