 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2006-09-22 05:45
What do you think the weakest link of a Bb clarinet in general is?
Not an idiosyncratic problem of your horn, but typical, common aspect which needs improvement most.
Post Edited (2006-09-22 05:55)
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2006-09-22 06:11
Beside the player?
The most important one is the reed and mouthpiece combination.
It's almost axiomatic that the closer the piece of equipment is to your mouth, the more important it is.
Gregory Smith
Post Edited (2006-09-22 06:17)
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Author: Cuisleannach
Date: 2006-09-22 06:36
I'm personally not a big fan of the thumb key doing double duty as a tone hole and an octave speaker, but the system does work, so I can complain too much.
-Randy
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-09-22 08:13
Its tendency to go sharp when you play quietly.
Ideally it wouldn't change pitch at all. But going flat would be preferable to going sharp.
Unfortunately, I doubt this is something that can be improved; it's just the nature of the beast.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-09-22 10:25
The flat bottom E.
You are the weakest link. Goodbye.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-09-22 10:33
THAT'S IT !!!!! The flatness of the low E and F. Wurlitzer has a thumb key to vent those notes on their Oehlers. The Buffet Tosca has an alternate key for low F but .....I don't think there is a Boehm clarinet that offers a vent of any kind for both.
........Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-09-22 10:42
I'm still tempted to fit a low Eb, E and F 'correction device' to my Series 9 set to help bring these notes up to pitch - similar to full Oehlers in that there's only one thumb key, but three (in my case) vents that open automatically as I go from low Eb (this vent key is on the bell and stays open with the thumb key) to low E, the vent opens when the low Eb key is released and the low F vent opens when the low E key is released.
Funny that on Selmer Recitals the vent key only opens with the speaker key.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2006-09-22 11:48
CP & PA
This flat bottom E is very easy to fix. It's surprising that big 4 and Eaton's not doing much to correct this problem.
This effect arises mainly because lowest tone hole is terminated differently
than other higher tone holes.The simplest solution would be providing
extra hole or two with pads which doesn't have to be linked any upper keys. Those can be made to move but always in open position.
This extra hole(s) will correct the previously mismatched impedance and
therefore improves pitch and also more consistent tone quality.
Disadvantage of this would be,of course,longer and heavier instrumentds.
But I think it's worth it.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-09-22 12:46
(Disclaimer - I am maker of the Forte' Bb and C clarinets)
Depending on your particular instrument a passive bell vent hole and inner chamber in the bell - our TRAC - will work wonders on some clarinets without extra keys and linkages YMMV.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-09-22 13:01
I can't get excited about flat bottom E and F. It's not as though they are used that often. When they are used they are generally lost in the texture.
But I'd be interested to know whether they tend to be better in tune on basset clarinets, or other extended clarinets for that matter.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-09-22 14:54
Selmer basset clarinets aren't the best examples for tuning on the low notes from E downwards.
One orchestral piece where a loud bottom E (on A clarinet) is used is in Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Cappriccio Espagnol' after the cor anglais solo (in the 2nd part of the sequence of the horn solo).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2006-09-22 15:48
On every single B-flat clarinet that I've tried, the problem has always been exactly the same, regardless of model and make: THE PLAYER!
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-09-22 15:54
Liquorice wrote:
> On every single B-flat clarinet that I've tried, the problem
> has always been exactly the same, regardless of model and make:
> THE PLAYER!
<hangs head>
Yeah, indeed. Yesterday or the day before I wanted to record a short piece on wood and metal clarinet to demonstrate the indistinguishability of the sounds.
After the recordings I listened to my, er, "work" and got so frustrated by the quality of either that I quit for that day. Sigh.
--
Ben
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2006-09-22 18:04
Liquorice:
When I bought my clarinet a few years ago,player didn't come with it.
Which make comes with a player?![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Post Edited (2006-09-22 18:26)
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Author: Cuisleannach
Date: 2006-09-22 19:04
<<On every single B-flat clarinet that I've tried, the problem has always been exactly the same, regardless of model and make: THE PLAYER!>>
Old radio techs used to call the most common problem a "short between the earphones". Would a "leak behind the mouthpiece" be equivalent?
-Randy
PS Koo Young Chung...no, I haven't seriously tried any alternative octave key arrangements....
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-09-22 19:17
Cuisleannach wrote:
> Old radio techs used to call the most common problem a "short
> between the earphones". Would a "leak behind the mouthpiece"
> be equivalent?
We 'puter folks call this "a problem between the chair and the keyboard".
--
Ben
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