 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2003-04-18 16:20
Hi,
Is there any real difference between barrels for "A" and "Bb" clarinets other than length? The reason I ask is that I recently restored a 1932 Buffet "A" clarinet and just for the heck of it stuck my daughters' 65mm Chadash barrel on it resulting in a great improvement. (The barrel was from her Bb.) It seems however, that there are different part numbers for "A" and "Bb" Chadash barrels. This is the reason for my question.
Mark
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Author: Corey
Date: 2003-04-18 16:26
I've heard that A barrels are bored a little differently than Bb barrles. I'm not sure exactly why, but there must be a reason. Hope this helps a little, corey.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-04-18 16:30
Corey wrote:
> I've heard that A barrels are bored a little differently than
> Bb barrles. I'm not sure exactly why, but there must be a
> reason. Hope this helps a little, corey.
Not bored differently. They may possibly be different lengths or different bore diameters - or possibly be identical. You can experiment and interchange them to see if intonation and tone gets better or worse. But they're not really "different".
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-04-18 16:32
I don't know if there's a fundamental design difference beyond length or bore diameter, but if there is, it's not enough to make them non-interchangeable as long as intonation and tone quality is acceptable between both horns (and of course if it fits). I've seen many people use the same mouthpiece and barrel between Bb and A..
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
Post Edited (2003-04-18 17:35)
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2003-04-19 02:09
You should use any barrel that works better on any clarinet. However, be aware that the bore size of a 1932 Buffet barrel would have been larger to begin with than the present day Buffet barrel.
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2003-04-19 04:45
Douglas,
You are correct; the bore on the 1932 "A" barrel is larger. I heard that the bore on an "A" barrel now a days is even narrower with less taper than a "Bb" barrel. Any thoughts?
Mark
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2003-04-19 14:33
David Hite at his site and elsewhere has listed the dimensions of the Moennig Bb barrel as .589" at top and .580" at bottom and that the A clarinet should be .004" smaller. I think the Chadash barrels are at least similar. If the Buffet barrels of today are smaller than in 1932, and the Bb barrel, however, is a bit larger than the A barrel, then using a modern Bb on a 1932 Buffet A clarinet might be just right (sounds like something Goldilocks might say).
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2003-04-19 16:31
Douglas,
I have a Buffet barrel from 1987 that I will try. Now it seems we are talking vintage years for barrels. Does it ever end? lol
Mark
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Author: Mitch K.
Date: 2003-04-23 03:54
My Chadash barrel for my A clarinet works equally well on my B-flat clarinet (both are R13's). With the Chadash barrel, the relative intonation of my clarinet is fairly even, as compared with my Moennig or the stock barrels that came with the horns (my Moennig is for my B-flat).
cheers,
Mitch King
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-04-24 14:00
Don't expect an A barrell to tune proeprly on Bb or vice versa no matter. If it does its a lucky conicidence. After years of symphonic work I have always felt the Meonnig barrells to be the best for pitch and sound, and I have an A and Bb barrell for my instruments. I have accidentally swictched barrells at times, and can tell by the inability of myself to play and hear the correct tuning I got from the correct barrell. Alot of students experiment with this stuff and end further off pitch....
David Dow
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Author: Mitch K.
Date: 2003-04-24 18:56
It is quite possible that switching barrels will be a bad thing regarding sound and pitch. However, it is not unheard-of for a single barrel to work on both B-flat and A clarinet. In Dr. David Pino's infamous book, "The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing," he mentions his experience with this very event. I believe the text is at the tail-end of Chapter 3.
Cheers,
Mitch King
P.S. Though the intonation was better on my B-flat using my A Chadash barrel, I still use my Moenning because the sound is slightly better.
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