 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Marcowelby
Date: 2009-08-31 01:42
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I bought a B&H 1010 on ebay a few months ago. It has the unusual mechanism on the side of the lower body of the clarinet with two holes (instead of the usual one,see pictures attached.) Is that the Acton mechanism? does anybody understand how it work?
Thanks for any comments
Marc
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-08-31 12:11
As B and F# (xxx|oxo) are 'forked' notes, the idea of the Acton vent is to 'unfork' them so there are open toneholes below the tonehole issuing the B or F# instead of there being a closed tonehole (RH2) below the one from which the note issues from. The Acton vent compensates for RH2 being closed.
Also you can play high Eb as oxx|oxo Ab/Eb instead of the usual oxx|xo,o Ab/Eb fingering as the Acton vent will allow this fingering to be in tune unlike clarinets without it fitted (which will normally need to employ the full fingering).
You'll also find the Acton vent on Reform Boehms.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2009-08-31 12:13)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-08-31 13:30
The original 1010 design did not have the Acton vent. In comparison with the smaller French-bore instruments, the 1010 had intonation and emission problems on middle-finger B/F#/Eb, but British players learned to compensate.
When the 1010 was redesigned, the Acton vent was added, which permitted a rationalization of the bore design, at the expense of a more complex key mechanism. There were many complaints that it was unreliable and that the changes spoiled the tone of the original 1010.
But as I read the books, players made the same complaint when their Martels wore out and they had to switch to the 1010.
Take a look at a "Full Oehler," which has not one but two side vents on the bottom joint. http://www.cs.ru.nl/~bolke/DuitseKlar/oehlerlist.html
I remember reading a good discussion, but it's not in Baines or Brymer. I can't put my hands on my copy of Hoeprich, but he probably has something on it.
There have been numerous prior threads. Go to the search page, check the Klarinet archives box in addition to the Clarinet list and search on Acton vent.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-08-31 18:10
Shame the Louis 'Chas Draper Models' were only made in small amounts, otherwise I reckon the Martel players would have popularised these as they were based on the Martel clarinets. I know one player who definitely prefers his Louis 'Chas Draper Model' to his 1010s.
But as B&H were producing much larger volumes of 1010s in comparison to Louis (and in the late '40s Howarth with the NS-10) which may have mostly been made to order, I suppose that's what ultimately led to the 1010 being much more widespread as they were readily available.
Back to the Acton vent on German Boehms - it's referred here as "Acton-Mechanik":
Schwenk & Seggelke: http://www.schwenk-und-seggelke.de/infopopups/klarinetteninfo_3000.html
Detail of the Acton vent: http://www.schwenk-und-seggelke.de/infopopups/popup_m3000_option1.html
"Acton-Mechanik, durch das zusätzliche Seitenloch wird der Normalgriff für es''' hoch genug und beide h und fis'' Griffe klingen identisch."
I think it says something along the lines of the high Eb, upper F# and low B can all be played with the same (RH oxo) fingering from what little German I know.
Harald Hüyng Reform Boehms, complete with Acton vents: http://www.hueyng.de/index.php?id=44
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2009-08-31 21:47)
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