 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tb0b
Date: 2000-12-19 00:40
what are full boehm clarinets? What are their advantages and disadvantages over regular boehm?
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Author: Steve Hartman
Date: 2000-12-19 01:05
Full Boehm clarinets include (1)a third ring on the upper joint, which enables a tremolo from low c to first-line e-flat by trilling with just the l.h. middle finger (2)an articulated g#, which makes it possible to trill from top-line f# to g# without having to move the pinky (3)a left-pinky g#/d# key and (4) a low e-flat, which I think is optional. If there are any more features, I can't remember. Never having owned a full Boehm instrument, I defer to someone else to discuss the disadvantages.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-12-19 01:18
Steve, you got them correct. The articulated G# has the disadvantage of eliminating one of the best sounding and best in tune altissimo F fingerings. The extension to low Eb makes it possible to play on the Bb clarinet transposed A clarinet parts that would go down to a fingered E. It does make the horn heavier. Some people feel it makes it too resistant. As for the other full Boehm features, I don't recall reading anything on the relative advantages vs disadvantages.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-12-19 02:21
We have discussed the F B several times previously here, so please "Search the Phorum" for those thread-posts. I have owned my Penzel-Mueller and Selmer FB's [20/7] for many years and still play them when fingering problems occur which are difficult or impossible with the 17/6. Yes, they do have some drawbacks with the extra keying, length and sprung-to-open pads, but just try to trill from top-of-staff F# toG# on a 17/6 !! The 7th ring provides a fork fingering as an additional, convenient Eb/Bb. The other two additions prob. dont need explanation, they do come in handy at times. More? just ask. Don
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Author: javier garcia
Date: 2000-12-19 11:20
The F B also include a "banana" key for the RH middle finger, to make the C#/G# as a second fingering option.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-12-19 14:25
I don't understand Dee's comment about the articulated G-sharp key eliminating a fingering option. It seems to be that all this key option does is replace a fixed lever with a two-piece articulated linkage, which allows the tone hole to be placed on top of the instrument in line with most of the other toneholes, thus alleviating the usual saliva accumulation problem. There is no change in the lengthwise location of the tonehole, nor with the location of the actuating key (where the finger hits), so I don't see how any fingerings should be affected.
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Author: Steve Hartman
Date: 2000-12-19 14:52
Dave:
Dee is quite correct. What she refers to is the fact that the "long" or "covered" high F is not possible on a Full Boehm because closing the right hand rings closes the c#/g# key, which is exactly why it's great for the f#-g# trill.
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Author: Al
Date: 2000-12-19 20:59
.....and to add a comment about the articulated G# vs the covered high F, I'll take the covered high F anytime over the art. G#. There are many more occasions to use that F than there are to trill the F#-G#.
I have a full Boehm (in addition to the R-13) which has everything BUT the articulated G#. (Low Eb, left hand Ab-Eb, 3rd ring. Seems like the manufacturer felt the same way about the loss of the covered F.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-20 10:38
David the G# tone hole is NOT in the same lengthwise location. In the 'normal' clarinet the G# tone hole is made smaller and displaced up the instrument to avoid the tenon. With an articulated G# the tone hole is placed within the tenon area so this compromise is not made. I don't know what effect this has but it is likely to be desirable.
It does take considerably longer to correctly service and set up a full boehm instrument, and the mechanism is significantly less robust than the 'standard' mechanism. There is often a more 'sluggish' feel to this mechanism because a couple of the linkages involve significant sliding friction.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-12-20 14:40
Thanks to Dee, Steve, Al, and Gordon for educating me on the articulated G# key! Ain't the Internet a wonderful thing (when used judiciously, of course)?
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Author: gRAHAM gOLDEN
Date: 2000-12-22 02:09
The G# key is in the same length position. The lower joint is extended so it can have the G# key on the lower joint so it can be articulated. so because the lower joint is shorter the upper joint has to be longer, so there for the tone hole is located over the tennon.
Graham
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Author: Brent
Date: 2000-12-22 15:03
Graham, if you put a clarinet with an articulated G# next to one without, you will see that the the hole location is indeed slightly lower on the instrument with the articulated G#. I have two (professional quality) instruments with articulated G# (one has a one piece body) and several without, so i am able to make the comparison. The difference is greater than the difference between different brands with the same key design. You can tell best, of course, when playing the G#--the note plays much more nicely on the instruments with the articulated G# than those with the standard G#. It's one of those compromises in clarinet design. You get a nicer G#, you lose the best high F.
Rossis have the best of both worlds--with a one piece design the G# key can be in the right place but it's not an articulated design, so i presume you get the clear note and the closed high F both. I've never played one--and couldn't afford one anyway.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-23 09:26
Thankyou Brent for having the evidence and speaking out. Ideally the tone hole should be almost exactly between the adjacent holes up and down the instrument.
On the standard clarinet the tone hole is displaced especially so it does not coincide with the tenon. This less-than-perfect position affects the tone.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-12-23 13:38
Plus when they offset the hole, they make it smaller to get it back into tune. This additionally affects the tone quality. Then if it gets the slightest build up in it, bothe intonation and tone quality are further affected.
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