 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tony
Date: 2000-02-29 11:16
I recently got some wonderful help from you guys regarding an old Cousenon CL that I was given many years ago. I have re padded and re corked it and now it plays like I had never heard it before. It is sealed so well you can make it pop when you apply a vaccum and remove the plug.
My question now is that when I play it along side of a tape from a learning method book or with another CL, I have noticed it is not in the same tune. It plays ? one note lower than the others.
The CL is about one inch shorter than several other CL's that I've looked at. (Could it have shrunk that much over all its years.)
To get the same tune I need to play a F when the other CL plays a E. (The other CL is in tune with the tape.)
At first I thought it might be the strange fingering system this beast has but I checked the charts you guys put me onto to ensure I was fingering the correct note.
Another way I found to overcome the problem was I trialed a crude piece of pipe between the mouth piece and barrel and that worked too.
What do you think is the problem?
Is it possible to get longer mouth pieces or barrels or is there something else I should be checking out?
Thanks again for the help
Tony Balm
balm@pipeline.com.au
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Author: Graham Elliott
Date: 2000-02-29 11:45
sounds like an A clarinet. Odd that it should be so much shorter than a B flat, and I can only imagine that the bore dimension has something to do with it. A longer mouthpiece would not help if this is what you've got.
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Author: Tony
Date: 2000-02-29 11:59
How do I tell if it is an A or Bb?
Is there a standard length for each?
What is the net effect if it is an A or Bb - do I need to play different keys to match the other CL?
Should I just put the CL on the shelf and forget about trying to play it?
Tony
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2000-02-29 12:11
There isn't a standard length for a Bflat or an A. If anything, your clarinet should be longer than a B flat.
If it is slightly flat, it could be your embouchure, the mouthpiece and barrel or the room temperature. If it is a semitone flat, as it appears to be, then this is by design.
When you are buying music, you pick a part specifically written or arranged for the A clarinet.
An A clarinet is a very useful beast to have. You can play Mozart's clarinet concerto in the correct key and you can easily play things in the (actual) keys of D, A, E and B. On a Bflat clarinet these appear as E, B, F# and C#, none of which are easy to play. On an A clarinet, these are written as F, C, G and D, all easy enough to play.
But, you will need a B flat clarinet as well, to play all the stuff written in flat keys. Since your A clarinet has a non-standard fingering, you will need to get a B flat clarinet with the same fingering, otherwise, you will be totally confused. Maybe you are already! :-)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-02-29 16:46
Hi again Tony - Saw your plea for help! G E and Eoin have given you good advice. Around the turn of the century it seems the clar business was in a evolutionary mess. My Porocelli Albert-Muller cl, that I think is much like yours, says on its UJ top-front LP [low pitch] B [for Bb], and for me tunes like a modern cl. It measures, assembled without a mouthpiece, 23 1/2 " top of barrel to tip of bell. My Kohlert [Boehm] in key of A similarly measures 24 1/4 ". I doubt that a slight diff. in "nominal" bore size from modern cls, [ usually measured at the lower tenon of the UJ] would demand much diff. in length for pitch considerations. NOW if you may have a HP [high pitch] A clar. thats another story!! Look it over carefully in a bright light and see if you have missed any info on it. We will try to help to the degree that we can without actually trying it out. Luck Don
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