 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: shaunm
Date: 2004-02-25 18:49
Hi. I recently purchased a used yamaha student clarinet from a friend for $30. The clarinet and keys are in excellent shape and a repair man said the pads were still decent, so I know I got a steal on it. I'm a beginner, so it took me a while to realize that it was playing each note about a whole step lower than it should. Can someone offer any advise on what could be causing this? I thought that maybe the barrel is too long, but someone told me that it could just need some adjustment. I would like to believe that, but it seems hard to believe, because even playing A, with almost all of the holes open, it is still flat. Is this a common problem? I don't think there are any mixed parts from other clarinets, but there is a small gap (about 1 mm) where the mouthpiece won't fit all the way into the barrel. Any help would be appreciated.
Shaun
Post Edited (2004-02-25 18:49)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-02-25 19:00
It sounds like you have a clarinet in the Key of A rather than Bb . Is there any "lone" A on it, upper joint or in the serial number?, #'s are usually on the lower back of the "joints" [as we call them] . If so, it should play a Half-Tone lower than the usual Bb cl. Ask an experienced cl'ist or repair person to play it. That might account for such a low price! Congrats! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-02-25 19:07
Don may be right but aren't you perhaps forgetting that the Bb clarinet is a transposing instrument? I.a.w., when you play, say, a D, it should sound exactly a whole tone lower on the piano, i.e., like a concert C. If so, your clarinet behaves exactly as it should! I don't think any clarinet can be off by as much as a whole tone.
Henry
Post Edited (2004-02-25 19:45)
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Author: shaunm
Date: 2004-02-25 20:14
I have found the number "122854A" on the back. So that means that it is in the key of A? I don't know very much about music theory at all, so I don't really know what that means. Why are there clarinets with such a small difference. Also, what does that mean for me? Will I have to learn a new fingering system or what? Also, what is a concert C? That's different than a regular C? What is the reasoning behind that? Thanks for the responses!
Shaun
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-25 20:19
Try playing with your left three fingers down. It would be marked as middle C on the sheet music. If this matches the Piano's Bb, then your clarinet is working fine (being a Bb clarinet). If it matches a Piano's A, then you have an A clarinet.
Chances are that you have a Bb clarinet and simply were confused about the transposing aspect of the instrument.
Also, if you're playing next to a tuner, generally tuners will show the "concert" pitch so when you play a C, it will register as a Bb on the tuner. Which might account for thinking that it's one tone lower than it should be.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-02-25 20:22
A concert C is the C on a piano, violin, and any other C instrument. It is not the same as a C on a Bb clarinet. (A concert C sounds the same as a D on Bb clarinet). I think you have some work to do before you embark on building your own clarinet, but it is really not that hard (I mean understanding the difference of a concert C and a Bb clarinet C is not that hard! Building a clarinet from scratch IS!).
Henry
Post Edited (2004-02-25 20:49)
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Author: shaunm
Date: 2004-02-25 20:26
I have Cakewalk Homestudio and have some clarinet melodies from midi files that I've been practicing and the notes I play are about a tone lower than the ones played in cakewalk.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-25 23:19
That's because cakewalk plays in concert pitch.
I too had this problem and figured out that in order to play along with a cakewalk midi file, you would have to transpose all the music up one whole step (I think in cakewalk it's registered as two half-steps), then print it. Then transpose the music BACK down one step, and you play the printed part. Finally, you'll be at the correct pitch, even though you'll be reading the music that looks one whole step higher than the computer. But played on your Bb clarinet (which is one whole step lower than concert pitch) will even it out so that you and Mr. PC can now play in unison.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-26 04:04
BTW, 30 dollars for a yamaha student clarinet in good condition. Very nice indeed!
US Army Japan Band
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Author: shaunm
Date: 2004-02-26 17:31
Thanks for the replies. It turns out that there is nothing wrong with my clarinet. I had a tech look at it and he said it is like new and even the pads were in great shape. It was a little disappointing to find this out. I thought I had enough trouble trying to teach myself clarinet, but now I have this complication as well.
This brings up other questions. Does this mean clarinetists have to transpose everything they play? How are notes referred to. The fingering chart says I'm playing A, but I'm really playing G. So do I say I'm playing A or G? Music theory is very confusing to me. Can someone recommend thorough resources that can help me? -Preferably free, such as online or a book I can check out at the library.
Thanks,
Shaun
Post Edited (2004-02-26 17:47)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-26 17:46
We simply don't play the same notes as the other instruments. For instance, if the composer wants a piece to end on a Concert C pitch, those instruments pitched in C play a C. A Bb instrument (ie clarinet) plays what's marked as a D. Those in Eb (ie alto sax) play What's marked as an A. Etc. Etc. down the line.
So even though it LOOKS like it's a different note, it's really just compensations for the different pitched instruments so that they all come out the same note.
There are many reasons for transposing instruments including different ranges (for instance an Eb alto clarinet can go lower than a Bb soprano, which in turn can go lower than an Eb soprano), different tones (an A clarinet is said to be a little "darker" than a Bb because it is a little longer), and sometimes just to facilitate ease of play (playing in the key of F# would be a pain on the Bb clarinet, at least for me, but if you transpose it and use an A clarinet, you would essentially be in the same range, fingerings, everthing except now the key is the key of F which is much easier to play in.)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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