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tone holes

Author: darby
Date: 2001-04-08 23:36

Can anyone explain to me what is meant by undercut tone holes? How are they different from "regular" tone holes?

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RE: tone holes

Author: Mark Charette, Webmaster
Date: 2001-04-08 23:41

A quick search of "undercut" right here on the BBoard brings up many hits, one of which had the wonderful link to Yamaha's description of how to build a clarinet (including undercutting): http://www.yamaha.co.jp/edu/english/factory/cl/index.html

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RE: tone holes

Author: Robert Small
Date: 2001-04-09 05:22

Interesting site.

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RE: tone holes

Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2001-04-09 07:08

"Regular" tone holes are small cylindrical holes drilled straight though the wood into the bore of the clarinet. Very few clarinets have this type of tone hole.

Undercut tone holes start of the same and look exactly the same from the outside. The widen out in a conical shape before joining the bore. If you could look at them from the inside, you would see a conical pit with a cylindrical hole at the bottom of it.

What are they for? I believe that the undercutting helps play exactly in tune more, allowing less flexibility with adjustment of pitch. For this reason they are favoured among classical players but jazz players prefer "regular".

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