 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-02-28 06:13
I have a mildly stuffy leblanc clarinet. It plays profoundly well in tune and has one super sweet note similar in tone to an R13: the F key below open G. I've tried my friends R13 clarinets and they play with absolute Ease when compared to mine. Both said that the low notes were overly resistant and hard to play out while the high notes came with a good clarity, typical to these clarinets. Would reboring the clarinet serve to play with less resistance? I've tried different mouthpieces (crystal and loud playing) and a couple of barrels but it just will not reach a FFF when all the sound seems to only come at a FF at its most. what is odd is that a selmer 10g overcomes the challenges, yet it is bright. any ideas?
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-02-28 08:21
My opinion is that Leblanc is more resistant than any of the big four that is Selmer,Buffet,Yamaha and Leblanc. The tone was way too beautiful and playing FF was not very easy and playing FFF was out of the question. I would succest trying another brand of clarinet. The only brand I've tried and give me great flexibility and even resistance is Buffet Festival. I can vary the tonecolor much more than on R-13 but R-13 comes closest to Festival more than Tosca or RC. After I've been playing it now for 2 years I ask myself why did I play R-13 all those years? Well because that is what almost everybody were and are playing here in Iceland. And about 95% play Buffet here
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-02-28 17:39
would a power barrel alleviate my problems of stuffiness? anyone have or tried one?
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2007-02-28 19:06
Which model is it? My experience with Symphonies and LLs is that they are very free blowing, when they are right. Sounds like you may have some leaks. Also, the thick stock "dark" reeds seem to require more breaking in before the low register stops sounding stuffy and woody.
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2007-02-28 22:19
If you have access to the 10G, and find it easier to play, you should consider sticking with it. The 10G may sound "brighter" to the player, especially in a small room, but in a concert hall, what is percieved as small room brightness becomes projection. I used to try for the darkest possible sound in a small room, and discovered that at a distance, this "dark" sound became nasal, whereas a small room bright sound was rounder and darker in a concert hall. I can also now play softer, and still be heard over the orchestra.
Chris Hill
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-03-01 00:47
I'm playing on a leblanc symphonie. The mouthpiece that currently works best with it does produce a good sound, but i find that it doesn't have enough range for solo work: i.e. it blends well with a group, but as an individual, it's extremely hard to open up the dynamic range. So while i'm concentrating on my music, i'm also concentrating on keeping the sound rich, which only happens when i play with a strong sound.
the problem with the 10g is that it is mismatched, intonation is a bit off, and the sound isn't as homogenous as the symphonie.
i don't have any leaks, i repair and test my own instrument. I suppose running a mile at least a week would give me more endurance, but not a wider dynamic range.
I was looking at the dr.'s power barrel, which appears to be a solution to my situation.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2007-03-02 02:47
I forgot to answer your main question: Yes, it is possible to rebore the clarinet. Guy Chadash does this kind of work. (While I have a mouthpiece partnership with Guy, I have no relationship with his clarinet/repair business.)
Chris
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Author: Gary Foss
Date: 2007-03-02 09:38
C2thew, even though you've tried several mouthpieces and barrels. Sometimes the gap in the bore at the mouthpiece/barrel conection will be more critical to some models performance. Easy to check by assembling the two and holding up the light looking thru the barrel end. I think a rebore is excessive and a last resort.
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