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RE: "A" barrel

Author: Heather F.
Date: 2000-02-01 22:36

Actually it was the director of a college wind ensemble that said it. He seemed very confident in this remark, and was going to purchase 2 of these barrels. I found it hard to believe, when he said it, the other clarinet player and I just looked at eachother. I knew if there was such thing I would've heard of it and everyone would be using them instead of an A.

Ken Shaw wrote:

Your friend is misinformed. There is no barrel that will turn a Bb into an A.

Heather F. wrote:
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At rehearsal someone told that there is a barrel that you can put on a Bflat clarinet and it will change the pitch like that of an A clarinet. I was told that the intonation isn't that great. I've never heard of it, does anyone know anything about them? Thanks

Heather -

Your friend is misinformed. There is no barrel that will turn a Bb into an A.

What your friend may be remembering is that the Bb and A instruments almost always require separate barrels. Strangely, the one for the A clarinet is usually one or two millimeters shorter than the one for the Bb, and there are more subtle differences in the shape of the bore.

There's been an "urban legend" around for years that you can lower the pitch of a Bb clarinet to A by hanging a string down inside the bore. Mark Charette claims to have done this, but I've never been able to. Even if it works, it would be dreadfully stuffy and out of tune. If it created a usable A clarinet, you can bet there would be dozens of different versions commercially available.

However, if you're feeling silly, you can interchange the joints on a Bb and an A instrument, producing two clarinets sort of in B-half-flat, each one out of tune in its own horrible way. Playing duets on them is sure to bring the bandmaster running with his fingers stuffed in his ears and set dogs howling for miles around.

Good luck.

Ken Shaw

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