 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Laurie
Date: 2000-03-05 04:11
Hey All,
I just bought today a new Korg tuner today.. Why is it when I play a C on the flute, It reads a C on the tuner, but when I play a C on the clarinet it reads Bb ? Is it possibly because clarinet tunes to concert Bb ? Any insights ?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-03-05 04:25
Laurie,
That's the reason we call it a Bb clarinet - the "C" on a Bb clarinet creates a Bb concert pitch. The "C" on an A clarinet creates (you guessed it!) an A concert pitch. Most clarinets and most brass instruments are called "transposing" instruments for this reason.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-05 04:51
As Mark has indicated, the reading on your tuner is correct. The Bb clarinet is a transposing instrument.
Most band instruments are transposing instruments. Compare your music to the flutes. You will see that you are in a different key signature. Now compare it to the alto sax or alto clarinet parts. They will have yet a different key signature. If all of you play in unison, each of you will have a different note printed on the sheet music to get this effect.
Just a little comparison of instruments (I've left out the more exotic ones):
C instruments - Flute, oboe, bassoon, trombone reading bass clef, euphonium reading bass clef, string instruments, and piano
F instruments - French horn, English horn
Bb instruments - Bb clarinet, Bb trumpet/cornet, trombone reading treble clef, euphonium reading treble clef, tenor sax, bass clarinet, bass sax, contrabass clarinet
Eb instruments - Eb soprano clarinet, alto and contra-alto clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-03-06 19:18
Tuning with a band or orchestra with a Bb clarinet sometimes is a good thing. Yes, you have to think to transpose notes, but at least you can tune on an acoustically solid note if the orchestra is tuning to the "usual" concert C. That's a very solid low clarion B on the clarinet. Almost any clarinet in good playing condition can tune to this note without too much fuss. For this note, you get to use the entire clarinet for tuning (starting at the barrel to upper joint gap first, of course). Since the entire length of the horn is used to play the note, you can also use this note to help get the horn warmed up. You have also just avoided the usually challenging "throat" notes on the clarinet. Finally, you also avoided typically acoustically weak notes such as clarion A and altissimo D.
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-03-06 19:23
What type of Korg tuner did you get? I have an analog gauge tuner from Korg that is called a "chromatic" tuner. I can play any note (B, C#, Eb, anything within 4 octaves) and the tuner automatically determines what the note actually is and then gives me a tuning reading on the meter. Pretty nifty little tool (okay, I'll be honest, "toy" .
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Author: Laurie
Date: 2000-03-06 23:01
Hi Paul :
I got the same tuner my director had - ( yea, i'm a copy cat) only because that's the only one I know how to use! lol I got the "chromatic" tuner from Korg .. It's soo cool.. And yes paul .. i hate to say it ... it's a toy .. a very amusing, fun to play with toy ! hehe
Laurie
paul wrote:
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What type of Korg tuner did you get? I have an analog gauge tuner from Korg that is called a "chromatic" tuner. I can play any note (B, C#, Eb, anything within 4 octaves) and the tuner automatically determines what the note actually is and then gives me a tuning reading on the meter. Pretty nifty little tool (okay, I'll be honest, "toy" .
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