 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Keil
Date: 2000-02-20 17:06
low E on my clarinet is, at times, the most hideous not on my clarinet. How can i make it sing? Why is it so gross?
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-02-20 18:12
You need to be a lot clearer on just how this note sounds. "Gross" doesn't really give us any clues.
How long have you been playing?
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Author: Keil
Date: 2000-02-20 19:57
the Low E is very fuzzy! and not nearly as rich as the F above it, i think this has to do with in part the fact that everything is closed, there are no open holes for air to escape
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-02-20 20:04
Keil - on a low E the bell is the hole for the air to escape - the whole air column vibartes.
Perhaps something on your clarinet is buzzing or one of the pads is slightly leaking.
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2000-02-20 22:03
It's also possible that your low E actually sounds good, but you can't hear it yourself, because, more than any other note, the sound goes straight out the end of the clarinet and away from you. Get someone else to tell you how it sounds.
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Author: Andy J.
Date: 2000-02-20 22:22
you might want to check if your putting the clarinet tougther straight (the connector in between upper & lower joints)
i can make mind sound "gross" by doing that because the ring key on the upper joint isn't closing fully... i can fix it by using more preasure on the left hand.. but stil..
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2000-02-20 22:41
It is true what Keil wrote that low E sounds different because there is nothing left to vent the sound. One solution I've seen is to drill a vent-hole in the bell to make the sound mere even. This also effects intonation, often to the better since low E on most clarinets is a bit flat anyway. To prevent the B from going to sharp it's possible to mount an about ½-inch long speaker-pipe inside the hole. A colleague of mine is using this solution on his A-cl. with satisfactory results.
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 2000-02-21 00:00
If your solution works so well, you ought to patent it and sell it to Buffet.
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2000-02-21 00:22
It's not my solution. I've only seen it on my colleague's instrument. He had it made by a famous clarinet-doctor but I don't know how official it is so I won't mention his name.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-02-21 00:37
The hole in the bell has been around for a long time. The tube I've never heard of.
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Author: ron
Date: 2000-02-21 05:22
Keil, before you go boring extra holes and sticking tubes in them on your horn (possibly ruining it), do yourself a favor if you possibly can. Borrow an instrument from a friend or try one out at your local music store, one that you know is working right, and see if the result is the same for you on that instrument. If not, maybe yours needs a good (re)check out (again?) by a qualified tech. I think I recall that you had that done recently so a re-check should be a no charge customer courtesy to you.
ron
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Author: Hans
Date: 2000-02-21 14:03
The venting hole in the bell is used for many, many years by German manufacturers and recently also by Italian manufacturers.
I'm playing on Fritz Wurlitzer instruments which have also the E-improvement by an extra venting hole in the bell. I've drilled a venting hole with success in the bell of my Wurlitzer E-flat clarinet.
I have no experience with such an action on common boehm clarinets.
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Author: James Marioneaux
Date: 2000-02-21 15:14
The low E and F pads may not be closing exactly together. The E pad may not be going all the way down if the low F sounds good. Take it to a repair shop and let them check it out. Does the 3rd line B sound ok? Even if the B does sound good, the pad could still not be covering just right. Have a reapir shop check it out for you.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-02-21 19:46
I'd suggest not spending any money trying to get a patent on a vented bell. Oboes etc have had this for years! What you may want is a Selmer Signature which has well-designed venting for the low chalemaux notes. Don
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Author: Keil
Date: 2000-02-21 20:58
3rd line B sounds just as hideous in comparison to the full sound of the C above it
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-02-21 21:03
keil,
If 3rd line B and the low E sound bad (the "long notes") I'm almost 100% sure you've got a sealing problem on the last pad. It could be the pad - it could be the linkage - it could be a chip on the seat , but that pad's not sitting right.
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Author: Kim
Date: 2000-02-22 02:50
This has happened to me before. When the B sounds bad, the low E usually does too. This is usually because there is a leak. The pads may not be covering correctly. Also, as you go up the scale, there is the fuzziness in the low A and G and mid D and E. If this is the problem, you have an air leak.
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2000-02-22 08:11
If there's a problem with the low E pad, get help from a friend! While you are playing the low E, get someone else to press the pad down hard, guaranteeing an airtight seal. If this clears the problem, then you definitely need to get you clarinet checked out again by a repair technician.
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Author: James Marioneaux
Date: 2000-02-22 21:50
Yep, sounds like a problem with the bottom pad. Take to a repair shop and they can fix it for you. It's not very expensive. Usually, it is best to repalce both the C/F and the B/E pads. That way you will get an even seal when you play the B/E without pressing the C/F.
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2000-02-22 23:04
In addition to all the rest of the information on this topic I just rememered that some Würlizers German model has an extra key for RH thumb to open and close the venting-hole on the bell.
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