 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2009-03-20 17:59
I'm not new to the world of greenlines, but I've never owned one that I wanted to keep until now. I bought one from a respected dealer who sells hand-selected clarinets and am pleasantly surprised at the wonderful intonation and tone. The greatest joy is that it stays in tune the whole rehearsal session--I guess this is due to the fact that the wood isn't changing constantly as the instrument warms up, cools off, etc. So not only do I get the benefits of playing it in all kinds of weather indoors and out, I also get the benefit of the longivity of intonation bliss when those solos come around that I need to play in tune.
This doesn't mean it's perfectly in tune...I still have to listen carefully and adjust embouchure, etc. It just means that I'm not pulling out and changing barrels all the time.
I play a lot of outdoor concerts as well as do some traveling involving drastic changes in climate and temps. Often I would arrive in Israel (or wherever) and find that my instrument was majorly affected by the trip. I would spend a week at least getting acclimated to the new location. This great little greenline is superb at overcoming that problem.
I know we've talked endlessly about the advantages/disadvantages to the greenline...but thought I'd pop off a quick note of joy. Don't have any complaints at this time.
BTW, I'm using my Backun accessories (barrel, mouthpiece and bell) on the new clarinet. I realize that in a true outdoor situation or a true climate change extreme I might benefit from using the stock barrel and bell.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-03-20 19:10
As far as weather goes, as you say, these horns are the "tanks" of the clarinet world.
Makes me curious about the Greenline Tosca, Prestige and Vintage!
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2009-03-20 19:35
I have been playing a greenline RC prestige since 1995, it's been great to me all these years.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2009-03-20 21:40
I'm not curious enough to spend the extra $$ on a Prestige or Tosca greenline. The Prestige I owned was a bit "stuffy" and I never really liked it much. However, I do miss the extra key on the left lower joint.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-03-20 21:52
>>>Makes me curious about the Greenline Tosca, Prestige and Vintage!
It seems odd to me to put "Vintage" in the same sentence as "Greenline! " ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: jenni
Date: 2009-03-20 23:04
I have a greenline RC and I love it! Although the intonation is normally great, when it gets very cold (as in being in a car boot all day when it's been snowing) it can go REALLY flat - but it stands up to the cold! I suppose that does prove the theory that you can put a greenline in a freezer and it'll still play.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-03-21 05:34
Buffet has a great movie about a French clarinetist (forgot his name, sorry) that went to top of the highest mountain (in France? Maybe Europe?) and played his Greenline clarinet at what I think (remember) was about -20C. Great movie!
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2009-03-21 13:45
To Brenda:
Clarinet's pitch goes up and down with the change of temperature/humidity of the air column inside when it's warmed up or cooled down.
Not because of the change of inside dimensions.
Post Edited (2009-03-21 13:47)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-03-21 18:27
A student of mine had a large crack in his "new" Tosca, only about six months old, so he sent it back for repair and the shop loaned him a R13 Greenline. He's now asking about a trade because we both thought the Greenline sounded better in all aspects then his Tosca, which I may add he bought before he came to me.
ESP (Peabody/BSO) http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: aguzz
Date: 2009-03-22 22:54
Hi,
The French clarinetist in the Buffet-Crampon video is Romain Guyot.
Andrea
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-03-23 13:58
"Clarinet's pitch goes up and down with the change of temperature/humidity of the air column inside when it's warmed up or cooled down.
Not because of the change of inside dimensions."
I guess I'll have to research this. But I wonder about that because as the warm air is passing through the horn it must cause dimensional changes.
Bob Draznik
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-03-23 14:17
>> I guess I'll have to research this. But I wonder about that because as the warm air is passing through the horn it must cause dimensional changes. <<
Do you (or anyone) know how wood shrinks/expand from tempeture and/or moisture? Is it like metal where a ring will increase in both outside and inside diameter or does the inner diameter gets smaller if the outside gets bigger? What happens to the length of the clarinet?
I'm asking because I just don't know  but if, for example, the clarinet becomes longer and bore becomes slightly smaller when warmer, then maybe that's a proof because it should actually because flatter. But maybe this doesn't happen, it's just a guess.
