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 Flat C Clarinet
Author: john4256 
Date:   2013-09-21 15:13

I have just purchased a new, cheap C Clarinet. Playing it into a tuner it appears to be playing flat. I have used the shorter of the two barrels but it still plays flat.
Is there anything I can do to sharpen it, short of returning it to the shop?

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: William 
Date:   2013-09-21 15:17

Get in touch with Walter Grabner for one of his dedicated C clarinet mouthpieces. The length of your Bb piece may be the problem, although I play very well in tune with my Chicago Kaspar on my Buffet E11 C clarinet. FWIW, I use a Chadash barrel which I had shortened a bit.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: kdk 
Date:   2013-09-21 16:13

Is it flat over the entire compass of the instrument or are you only checking a tuning note (and, if so, what note are you using?)?

If the whole instrument is generally flat, you can either have a custom barrel made or have a repair tech shorten one of the ones you have. The problem is specific to certain notes or a certain portion of the register, then whether or not it can be fixed easily depends on the exact problem.

Karl

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Tony F 
Date:   2013-09-21 16:17

About a year back I did the same. Mine was a semi-tone flat. I ended up shortening the shortest barrel by about 2mm. There were still a few notes that were borderline flat, and I was able to bring these in with a bit of careful undercutting. This brought it into tune, but with no wriggle-room for tuning, so I turned a smidgen off the mouthpiece. Now it plays in tune and sounds pretty good.

Tony F.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2013-09-21 18:29

What brand and model is it?

Ken Shaw

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: john4256 
Date:   2013-09-21 18:44

John Packer JP 124

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2013-09-21 19:02

http://www.johnpacker.co.uk/Catalogue/Woodwind/Clarinet/Harmony-Clarinets/C-Clarinet/Student/JP124-Clarinet-C-Full-System-Ebonite-Black-101959#.Uj3sIftwb6U

It's a shame their own brand instruments have such oversized logos on them.

And funny that C clarinets are considered 'harmony clarinets' when they're the only ones which play at concert pitch (or not in this case)!

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

Post Edited (2013-09-21 19:04)

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: john4256 
Date:   2013-09-21 19:28

I know Chris it looks so out of place!! I rang them this afternoon and I am taking it back to them and they will either rectify it or change it. They were very good and said that a new one would be sent after it had been thoroughly checked for tuning. They play really well and are frree blowiing. I only need it because I have been asked to look after a small group of pre grade 3 flautists. As I don't play the flute I though this would be a suitable way of being able to play with them. The price of £200 seemed reasonable.
Once i have a good one in my hands I will wear of that daft logo lol

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2013-09-21 21:32

It sounds pretty awful in the demo.

When you take it back, ask to play one of the pro models for comparison.

Ken Shaw

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Ralph Katz 
Date:   2013-09-21 22:41

There area a lot of C clarinets floating around that tune poorly. Manufacturers contract out to designers, who may have had specific mouthpiece parameters in mind, which specifics are then lost by the manufacturers.

It is a CSO if it will not play in tune.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: The_Clarinetist 
Date:   2013-09-22 15:41

So it plays flat, but how is its "internal" intonation and does the altissimo require different fingerings?

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Ralph Katz 
Date:   2013-09-23 01:32

Get a Ridenour or a Buffet E11C.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: The_Clarinetist 
Date:   2013-09-24 18:03

Unfortunately the cost would be more than five times higher.

Anyway, I hope they come up with a solution for you John.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: john4256 
Date:   2013-09-24 18:22

I did! I took it back and tried a better mouthpiece - albeit a Yamaha 5C.. et voila it plays in tune!! I also bought a BAM Bass Clarinet to lowC case from them. That is awesome - great case. Mind you it took nearly 2 months to come from Thailland but a 20% teacher discount tempered my patience.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: clarnibass 
Date:   2013-09-24 18:31

Before that did you use the mouthpiece that came with it? Sorry if you mentioned it and I missed it. Those mouthpiece that come with chinese clarinets are pretty random and can be terrible.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: john4256 
Date:   2013-09-24 18:40

Yes it was an unbranded one. Totally useless. The Yamahas are very good and not expensive. I only needed the instrument to be able to play the same music as a small flute group I look after occasionally.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: The_Clarinetist 
Date:   2013-09-24 18:42

Did you try with any ordinary vandoren mouthpiece?

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: john4256 
Date:   2013-09-24 18:50

No I just tried their suggestion of a Yamaha 5C - it worked fine, was free blowing and, more importantly, in tune and cheap lol. I just bought it and ran!!

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: The_Clarinetist 
Date:   2013-09-24 19:05

Good for you! Maybe I will buy one myself.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: TJTG 
Date:   2013-09-24 19:55

When I purchased my Ridenour C clarinet it played at first in tune on my Hawkins R, and then i switched to a Vandoren for my regular A and Bb setup. Then I went back to the C with the vandoren mouthpiece. The C suddenly played very flat, almost impossible to move. Now I use the vandoren for my A and Bb, and Hawkins for the C. They're different setups, but in the end they play very well on their respective instruments.

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 Re: Flat C Clarinet
Author: Barry Vincent 
Date:   2013-09-25 00:23

I use Tom Ridenour's Eroica MP & 46mm barrel on his RCP-570C. It plays nicely in tune at A440.
If I use a Vandoren MP (B45 or B45dot) I find that I have to use the 44mm barrel that I got TR to send me as an extra. These two Vandoren MP are not the 13 series but the ones that are suppose to play at A442.
The C Clarinet came with two barrels first up. (46mm / 48mm)
It is a real pleasure to play.

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