 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ai Li
Date: 2000-11-02 08:30
Hi all,
I bought a Seiko ST747 tuner and am quite dismayed...
It tunes to concert C, where A is adjustable but defaults to 440. When playing a C on our recently tuned piano, it registers as a perfect C - not sharp or flat by even a cent.
But when I play any note on my new Selmer CL210, all my notes register sharp by about 30 to 40 cents! This is quite disconcerting. The notes register correctly ( a tone higher than what I play) but the pitch....
This is consistent - through all the notes I can handle right now from low E to high-high b (um, what's the proper way of calling that?) This is when the instrument is warmed up, after about 20 minutes of playing scales. [boring!]
I'm going to try it out again this evening... but I suspect there isn't going to be much different...
Opinions?
Thanks!
Ai Li
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-11-02 10:45
Mouthpieces can make a huge difference. I'm not familiar with all the Selmer models. Is this a student or intermediate horn? Some Selmer student mouthpieces play very sharp since beginners often play very flat otherwise.
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Author: William
Date: 2000-11-02 15:24
Selmer clarinets tend to play sharper than others brands, at least IMHO.
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2000-11-02 15:44
Ai:
Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am only recently returned to the clarinet.
Anyway, I am currently trying both a Vandoren B45 and a Selmer .115 C85. I compared them both for playability and pitch. The C85 consistently played sharp for me as checked on the same tuner you have. I have used both these mpc's on all 3 of my clarinets (a Vito, Alexandria, and Yvette) and have found that trait to be consistent. I do feel that the C85 has a fuller tone but the B45 feels better to me. I am going to send the Selmer back and keep the B45, also will be trying a Hite Premier I think.
MOO,
Matt
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-11-02 20:59
The important thing is to be in tune with everyone else. If you blend in well with others, forget the tuner.
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Author: Ai Li
Date: 2000-11-03 00:26
My Selmer CL210 came with a C85 100 mouthpiece. I'm using the default ligature and trying out various reeds - Rico Royal 2.5, 3; Vandoren 2.5, V12 2.5 and the default Selmer JMeier 2. Will be trying out the Fibracell and Zonda, perhaps the Legere as well.
I'll be playing mostly with the said piano and a guitar, so being in tune is quite important to me. I'll be experimenting with various ligatures and reeds, and perhaps tuning rings. Or should I get a longer barrel??
There are way too many variables!!! (I'm a software engineer by day (vb & sql) so this number of variables is driving me up the wall and to the bottom of my wallet!)
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-11-03 02:21
What you are finding makes me wonder just how hard you are biting down on the mouthpiece. I don't recall from your posts how far advanced you are in your playing, but the reed strengths you mentioned in your most recent post are all quite capable of lipping up to 30-40 cents sharp by biting too hard.
If you feel like this is contributing to your problem, reduce the vertical pressure you are putting on the mouthpiece (go double lip embouchure if you have to to try this). At the same time, increase the side support in your embouchure. This will also open up your mouth and throat, and you'll likely see your tone drop even more. A tuner can be a great tool to check embouchure effects and breath support.
And, of course, if you aren't biting too hard, skip this suggestion and hopefully someone will come up with an answer that fits.
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Author: kenny
Date: 2000-11-03 13:07
IMO, no clarinets or few are perfectly in tune when you play them and measure all the notes throughout the range. The low E is usually flat, the throat notes are sharp, the C one octave above middle C is usually sharp. The most important thing actually is to play and tune to others at the same time, cos your tuning will change ( instrument warms up - sharper, playing in warm weather - sharper, playing in a cold room - flatter)
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Author: Lori
Date: 2000-11-03 16:57
You might try a little harder reed. I have found that after I use a reed for awhile and the fibers start to break down (therefore making the reed strenght softer), the pitch tends to drift very sharp. This also happens with new reeds that are not hard enough.
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Author: John Scorgie
Date: 2000-11-03 17:09
Ai Li --
The above suggestions may all be correct, but here is another real possibility:
Most production clarinets are tuned slightly sharp to 440 so that 1) players with undeveloped lips have a chance to play in tune at 440 and 2) all players can play in tune when the group pitch is above 440, which often happens.
Pull your barrel out slightly at its junction with the upper joint and watch your pitch drop on the Seiko tuner. If the notes with lots of fingers down are sharp, also pull out slightly at the junction of the upper and lower joints.
Note that you may have to make more than one change to fix your pitch problem. You may have to pull out the barrel AND relax your lip pressure.
Good luck. Let us know if any of these suggestions work out for you.
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