 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2000-10-29 19:29
Author: Bob Arney (---.plover.ncn.net)
Date: 10-28-00 18:20
Back again. More interesting news. Sent my old (1908) Buffet Crampon off to be refurbished and rushed out and bought: Selmer hs* mouthpiece, Rouvnor ligature and a batch of reeds. Oh, Yes--even bought a new case for my "B-Flat." It came back and was in great shape (better than my lip now is) greased it up, played for a short while (noting how tired my lip/ hand/thumb got) and noticed it sounded a little less "jazzy" than I remembered. Took it apart and put it in my new case. Does not fit? Why--finally figured it out. It's an "A". I then remembered that I had given my Selmer B-flat to my daughter some time ago and just found out last week that she gave up on it and sold it.
My "new" oldie will fit (somewhat) in the new case but I have a new question. Memory being what it is now (and not what it used to be) maybe you folks can remind me why did I keep two barells, one is a "Selmer 9" which measures 60.5 mm and the other is an unmarked longer one, 66mm. I really can't remember what I used for what. Anyway, the instrument plays well not accounting for my digital ears and bad lip. Would appreciate comments please.
Bob Arney
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Author: Ken Rasmussen
Date: 2000-10-29 23:21
66mm is the standard length for barrels I believe. If you need to play sharper for any reason you'd need a shorter one. You can always pull out to flatten the pitch.
Sometimes it isn't too difficult to pull the lining up along one edge of a case, make whatever modifications are needed, and then tuck the lining back in again. You might try it cautiously and see how you do.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-10-30 02:04
Ken Rasmussen wrote:
>
> 66mm is the standard length for barrels I believe. If
> you need to play sharper for any reason you'd need a shorter
> one. You can always pull out to flatten the pitch.
> Sometimes it isn't too difficult to pull the lining up along
> one edge of a case, make whatever modifications are needed, and
> then tuck the lining back in again. You might try it
> cautiously and see how you do.
Need to be a little careful saying this length is standard. It may be standard now or it may be standard for certain makes and models but it is not universal. For example, I have a Pruefer Artist clarinet from 1940. The barrel is substantially longer than this but it is the original and correct barrel. It happens that they chose to make the upper joint shorter than is typical. The combined length of upper joint and barrel is normal. If I were to put on a 66mm barrel, it would be hopelessly sharp.
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Author: Gordon (New Zealand)
Date: 2000-10-30 11:38
60.5 is most unusually short. If you used it the scale would be way out between the notes with few fingers down and the notes with many fingers down.
I use a short barrel in a very cold environment to get the instrument up to pitch, but the shorter the barrel, the worse the scale.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-10-30 14:48
I measured several old clarinets from various manufacturers a few months ago and was surprised at the major differences in where manufacturers put the "seams" between the sections. Sometimes a short barrel doesn't mean the instrument is sharp overall -- it just means the rest of the clarinet is a little longer, relative to the length of the barrel. I've forgotten the numbers now, but I remember finding length differences as large as 5/8" in the lower joint, in instruments that played to the modern pitch of a=440 Hz.. The manufacturers had made different decisions in how close to the holes to put a break between sections. (The *overall* length of each of the B-flat clarinets I measured was close to the same, though the tuning problems and compromises varied between one sample and another.) But on an instrument from 1908, it's also possible it's built to the old pitch standard now known as "high pitch," which varied from place to place, but could be as high as concert a=457 Hz (the tuning for Steinway pianos in 1900).
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2000-10-30 18:10
Lelia, How do these measurements stack up with your research?
The upper section is 24.4 (9.5 in) the lower section 27.3 (10.75 in) and the bell 11 (4i in). As you know it was marked LP, which I was told was Low Play so from that can you tell what hrz it is tunned to?
Bob Arney
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