 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2003-03-08 13:14
While checking intonation on my clarinet, I noticed the throat tone Bb is particularly "flat." (with the standard register key/ A key fingering). Changing barrels or mouthpieces does not alter this. If I "tighten up" my embouchure with this note, I can get the note in tune. Can anything else be done?
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Author: clarigurl
Date: 2003-03-08 13:19
nope. maybe you are just having a little embrouche change. i have just gotten over with one that i had had. just look in a mirror every once and a while to check if it is in place and not any place weird. i am thinking that you place your clarinet to vertically. try bringing it out a little bit if that is the case.
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Author: sömeone
Date: 2003-03-08 13:38
a little bit flat is not much of a problem
the slight flatness is the throat Bb's character
but when it comes too flat, either its ur instrument, or ur embouchure
don't worry too much about it
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Author: willieted
Date: 2003-03-08 14:33
You can try cleaning out the register tube. I had a tuning problem with the throat Bb, and that problem was a bunch of crud in my register tube.
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Author: Stoops
Date: 2003-03-08 14:47
it sounds like you just need to get someone to raise the pitch a little bit. I've had my throat tones worked on because they tend to be the some of the worst notes on the horn. Maybe try some different resonating fingerings. If you are relatively "on" with the rest of your instrument, it's probably not an embouchure thang.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2003-03-09 01:03
Is the A also flat? If so, the enlarging of the A tonehole could help both notes. One can take it to a clarinet tuning expert to get it fixed. One assumes that your barrel is ok and that the rest of the clarinet is reasonably in tune. My preference is to get the regular fingering fixed so that one does not have to use the "resonance" or side key Bbs. Good luck!
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Author: Rene
Date: 2003-03-09 07:56
Surprisingly, my throat tones tend to be sharp rather (on the different instruments I played on). Resonance fingerings brings them down and also removes the airy weakness. Your flatness is another clarinet surprise to me.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-03-09 08:57
My B-flat is the sharpest note on my instrument. I always thought this was normal. But where I live we play at A=442, so I guess I have a shorter barrel/mouthpiece set-up than somebody playing at A=440. The "short" notes, like throat B-flat and A are the ones most affected by changes in barrel length. Wyk, have you tried using a shorte barrel? What length are you currently using?
I use resonace fingerings to flatten the throat notes. GBK and BobT- how do you use them to sharpen the throat notes??
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2003-03-09 12:52
I can't speak for GBK, of course, but in response to Liquorice's post, I've just tested straight Bb and Bb with various resonance combinations all against an electronic tuning meter.
Using standard Bb + L3 only, it plays slightly sharper.
Using combinations of R1/2/3 and even 4(c/f) you would logically expect Bb to flatten. However no appreciable drop is detected. Maybe a nice idiosyncrasy of my Eaton instruments ?
What the resonance fingerings do on my instruments, is to accomplish a fuller and less restricted tone more in keeping with the rest of the clarinet. The ear then seems more pleased by this and accepts it well. The sound of the standard fingering, is just so different in many clarinets, and standard Bb is used only for fast running passages. However in an upward run, Bb is usually naturally followed by RH fingers which are used in resonance fingerings anyway.
I suspect our tacet suggestion was to try resonance and experiment with it, however there may be more to this problem for a technician to sort out.
BobT
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Author: Stoops
Date: 2003-03-09 13:36
My Bb on my A clarinet is slightly flat and I've found that playing a+sk 1 is a slightly higher fingering. It also has a better quality. Not good for going over the break though obviously.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-03-09 15:24
Liquorice et al:
The Bb resonance fingering which for my R-13's produces the most pleasing and highest pitch is:
R + A key x 2 3 / x 2 3
When possible, that is my preferred choice in exposed Bb passages.
My second choice, depending on the surrounding notes in the passage is:
R + A key x x 3 / x x 3 +F/C key
Both fingerings clear up the Bb, with the first one raising the pitch a bit more.
There are a number of other possibilities, including this one (which I have always thought produces too much resonance):
R + A key x 2 3 +C#/G# key / x x x
Experiment with the above choices on your particular set-up, or try other similar combinations...GBK
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-03-09 18:53
This may be the most-talked-about subject on our good BBoard! Most of what can be said is in the archives already, including my thots that both Selmer and Leblanc obviously researched deeply this "shortcoming", and did provide solutions on up to the Stubbins-patented keying and Galper vent-tube dimensions, perhaps beyond. The in-tuneness and clarity of the pinch Bb AND the C#/G# are two criteria of my horn-judgement. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2003-03-09 19:09
I find that the Stubbins type Bb booster vent on my Patricola eefer works pretty well. I have to be careful not to try to lip the Bb up as on a typical "pinch" Bb or it goes way sharp. But with the same embouchure that I use on the rest of the horn it speaks pretty well and the pitch is good.
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