 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: paker
Date: 2012-06-17 18:55
I just repadded (diy) my Yamaha 34. I played the basic notes E to C (upper vent) to a tuner. All notes are consistently 3 Hz lower. Vandoren M15 profile 88 mouthpiece, Legere 2.5 synthetic reed. Any advice? Replacement pads seem to be a little thicker than the originals for the upper joint. I used 3 mm pads (instead of 2.8 mm?) purchased from Ferees. Thanks.
UPDATE: I tentatively concluded that the tuner is off. I got the same difference from a different clarinet and a different mouthpiece/reed. I will update this post after testing the tuner with tuning forks. Thanks.
UPDATE 2: The tuner displays 440.6 from metronome 440. So the low pitch over the whole range is real, I am afraid.
Post Edited (2012-06-17 21:20)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-06-17 22:27
I assume this pitch difference has only happened since the re-pad.
The venting (amount of opening) of the pads can affect the pitch so using thicker pads and/or installing them with thicker bed of shellac/glue could well lower the pitch.
Adjusting the corks that control the amount of opening to allow more venting could help.
Experiment with the highest one first since the venting of the holes below this will not have a big effect on C (unless they were dramatically too close).
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2012-06-18 02:26
I agree with Norman. It's easy to do a basic repad job, and I used to do them all the time on school-owned student clarinets when I taught in public schools. I should add, though, that doing an expert repad job on a professional instrument is tricky. Getting pad heights just right so that the instrument plays well in tune takes some real skill.
My 70s era R13 had some intonation issues in the range you described.
It was repadded a couple years ago, but the repair tech didn't give enough attention to key/pad heights in the upper joint. Everything was sealing well, but the poor intonation was painful. I later found another repairman and explained my problem. He replaced some pads and adjusted some key heights, and although the intonation isn't perfect, it's much better.
I'd suggest taking your clarinet to a professional. I don't think all the pads will have to be redone, and it might not be very expensive.
Post Edited (2012-06-18 11:44)
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Author: paker
Date: 2012-06-19 03:01
It is no fun to admit publicly that the low pitch was because of my immature embouchure. As I pulled lips in, all notes fell well within 10 cent marker. I got the idea when all my clarinets were off by the same amount and the piano was right on the mark. Thanks.
Post Edited (2012-06-19 03:05)
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-06-19 05:56
Some mouthpieces do play a bit low. If it's a real problem for you, try other mouthpieces or possibly a harder reed.
Tony F.
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