 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2000-11-10 21:19
In response to my Bb and A mouthpiece question...I have a matched set of R-13's. However they play like 2 completely different horns. I bought the Bb 5 years agao and last year I began looking for an A. I played about 19 different A clainets all buffet R-13's. All brand new, some silver and some nickel. The Bb is wonderful and many people seem to think so when, on the rare occasion I let them play a few notes. I also love to play it everywhere. However with my A, I'm ashamed to play it for anyone, even myself. it has a very restricted, thin 2 dementional sound. No life. It's like going from a Buffet to a student line vito, but with good keywork. The funny thing was that all these horns played from bad to worse. The one I picked was amazing compared to the others, but now it's not what i expected. I'm just wondering if anyone has had the same problems with the R-13 As made from about 96' on.
Other than the Buffet and Leblanc, what are some good A clarinets( within a price range similar to the buffets, no rossi's)
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Author: Ken Rasmussen
Date: 2000-11-11 03:39
Please don't think this is an educated response--I've never even played an A, but I bet a talented repairman could do something beneficial for your A. It might possibly need a more talented repairman than one normally finds, but heck, a horn is just a mechanism with levers, pads, and dimensions. It seems like tweaking the mechanism should solve most of your problems.
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Author: William
Date: 2000-11-11 05:26
Perhaps you should try a Chadash barrel. :Pick one for your A and then use it also on your Bb. That should even things out between your instruments. An A clarinet takes a little getting use to, so don't give up and keep practicing regularily. Start your practice sessions with your A and then switch to Bb and replay everything. Pick your reeds for your A--they will also work great on your Bb. Good clarineting--AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2000-11-11 07:59
Well William, I already play on an A caddash barrell on my horns, and a Greg Smith mpc, (thanks again for a great mouthpiece!)
Also, Ken I have taken it to my repair person a few times and we have reseated pads. Replaced the register tube( which was extremely long and seemingly the wrong size) We called Francois Kloc to ask him about that one. And it is still not to my satisifaction. It wont play exactly like an Bb, but it should be close. When studying with Jim Meyer of the St. Louis Symphony this summer, we played around with the A. I played on his and he played on mine...he even noticed a sizeable difference. So it's not just me.
So i might just be looking for a different brand horn, one that suits me better.
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Author: Todd
Date: 2000-11-11 17:12
Yamaha also makes nice A clarinets. I tried one and liked it. It played like my Bb R-13.
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Author: Ted
Date: 2000-11-12 01:31
Maybe you should just realise that an A clarient is a completly different instrument to a Bb and that it requires more air, better control and a deeper understanding of the instrument if you want to play it well. Maybe a bit more practice and less time whinging wouldn't go astray...
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Author: Robin
Date: 2000-11-12 03:47
Don't try to make your A clarinet sound like your B flat. Otherwise, you may as well do everything on the B flat and get really good at transposition. I remember being a bit shocked by the resistance on my A when I first got it, but I think this is simply part of the character of the instrument. Perhaps you should get hold of some music written for this instrument to see what I mean - Mozart Concerto/quintet (pretend you're on the basset) , Brahms quintet/trio, orchestral excerpts etc. I have found that my technique is always better after having played on the A for a while, especially scales and arpeggios.
Robin
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Author: graham
Date: 2000-11-12 11:45
You say you played on the professional's A and he on yours, and, did I understand this right, you liked his A, and he did not like yours? If that's the case then you have bought a poor specimen or, the professional plays on a model that does a better A. That may seem a statement of the obvious but it may be the key to what you are talking about.
In any case, R 13s can sound a bit stuffy and restricted, and the A of the species is likely to be more so that the B flat. If you want better matching, why not look for a model which offers closer responses as between B flat and A, or try a different A while keeping the B flat R 13. Try, say, an RC or DG, or another make altogether. As long as your mouthpiece can play both in tune, and, if using pairs from different stables, the feeling of different key work does not put you off, i see no real harm in mixing them up.
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Author: Kristen Denny
Date: 2000-11-21 22:32
I had the opposite problem. My new R13 A plays better than and has a more resonant tone
that my 5 year old R13 Bb. I have also had a shorter register key venting tube put in. It
helped a little... along with using the Chaddash barrel/Greg Smith mouthpiece combination.
The mouthpiece/reed combination alone can make a huge difference. You also might
experiment with a softer reed while playing the A. It helped me in the beginning.
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