I don't think anyone claimed the wood doesn't change, only that it is not that change that cause the intonation change.
Here is an example I posted before, showing how much difference in intonation the "air" can cause. This is an extreme example, but it shows clearly how much difference there is without any change in the instrument dimensions at all. Especially obvious in that last example when the girl is playing the note
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bunF0-ObdpQ
Post Edited (2009-03-23 14:19)
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Author: D
Date: 2009-03-23 18:14
I would guess swelling with moisture would affect internal dimensions before a change of temperature did. But to be honest, temperature and humidity are so interrelated it would be difficult to make an assessment even before you start looking out all the moisture we are breathing out as well.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2009-03-23 18:15
I don't know about change of inside dimensions, and am not the one who brought it up on this thread, but I do know that the greenline stays in tune much better than my wooden R-13. So, my comment is only about the fact that it is a joy to play and much easier to keep in tune than my traditional wooden one.
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Author: D
Date: 2009-03-23 18:19
I enjoyed that brainiac clip, very interesting.
I also meant to add to my last post but pressed post too quick: all materials will be able to hold a certain level of moisture, this will change with temperature change, just as air can hold more moisture when it is hotter.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2009-03-23 19:04
I like the Green line clarinets a great deal but find them a bit too edgy when I work with bassoons and horns...I prefer all wood...but then again I have yet to find time to look.
David Dow
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Author: asabene
Date: 2009-03-24 02:33
The changes in the size and dimensions because of temperature is not significant enough to affect pitch. Instead, the heat of the air inside the instrument and the vibration of the air column inside is what causes the pitch rise.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-03-24 05:14
>> I like the Green line clarinets a great deal but find them a bit too edgy when I work with bassoons and horns... <<
The Greenlines I've tried (several of each of many models) were definitely not "edgier" (or significantly different in any way) than the several of each of the exact same models made of wood, when I compared them.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2009-03-24 17:27
Does anyone know the weight difference between the wood and greenline for Koo Young's question?
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2009-03-24 19:05
Well..maybe I should try a few more...oh well I am perfectly happy with my set up.
Best of luck Brenda and congrats on your new set up.
David Dow
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2009-03-24 21:55
It would seem that a Greenline clarinet is heavier. Check out this thread which is named "clarinet weight":
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=291463&t=126320
I think I weighed my Festival Greenline with the 65 mm barrel. It would weigh a bit more with the 66 mm barrel. The Festival comes with an auxiliary Eb / Ab lever, which would also add weight. These variables, along with the fact that only a few of us (such as myself) have access to a precision balance of certified accuracy, make weight comparisons difficult.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2009-03-25 01:10
I don't think the extra weight is much of a factor. It's not any different after a day's practice than the wood--so probably not much to worry about.
I had a rosewood clarinet (the famous Symphony VII we've mentioned on this board a few times) that was much lighter, but I still didn't see that it made much difference overall in performance and rehearsal settings.
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Author: asabene
Date: 2009-03-25 02:26
I don't think there is any significant difference in weight. I believe the greenline is only 5% carbon fiber and 95% wood. So far as I know, carbon fiber is quite light (though I don't know how light as compared to wood), so it's even possible it's lighter, but I have not weighed a greenline, so I don't have any exact figures.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2009-03-25 13:09
My Green Line is two ounces (~ 60g) heavier than My Series 10.
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Author: kev182
Date: 2009-03-25 16:29
I played on a greenline for over a year (before it snapped in half) Greenlines are definitely heavier... It became a noticeable issue when I had to stand up. And although I really loved my Greenline (picked out of 20 or so), it really had trouble projecting... it was possible but required more effort than the wooden clarinet I have now and I really do think there is a difference in tonal color and quality, not necessarily bad, just different.
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-03-25 16:52
I see on Walter Grabner's site that he has Greenline basses coming in this spring. Has anyone tried them?? Seems like these would be much easier to build as the especially large pieces of wood required to get good pieces for a bass get more and more rare.
Eefer guy
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