 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DTrinh09
Date: 2007-02-04 04:52
Is it still beneficial to upgrade a student/intermediate horn such as the Buffet E11? and by upgrade, i mean purchasing tuning barrels like the chadash, moennig, backun...etc. right now my current setup is:
zinner jc mouthpiece close
olegature / vandoren leather / stock buffet ligature
E11 (with stock 65 or 66 mm barrel)
v12 sz. 3.5 reeds
i'm not looking to major in music, but i'm seated at 2nd chair in my high school concert band as a sophomore and was looking for ways to help clear the throat tone of Bb in the staff, and maybe help with the altissimo register (anything after high Eb is really shrieky and out of tune--i've never hit the the super B or C haha). but yeah, i only purchased my E11 about a year ago and i do not intend on getting a pricy pro horn any time soon. what i do know (i hope), is that the bore of the E11 is wider than the R13, and that such barrels like Chadash and Moennig are designed for the R13, so does that mean it wouldn't work for the E11? i guess i could just try the barrels from wwbw.com, but that'd mean i'd have to ask my parents to do it, and i don't think they want to bother with this stuff lol. umm, well, any advice would be nice i guess. wheeeeeeeeeee
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Author: mnorswor
Date: 2007-02-04 05:29
I've had students in the past who have done quite well using A clarinet barrels on their E11s. Not sure if there's any scientific reasoning for this (as the A bores are typically more narrow), but they seem to work just fine for them. I'd say try them (both Bb and A barrels) and make sure you have tuner handy to see what changes are made. The decision must ultimately be yours, obviously.
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Author: DTrinh09
Date: 2007-02-04 06:03
are A clarinet barrels the same lengths as Bb? and when trying to be in tune, is there an acceptable range of how out of tune you can be without it hindering the note? i have a tuner program on my computer (with the use of a karaoke microphone haha) and it measures it by cents. my ear isn't that good at picking up out of tune notes, so i usually don't know when to tighten or loosen my embouchure.
thanks,
david
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-02-04 15:58
Try fingering your throat Bb
R A oox|ooxC
And your A
A oxx|ooo
Check your intonation as you add those extra fingers. In a few weeks of using these "resonance" fingerings (try others) on long notes, they'll get in your fingers, and be useful on passing tones.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-02-04 16:19
David -
A hand-made matched mouthpiece and barrel will benefit you more than upgrading from your E-11 (and for considerably less money). I've put my mouthpiece and barrel on a plastic Vito, and my tone is nearly identical to what I get on my Buffet R-13.
Several makers offer these, including Greg Smith, Walter Grabner and Chris Hill. You won't go wrong with any of them.
However, other things are even more important.
The closer something is to your body, the more it affects the way your clarinet plays. Your breath, throat, palate, tongue and lips have far more effect than anything else. Then come the reed, the mouthpiece and the barrel, followed at a considerable distance by the rest of the instrument.
So, first, and most important, work on yourself. Private lessons are the way to go. There are also many postings here, which you can find with Mark Charette's excellent Search function. Check the Clarinet, Klarinet and Keepers boxes and look for postings with the words support, breath, tone, voicing, volume and louder in the titles. There's also an excellent article by Charles West. The pdf version doesn't seem to load, but the HTML version is at <http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:-8gPfn4WR0sJ:https://umdrive.memphis.edu/ggholson/public/west.pdfhttp://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:-8gPfn4WR0sJ:https://umdrive.memphis.edu/ggholson/public/west.pdf+west+clarinet&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=38&gl=us&client=firefox-a
(This is a Firefox link, but it seems to work in IE, too. If it doesn't, Google "charles west" "clarinet clinic" (including the quotation marks) and click on the "View as HTML" link.)
In second place is your reeds. Buy them at least one strength stronger than you use and sand the bottoms absolutely flat (which will reduce their strength to your comfort level). Then balance the right and left sides and refine the slope of the vamp. Again, your teacher can give you one-on-one help, and there are many books and postings on the subject.
Some people go nuts about ligatures. In my opinion, the lighter the better. Best of all is string. Here's how to use it: http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Uploads/strnglig.html
If string gets you too many cockeyed looks, go with the lightest metal ligature you can find. I use a very thin Martin ligature, which sells for around $5. For more, see http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=35941&t=35810.
Only then do you get to the clarinet. The best thing you can do is take it to a good repair shop and have the pads checked and re-seated as necessary so they're absolutely airtight. (An overhaul is probably unnecessary.) This makes an amazing difference.
Enough for now. Practice every day.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ray
Date: 2007-02-04 16:46
Ken Shaw's advice is terrific, both for the near term and the long haul, and I hope there will be a long haul for you. You are only a sophomore after all, and there is much for you to learn.
You said, "was looking for ways to help clear the throat tone of Bb in the staff, and maybe help with the altissimo register (anything after high Eb is really shrieky and out of tune..."
To be specific about these complaints, I don't think a barrel will help your Bb but it may help the tone quality and pitch of your altissimo.
In my experience the fuzzy Bb can be caused by reeds which are too hard or which are not balanced or both.
Many players choose reeds that are slightly too hard in order to avoid a too shrill sound. The hard reed requires more embouchure pressure to even make a sound and that pressure is too often applied with lower jaw pressure, or biting. Biting is bad. Period. The solution is a slightly softer reed that clears up the sound of all notes, relieves you from the neccessity of biting (Better sound quality and more endurance result.) and makes the altissimo a little easier to reach.
Balancing a reed means making the left side of the reed tip and the right side of the reed tip equal in stiffness or strength. There are many articles here about how to test for balance and how to adjust. I heartily recommend the ATG System and its DVD and especially its book for learning about reeds and adjustment. It's by Tom Ridenour. A reed which is just about the right strength but is unbalanced will sound fuzzy, especially on the throat tones.
The main effect of a tapered barrel is to produce "better twelfths". (Look that up, too.) There are other effects, too, such as changing the blowing resistance and producing a more centered or focussed tone. These are all good reasons to try barrels, because the right one will help you to play in tune and to produce a better sound.
But, and Mr. Shaw makes it clear, your embouchure and breath and tongue have even greater effects on voicing and tone - a great barrel is not a cure all.
Good luck in your quest for improvement. As long as you keep trying to improve, you will. Don't settle for the status quo.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2007-02-06 07:28
I had an old selmer student clarinet that i used my wooden buffet barrel and greg smith mouthpiece on, and it felt like a totally different instrument! An excellent combination for playing outdoors because you dont' have to sacrafice as much sound, but you don't have to bring your best clarinet.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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