 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lam
Date: 2012-01-30 02:19
Hello, does anyone of you have experience on both reform bohem and german system clarinet ?
Currently I am using a German system clarinet which enable me to use a very light set-up and get a nice and bright sound(hard to describe, you could somehow call it warm and dark, quite abitrary, but anyway far more beautiful color than on my Buffet), so I am wondering if using the same mouthpiece and reed set-up, could I acheive the same sound in R.B, and is there any difference in terms of resistance and response between R.B and german ? Thanks !
Post Edited (2012-01-30 02:37)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-01-30 08:56
The sound and resistance are pretty close but if you like the 'German Sound' and already have the Oehler down, why mess that up? There is an acoustic difference due to the actual placement of tone holes and vent holes which is why there are purists at the Hochschuller arguing to make the German system the standard. AND if you really want a cool clarinet that's way ahead of the design power curve you could look at Gerold:
http://www.gerold-klarinetten.at/clarinet/index.htm
Who doesn't mess with the 'inferior system' ..... yet.
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2012-01-30 12:39
Lam,
Not all German system clarinets and Reform-Boehms yeild the same sorts of sound--there are many different instrument makers, and each of these tends to produce instruments with a specific palette of timbres (which also vary from instrument to instrument, just as Boehm system makers).
My advice: don't get too attached to your mouthpiece/reed set-up. If you are serious about making a switch, realize that it will take time, determination, and commitment to make all the adjustments necessary, which will probably include adjustments to your mouthpiece and reed selection. Just about everyone I've known who has made "the switch" has had to go through an extensive period of adjustment, where old habits are lost and new ones built. (It can take from six months to a year, even with professional level players).
Having said that, I also use what would be considered a light set-up on my R-Bs, and know of other players who do as well.
I'd also encourage you to listen to as many R-B players as you can, and compare them to German system players. Some R-B players with excellent recordings out there include: George Pieterson, Charles Stier, Luigi Magistrelli. By listen to even these three, you'll hear a range of sounds that can help you determine the scope of an R-B, and if it might be the right thing for you.
Good luck!
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: The_Clarinetist
Date: 2012-05-18 14:46
But would it be fair to say that oehler clarinets generally have a darker, warmer and rounder sound than reformed boehms do?
I have listened to some clips on youtube with ordinary boehms, RBs and german/oehler clarinets. IMHO the RBs tend to have a bit brighter and sweeter tone than ordinary boehms and seem to project and blend well in orchestra. I also find that Wenzel Fuchs/Karl Leister, the german clarinet personified, has a much darker sound without for that matter being stuffy nor lacking in articulation.
There is a long thread here on the board regarding problems with intonation on Wurlitzer RBs. However real german clarinets, or oehlers to be more specific, usually don't seem to have those problems, implying that there are more differences between RBs and oehlers than simply the arrangement of tone and vent holes. I mean if RBs, mostly wurlitzers I suppose, had the same bore as the real germans it should be possible to arrange the holes on them so that the intonation does not get compromised. Sure the mouthpiece probably differ as well, what do I know, but with a different bore you should get a different sound.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-05-18 15:36
I think most of the tuning problems are down to the player not being used to playing a reform Boehm when going from an R13. I know some hardened Buffet players tend to struggle with other large bore clarinets (B&H 1010, Eaton Elite, Selmer CT, etc.) as they don't play the same, so the thing is to approach playing any clarinet other than the Buffet you're used to in a different and open-minded manner instead of trying to play it in the same way and give it time to get accustomed to the differences. They are very different clarinets and should be treated as such. Years back I briefly tried an old Wurlitzer reform Boehm and loved it - I found it very easy to make the transition from a Selmer CT to one of them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lam
Date: 2012-05-20 11:22
Thats right, while I play the german clarinet, I need to use a lighter set up, otherwise the sound is very stuffy, and I don't need to bite the mouthpiece as much as in playing Buffet ( I use the same boehm mouthpiece with same kind of boehm reeds). So when you play eg. the high c''', if I use a harder set up, you just couldn't hold the note long. And there is some kind of specific build-in resonance of the clarinet, if you choose the mouthpiece-reed resistance right.
My concern is that, if I use both reform boehm and oehler clarinet of the same maker (eg. Wurlitzer, L+K, Dietz) , with the same mouthpiece and reed, could I get a very similar sound/feeling ?
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Author: The_Clarinetist
Date: 2012-05-20 19:05
But would it be fair to say that oehler clarinets generally have a darker, warmer and rounder sound than REFORMED boehms do?
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Author: kenb
Date: 2012-05-21 00:36
I play Wurlitzer RB and sit next to someone who plays Wurlitzer Oehlers
To my ear, the Reforms are a bit brighter and certain notes have a different quality due to Boehm venting, but despite this you can get very close match on Oehler and RB. It's mostly the sound you have in mind and your mouthpiece/reed set-up that that counts. I've had a blow on the Oehlers using my RB set-up and can't remember the resistance feeling any different.
As discussed in another thread, there's a difference in the approach to the upper clarion in playing RB and Oehler. I have no experience with the instruments of other German makers, but on Wurlitzer RB the left hand notes tend to be higher in pitch than on the Oehler, particularly B and C. You learn to adjust.
Also, it may not be ideal using the same mouthpiece on the RB and the Oehler. The Viotto N1+2 I use on RB is marked 'R' for Reform as is an old Wurlitzer M3+ I have - maybe the chambers are different for Oehler.
Post Edited (2012-05-21 01:55)
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Author: Lam
Date: 2012-05-21 03:13
to The Clarinetist : I have this feeling before too, that RB has a lighter and brighter sound than oehler clarinets, but after attending a Concertgeboew Orchestra concert in February, which I heard their second clarinettist Arno Pieters playing, I am sure that one could get a very dark, warm and round sound from a Reform Boehm clarinet too- His sound is extremely round and warm , but not as dark as Fuchs, but surely darker than many other German players. It makes me wanting to buy a reform boehm.
To kenb : thank you for your anwser to my question, now I get an concrete idea of how to compare the RB and oehler, Thanks !
Post Edited (2012-05-21 03:20)
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