 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mommaq
Date: 1999-01-18 23:23
I am writing to YOU cause my daughter's private teacher is in Ecuador and won't be back for another week, so please
understand...
1) Band director says that she should replace the original mouthpiece that came with the clarinet (a LeBlanc Noblet 45 ca 1968..so a USED instrument) with a Vandoren B45.
a) she owns a B45 mouthpiece(its fits her plastic Armstrong perfectly), but it just falls out of the barrel of her Noblet. The Armstrong is the instrument she will be using in marching band next year.
b) should we just get the cork in the Vandoren changed to fit the Noblet or invest in a second Vandoren B45 for this Noblet?
2) Band director says she is out of tune with the rest of the band. She has to pull her barrel OUT of the instrument to stay in tune, and she slowly pushes it in during performing, so gets out of tune as she plays. Director suggests to get another barrel for the instrument. Can YOU suggest any...I don't see any in the WWBW catalog specifically for a Leblanc Noblet 45 (I don't know the size or anything)...or should we get a Click or DEG tuning barrel? Middle Bflat is really out of tune and lower C is also out of pitch.
a) Suggestions?
b) band director has said if she doesn't get this fixed, she needs a new clarinet as this Noblet is not good enough for band and throws them off. (I might add, they do not use or have a tuner for the band, so it is relative...)
c) Her instrument pitch is compared to the pitch of new Selmer...and was so determined to be off.
SO........HELP!!!!!
(mommaq)
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-01-19 02:51
mommaq wrote:
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1) Band director says that she should replace the original mouthpiece that came with the clarinet (a LeBlanc Noblet 45 ca 1968..so a USED instrument) with a Vandoren B45.
a) she owns a B45 mouthpiece(its fits her plastic Armstrong perfectly), but it just falls out of the barrel of her Noblet. The Armstrong is the instrument she will be using in marching band next year.
b) should we just get the cork in the Vandoren changed to fit the Noblet or invest in a second Vandoren B45 for this Noblet?
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This is strange that it falls out of the barrel of the Noblet. Perhaps the barrel has been enlarged. If you just replace the cork, it will probably be too tight on the Armstrong. So I would suggest separate mouthpieces. Perhaps you could get the less expensive Hite mouthpiece to use on the Armstrong and get the B45 recorked to use on the Noblet.
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mommaq wrote:
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2) Band director says she is out of tune with the rest of the band. She has to pull her barrel OUT of the instrument to stay in tune, and she slowly pushes it in during performing, so gets out of tune as she plays. Director suggests to get another barrel for the instrument. Can YOU suggest any...I don't see any in the WWBW catalog specifically for a Leblanc Noblet 45 (I don't know the size or anything)...or should we get a Click or DEG tuning barrel? Middle Bflat is really out of tune and lower C is also out of pitch.
a) Suggestions?
b) band director has said if she doesn't get this fixed, she needs a new clarinet as this Noblet is not good enough for band and throws them off. (I might add, they do not use or have a tuner for the band, so it is relative...)
c) Her instrument pitch is compared to the pitch of new Selmer...and was so determined to be off.
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You could try a set of tuning rings. These are just little spacers you put up inside the barrel to keep it from sliding back in. They work fairly well. Of course you have to be careful not to lose them. My daughter has the same problem and the tuning rings do the job for her.
As far as a new barrel, you might try calling as not everything is listed in their catalog.
Mid-line Bflat is a common problem. Perhaps the register tube needs cleaned. Any build up (even if very slight) in this tube can cause major tone and pitch problems. The tone holes for the A should also be checked as contamination here will affect the Bflat.
As far as the low C goes, a slight leak under the C# pad can throw this note out of tune. A technician can check this for you. Also if the pad height of the first pad on the lower joint is off, it can throw the note out of tune.
Any clarinet has its oddities. The Noblet is a fine intermediate instrument and it should be more than adequate for her needs. Changing instruments is unlikely to help as a different brand or model will have its own unique problems. If he is pushing the students toward pro instruments, it is my personal belief that he is asking for an unreasonable investment on the part of the students and their families.
However, since it is a 30 year old instrument, you might consider getting a complete overhaul done on it. This involves new pads, corks, springs where required, and adjusting pad heights and regulating the mechanism. For most clarinets, they are in like-new playing condition.
Comparing it to a new Selmer (or anything else) isn't particularly helpful. And is that new Selmer a beginner, intermediate or pro level instrument? Even instruments fresh from the factory (regardless of brand) typically need some adjustments to be in tune. It would really be best to invest in an inexpensive tuner of your own even if you replace the clarinet.
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Author: Keith
Date: 1999-01-19 13:51
My daughter also has an Armstrong clarinet that she uses for marching band. This year we bought her a new LeBlanc Sonata and had the same problem with the mouthpiece being real loose (not necessarily falling out) and leaking air when she tried to use it in the LeBlanc. The Armstrong had apparently compressed the cork. I had read a posting on this bulletin board describing how to re-swell the cork by wetting it and rubbing a heated butter knife across the cork. This solved my/her problem, and she was able to use the lesser quality mouthpiece that came with the LeBlanc for her Armstrong during marching season.
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Author: Jen L.
Date: 1999-01-19 23:38
As a stop-gap measure to keep the mouthpiece from falling out of the Noblet, one thing you can do is take a small strip of paper and wrap it a few times around the cork of the mouthpiece. This has to be replaced often, though, since the paper can begin to disintegrate. Another solution, that will last you a bit longer, is to wind the cork of the mouthpiece with dental floss. I had to do this with my old mouthpiece, and found that a single layer of floss did the trick. It's a slightly more permanent solution, but you really ought to consider re-expanding the cork as has already been mentioned.
Also, it really would be a good idea to invest in a tuner; not only will your daughter be able to figure out how her instrument tunes to the rest of the band, but she'll also be able to get a handle on how her instrument tunes from one note to the next. Hope this helps....
Jen L.
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Author: Jeff
Date: 1999-01-20 01:23
I also have an older Noblet that was very sharp. The barrel that came with the instrument was very short (56mm) compared to the barrels on other clarinets I own. I purchsed a "Click" barrel, it was on sale for only $30. It solved the problem beautifully when clicked out to 63mm. Kite string works well as a temporary cork replacement or enlarger, too.
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Author: Rick
Date: 1999-01-21 04:52
I can also recommend the Click tuning barrel. I recently
purchased one through WWBW (not on sale, unfortunately). It is a good solution if the instrument is
consistently sharp (or flat), and I think tthe resonance is
actually better than my stock barrel.
I would also suggest that your daughter use a chromatic tuner. I purchased a Korg CA-20 from a local band shop
for about $24. It has a manual and automatic mode (set
for concert key). I like the automatic, because it's
possible to run a slow scale and get instant l.e.d. and
analog feedback for all notes. My horn gets sharper as
it warms up, so I can adjust it very easily and incrementally
with the tuning barrel.
I watched a tech swell the cork on a loose middle joint by
holding it over a small flame and rotating it. It swelled the
cork quite well, but obviously could lead to disastrous
results if done by the unskilled. Hope this helps.
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