 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: gerry
Date: 2003-04-09 21:28
I am confused about Pitch. I had always considered Concert A as 440 Hz. Now I find that it is 442. I checked both my clarinets with a Tuner, and my R13 plays at 435 Hz and my Selmer at 432. I can't make them come up to 440 let alone 442. I made sure that all the joints were seated tightly and pushed in as far as they could go. I also checked my General Music keyboard which is right on 442 as are the tuning notes on my Play Along CD's.
Why the change to 442 and what can I do to bring my clarinets up to pitch? Also any ideas of how I can tune to the CD's other than recording them onto tape with a variable speed recorder which I may have to do.
Any help would be appreciated.
Gerry.
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Author: PJ
Date: 2003-04-09 21:48
Search for "Extremely Sharp" as well as "Pitch," "Tuning" and "Intonation." I think you will find some great reading that will help you out.
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2003-04-09 22:45
Gerry,
Concert A pitch has changed over time and geography. Concert A pitch in the US is today commonly accepted at 440 Hz while in Europe it is slightly sharper at 442 Hz. How old are your horns?
After you've heard a work by Mozart, the silence that follows, this is still by Mozart.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-04-10 16:24
Short answer--if all your instruments joints are fully pushed together after assembly, then you need shorter barrels. Usually a barrel of 65-66 mm length will be just fine for most Bb clarinets, but shorter barrels are available if needed.
Another issue--it may be your mouthpiece, embouchure support or too soft a reed (or one that is played out and should be discarded)
Another thought. Sometimes tuners become mis-attuned to a higher or lower general pitch reading. Try re-calibration before you buy a lot of expensive equipement. I use a Korg model and to re-claibrate that, I have to hold down the "higher and lower" adjustment controls simentaneously while the needle re-adjusts to zero.
Good luck--playing "in tune" is everything!!!!!!
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Author: Dee
Date: 2003-04-10 23:03
Another problem with older clarinets is that they may no longer have their original barrels so you don't know whether the barrel with it is the proper length. Not all makers used the same standard. I have a Pruefer clarinet from approximately 1940. It has its original barrel and that barrel is longer than today's typical barrel. The body of that instrument is correspondingly shorter. i.e. the distance from any keyhole to the top of the joint is less than on today's Buffet for example. However, when assembled, the length from the bottom of the bell to the top of the barrel matches horns made today as does the hole positions. They just chose a different place to split for the barrel. If I were to attempt to use today's typical barrel, it would be impossibly sharp.
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